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How Many Times Have Grey Horses Won the Grand National?

Grey Horse Wearing BridleGrand National winners come in all shapes and sizes, from the powerhouse Red Rum to the rather more diminutive Tiger Roll.

They come in all different colours too, from chestnut and bay to black and grey.

The latter tend to be the rarest colour of all racehorses, and so naturally the percentage of Grand National winners that were grey is a lot lower than the more common browns and blacks.

And if you are watching the race on TV and struggling to find your horse amongst the 40 runners, well, you’ll rarely have that problem when backing a grey!

What is a Grey Horse?

Grey Racehorse

While far from an equine version of ‘50 Shades of Grey’, there are those with a predilection for this most unique of horse tones.

Science fans will enjoy learning that the grey colouring is caused by a consistent depigmentation of the hair, and – like in humans – the colour change can be more noticeable the older that the horse gets.

Grey horses range in nature from the almost pure white to ‘roan’, which is like a technicolour dreamcoat where neither grey nor black/brown are the dominant colour.

Which Grey Horses Have Won the Grand National?

At the time of writing, just three grey horses have won the Grand National…and there was a 144-year gap between the first and the most recent!

Grey Grand National Winners – 1839 to 2021

Year Horse Age Odds
2012 Neptune Collonges 11 66/1
1961 Nicolaus Silver 9 28/1
1871 The Lamb 9 11/2
1868 The Lamb 6 9/1

The first is also one of the most noteworthy. The Lamb won the National in 1868 and 1871 – one of just nine horses to win the Aintree spectacle on more than one occasion.

Impressively, his victories came with different jockey-trainer combinations each time, with George Ede and Ben Land replaced by Tommy Pickernell and Chris Green. The one consistent presence was The Lamb’s owner, Earl Poulet, whose ancestor Sir Amias Poulet served as the Captain of the Guard to Queen Elizabeth I.

There would be a gap of almost a century – 90 years, to be precise – until the next grey winner of the Grand National emerged. That would be Nicolaus Silver in 1961, who took advantage of a very generous 10st 1lb handicap to land a 28/1 winner for his backers.

It was the only major win of his career, although trainer Fred Rimell had already won the Grand National with ESB five years earlier. All told, Rimell trained four National champions (including Rag Trade, who beat Red Rum in the race) and two Cheltenham Gold Cup winners.

The third and most recent grey Grand National champion was Neptune Collonges in 2012. He was Paul Nicholls first – and so far only – winner of the big race, with Daryl Jacob in the saddle. Carrying 11st 6lb, the 33/1 shot was the heaviest National winner since Red Rum in 1977.

Which Grey Horses Have Run in Recent Races?

Chart Showing the Number of Grey Runners in the Grand Nationals Between 2011 and 2021

You have to be a remarkable stayer to have a chance of winning the Grand National, and the huge grey horse Bristol De Mai certainly fitted the bill.

The three-time Betfair Chase winner and Haydock Park specialist finally got his chance in the 2021 National at the age of eleven, but sadly he found it all a bit too much and was pulled up.

Farclas was one of the betting market principles in the same race at 16/1, and his classy profile – with Tiger Roll trainer Gordon Elliott in the background – ensured plenty of money came in for this quality grey horse. And he secured each way backers a return, of sorts, when he finished fifth….around 30 lengths shy of the Rachael Blackmore ridden winner, Minella Times.

Trevor Hemmings knew a thing or two about Grand National champions – he owned three former winners of the showpiece race – and one of his entries in the 2021 edition, Lake View Lad, was considered a potential outsider with chances after a wind operation. Unfortunately, the horse and jockey Brian Hughes made a rather hasty exit from the renewal, falling at the first fence!

At 100/1, Tout Est Permis was a grey horse many considered to be simply making up the numbers. But he and rider Sean Flanagan gave backers a decent run for their money, travelling in midfield until sadly being pulled agonisingly short of the line after the 29th fence.

Grey Grand National Runners – 2011 to 2021

Year Horse Position Odds Weight Age
2021 Farclas 5th 16/1 10st 3lbs 7
2021 Tout Est Permis Pulled Up 100/1 10st 12lbs 8
2021 Bristol De Mai Pulled Up 25/1 11st 10lbs 10
2021 Lake View Lad Fell 50/1 11st 0lbs 11
2019 Ramses De Teillee Pulled Up 20/1 10st 9lbs 7
2019 Lake View Lad Pulled Up 14/1 11st 1lb 9
2019 Vintage Clouds Fell 11/1 10st 4lbs 9
2018 Baie Des Iles 12th 16/1 10st 8lbs 7
2017 La Vaticane 15th 80/1 10st 6lbs 8
2017 Saphir Du Rheu Fell 16/1 11st 5lbs 8
2016 Unioniste 10th 28/1 10st 8lbs 8
2016 Ballycasey Unseated Rider 50/1 10st 6lbs 9
2015 Portrait King Fell 50/1 10st 3lbs 10
2015 Ballycasey Brought Down 25/1 10st 13lbs 8
2015 Unioniste Fell 16/1 11st 6lbs 7
2015 Corrin Wood Pulled Up 66/1 10st 7lbs 8
2014 Swing Bill 9th 66/1 10st 1lb 13
2014 Walkon Pulled Up 33/1 11st 0lbs 9
2014 Rose Of The Moon Fell 50/1 10st 3lbs 9
2014 Our Father Unseated Rider 25/1 10st 8lbs 8
2013 Swing Bill 6th 80/1 10st 8lbs 12
2013 Tarquinius 8th 100/1 10st 2lbs 10
2013 Chicago Grey (PU) Pulled Up 11/1 10st 7lbs 10
2013 Quel Esprit (PU) Pulled Up 40/1 11st 7lbs 9
2012 Neptune Collonges Winner 33/1 11st 6lbs 11
2012 Swing Bill 10th 100/1 10st 3lbs 11
2012 Alfa Beat (F) Fell 50/1 11st 5lbs 8
2012 Chicago Grey (BD) Brought Down 20/1 10st 13lbs 9
2011 Silver By Nature 12th 9/1 10st 12lbs 9
2011 Character Building 15th 25/1 10st 4lbs 11
2011 Piraya 19th 100/1 10st 4lbs 8
2011 Quolibet Unseated Rider 100/1 10st 8lbs 7

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