Grand National witnessed 100/1 winner after every other horse failed at iconic fence
This year’s Grand National will see the runners clear 30 fences in their bid for glory at Aintree.
Whilst each of those fences has its own story, few come close to that of the 23rd and the horse it is named after.
Known since 1984 as the Foinavon fence, the obstacle was officially renamed to honour the winner of the 1967 Grand National.
On that occasion, nine-year-old Foinavon claimed an unlikely victory as the only horse to clear the 23rd fence.
All other horses still in the race either fell, refused to jump, were hampered or were brought down in a melee at the obstacle.
The 100/1 outsider’s win was so unexpected, their owner and trainer were not even present at Aintree to watch the race.
Foinavon had previously been owned by the Duchess of Westminster but had been bought by Cyril Watkins by 1967.
As well as Watkins’ absence, trainer John Kempton, who was the horse’s usual jockey, had instead gone to Worcester to ride another of his horses.
This left Foinavon without a jockey for the Grand National until three days before the race, when John Buckingham agreed to the ride.
It would be Buckingham’s first time riding in the Grand National.
Foinavon’s famous victory
Priced at 100/1, few envisioned Foinavon challenging come the end of the race having failed to place in the Cheltenham Gold Cup just weeks earlier.
Those pre-race predictions appeared to be well-judged approaching the 23rd fence.
With 28 of the 44 starters still in the race, Buckingham found himself in 22nd on board Foinavon.
However, riderless horse Popham Down caused a melee after veering right on approach to the 23rd fence.
As the horse ran across the fence, it caused a pile-up involving those still in the race.
This prompted one of the leaders, Rondetto, to unseat its rider after clearing the fence.
Having been back in 22nd, Buckingham had time to slow Foinavon to a canter as they approached before finding a gap to clear the fence and continue.
Approaching the next obstacle, it became clear the nine-year-old had been the only horse to successfully do so, with a 30-length lead opening up with six left to jump.
The chaotic scenes were summarised by Michael O’Hehir’s iconic commentary.
Reacting to the incident, he exclaimed: “Rutherfords has been hampered, and so has Castle Falls; Rondetto has fallen, Princeful has fallen, Norther has fallen, Kirtle Lad has fallen, The Fossa has fallen, there’s a right pile-up…
“And now, with all this mayhem, Foinavon has gone off on his own. He’s about 50, 100 yards in front of everything else.”
Whilst several jockeys remounted their horses, the lead remained at 20 lengths as Foinavon approached the last fence.
Having cleared the final obstacle, Buckingham held on to win by 15 lengths ahead of 15/2 favourite Honey End.
Speaking in the winner’s enclosure after the race, the jockey recalled: “Everything seemed to stop in front of me. I managed to pull onto the outside. I nearly got stopped by two loose horses.”
Buckingham added: “After he jumped it, we were just on our own. I couldn’t believe it. It was wonderful.”
Foinavon would return to Aintree the following year in a bid to defend his Grand National triumph.
This time ridden by Phil Harvey and priced at 66/1, he was brought down at fence 16.
Although he failed to recreate his historic victory 12 months prior, Foinavon’s win would later be immortalised by Aintree.
The 23rd fence, the smallest on the course, was renamed the Foinavon fence in 1984 in memory of the iconic 1967 Grand National.
When is the 2026 Grand National?
Racegoers will be hoping to witness a similarly memorable race at this year’s Grand National Festival.
The race itself will take place at Aintree on Saturday, April 11, with a scheduled start time of 4pm.
Last year’s winner Nick Rockett has been entered into the field once again.
The Willie Mullins-trained horse was ridden to victory by Patrick Mullins in 2025 as a 33/1 pre-race outsider.
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