Grand National Steeplechase Trivia Quiz

Answer: Aintree

The Grand National horse race has been run since 1839 at Aintree, near Liverpool. It is a handicap steeplechase event which is run over 4 miles and 856 yards, consisting of 16 fences including Becher's Brook and The Chair.

Answer: Lottery

Lottery was ridden by well known jockey of the time, James "Jem" Mason. The horse started off as 5/1 favourite. The race was very basic in those days, being run over a ploughed field with a stone wall and two hurdles. Lottery failed to finish the race the following year when it refused to jump over the wall.

Answer: The Chair

There are 16 fences along the course of the Grand National, with some fences being jumped over twice, bringing the total to 30 jumps. The most famous is Becher's Brook, named after Captain Martin Becher who fell at the first Grand National and hid within a brook while the rest of the racers thundered past. The Chair is the tallest fence at 5 ft 2in high, followed by a 6 ft wide ditch.

Answer: Spruce

Spruce trees from the Lake District in Cumbria are used to top the Grand National fences. It takes nearly a month beforehand to build the fences, with wooden frames covered by approximately 150 tonnes of spruce branches.

Answer: 1993

Animal activists had already delayed the start of the 1993 race by jumping onto the track near the first hurdle. After a false start when the tape got entangled with the jockeys (it failed to rise correctly), it turned from bad to worse when the starting tape got caught up again, around one of the horse rider's necks for a second time.

The secnd false start did not register. By the time the race was officially stopped, thirty jockeys who were unaware of the false start had carried on around the circuit; seven of them finished the race (Esha Ness was first across the line).

The officials decided against re-running the race; it was declared void and all monies were refunded.

Answer: The Pie

Elizabeth Taylor played 12 year old Velvet Brown who won The Pie in a raffle. She was convinced the horse could win the Grand National. Velvet donned a jockey's outfit and disguised herself as a male, only to collapse from exhaustion before the race finished. She became famous when the press got to hear about her story.

Answer: 3

Red Rum was a bay gelding which won the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977. Such was his celebrity status that after retiring, he switched on the Blackpool Illuminations in 1977 as well as opening the Steeplechase rollercoaster ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the same year. He died at 30 years old and is buried at Aintree. His epitaph reads:
"Respect this place, this hallowed ground, a legend here, his rest has found, his feet would fly, our spirits soar, he earned our love for evermore."

Answer: Jenny Pitman

Jenny Pitman's first Grand National victory came in 1983 with Corbiere. Her training skills won her a second triumph in 1995 with Royal Athlete. Jenny was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 for services to horseracing and became an author of horse racing novels on her retirement from training in 1999.

Answer: Lion's Bar

Seagram Distillers sponsored the race from 1984 to 1991, Martell from 1992 to 2004 and John Smith's from 2005. John Smith's brewery is based in England and owned by well known beer manufacturer, Heineken.

Answer: Neptune Collonges

Neptune Collonges was a French horse but trained in the UK. It won the 2012 Grand National at 33/1 after winning by just a nose against Sunnyhillboy. The horse that came in third was Seabass, ridden by woman jockey, Katie Walsh.