Foinavon: The Story of the Grand National’s Biggest Upset

Anyone who balks at reading 278 pages about a horse should refer to Laura Hillenbrand’s 2001 book, Seabiscuit: An American Legend — the yardstick by which these horse ‘biographies’ should be measured.

Hillenbrand’s book inspired the 2003 Oscar-nominated film, Seabiscuit.

It may also have inspired David Owen’s story of Foinavon, rated 100/1 by the bookies in the 1967 Grand National, but the winner, because it was the only horse to make a clean jump at the 23rd fence.

That piece of Aintree history is hardly worth a book.

But every horse has at least four human stories to tell — those of the breeder, trainer, owner, and jockey.

Maybe the Great Depression stories that surrounded Seabiscuit made for better reading — but not enough is made of Foinavon’s connections to lift this above a succession of reports of the racehorse’s unimpressive progress up to 1967, and alltoo-brief examinations of the people associated with Foinavon.

More could have been made, for example, of co-owner McIntyre Benellick, a somewhat tragic figure, insofar as he pulled out of the ownership partnership in 1966, and didn’t even have the 100-to-1 winning Grand National bet.

Owner Cyril Watkins generously gave him half of the winner’s prize-money. But Benellick died broke in 1984, having been strongly implicated in the infamous 1974 football pools swindle, described at the time, by the News of the World, as the gambling swindle of the century.

For that reason, horse-racing geeks may be happier with ex-Financial Times sports editor Owen’s book than readers hoping for another Seabiscuit story. They will feed on esoterica, such as Foinavon, Arkle, and Ben Stack all being trained by Ireland’s Tom Dreaper, and being named after three mountains that owner Anne, Duchess of Westminster, could see from her Scottish summer base of Lochmore Lodge.

They will also bear with the book’s many digressions to learn how jump racing evolved from the 1750s point-to-point steeplechases of north Cork to its modern shape — competing with established flat racing — via obstacle races for hunting horses at 19th century English tracks, Bedford and St Alban’s.

Also for the specialists are the 32 pages of notes on the text.

Owen also touches on the hardships endured by jockeys to control their weight — which was a fascinating sidebar in Hillenbrand’s 2001 book.

Are there any tips to be gleaned from the book for today’s Grand National? Well, Tipperary Tim was the only horse to finish in 1928 without being remounted, also winning at odds of 100-1. Foinavon was a similar shock winner in 1967 — and in 2001, Red Marauder was the 33-1 winner, of only two finishers, following carnage at two of the 30 jumps. So, there seems to be a gap of about 35 years between Grand National pile-ups.

So you are quite safe having a bet.