The Grand National is one of the most prestigious horse races in the world, with over 500 million people viewing the race every year. To win the Grand National is one of the highest accolades a horse and jockey can accomplish and has created many big names in the horse racing industry. Viewers worldwide are in anticipation of this annual event, with many taking the free bets option provided to stake on the incredibly skilled horses and jockeys taking part. With 2025’s instalment of the race just around the corner, let’s take a look at some of the Grand National’s most legendary horses.
Red Rum
When you think of legendary Grand National horses, one of the first that springs to mind is the record-breaking, iconic racehorse, Red Rum. Red Rum is one of the most known horses in the sport, with a reputation that matches the incredible achievements on the track. In 1973, Red Rum won one of the most infamous races in Grand National history. The favourite to win the race was the Australian racehorse Crisp, who was beaten by Red Rum by only ¾ of a length after a dramatic chase, closing a gap of 15 lengths over the final hurdle. A year later, Red Rum returned to Aintree and managed to maintain his title, winning his second Grand National in 1974 back-to-back. In the same year, he also took home the Scottish Grand National, becoming the only horse to do both in the same year. In the next 2 years, Red Rum underwent a change in jockey from Brian Fletcher’s 2nd place in 1975 to Tommy Stack, who also finished 2nd in the 1976 Grand National. To set the record for the most Grand National wins, Stack took Red Rum to his 3rd win in 1977, cementing the horse’s name in history. The legacy of the horse is unmatched, still being one of the most well-known racehorses in the sport, even being buried at Aintree and having its own statue in Southport.
Tiger Roll
Tiger Roll is a relatively new addition to the legendary racehorse category, only retiring in 2022. Tiger Roll had an extremely decorated career with plenty of major wins since its debut in 2013 at the Market Rasen Racecourse. Not only did Tiger Roll make a name for himself in the Grand National, but he cemented his name at the iconic Cheltenham Festival, winning there 5 times. However, Tiger Roll’s legacy is even greater in the Grand National, becoming the first horse to win the race back-to-back in 2018 and 2019 since Red Rum in the 70s. Jockey Davy Russell guided the horse to victory on both occasions, making it only the 7th horse to win multiple Grand Nationals. As a result, Tiger Roll has gone down in history as one of the most successful horses in the Grand National, becoming one of the very few horses to win the race back-to-back.
Foinavon
While Foinavon only has 1 Grand National win, the manner in which he won it will forever go down in the history of the Grand National. In 1967, Foinavon claimed his only Grand National win in an incredible fashion that has gone down in history and replayed again and again, remembered at each Grand National broadcasting. The Irish racehorse was given a 100/1 to win the prestigious race with a young jockey found only 3 days before the event in his first-ever Grand National. Despite the odds swaying away from Foinavon, luck fell at the feet of the horse, with only 28 horses still in the race as they approached Becher’s Brook in the second circuit. While sitting comfortably in 22nd, 2 horses at the front caused a large pileup on the 23rd fence, giving the horse time to slow down and for jockey, John Buckingham to manoeuvre the horse around the pileup and take a comfortable lead. Despite 17 horses, including ones that had been remounted, continuing to try and close the gap, Foinavon took a 15-length lead as it crossed the line, with favourite to win Honey End not being able to catch up. The horse won its one and only Grand National and cemented its name in history, even having the 7th/23rd fence named after the legendary horse.
Minella Times
Minella Times is another 1 time Grand National winner, however, it managed to make history in doing so. In the 2021 Grand National, Minella Times became the first horse-ridden by a female jockey who won the Grand National. Jockey Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the Grand National, making history. The 32-year-old at the time inspired a whole new generation of female jockeys and became a huge figure in the sport. Minella Times was forced into retirement in 2023; however, the reputation and career of this horse have cemented its name into the history of horseracing, making it another legendary racehorse.
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