1956 Grand National

1956 Grand National
Grand National
Location	Aintree Racecourse
Date	24 March 1956
Winning horse	E.S.B.
SP	100/7^[1]
Jockey	Dave Dick
Trainer	Fred Rimell
Owner	Mrs. Leonard Carver
Conditions	Good
← 1955 1957 →

External video
Highlights of the 1956 Grand National (British Pathé)

The 1956 Grand National was the 110th renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 24 March 1956.

It is probably best remembered for Devon Loch's sudden and inexplicable fall on the final straight, just 40 yards from a certain victory. The incident is almost always replayed during television build-up coverage on Grand National day.

Owned by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and ridden by Dick Francis, the well-fancied Devon Loch held a five-length lead over his nearest challenger, E.S.B., on the run-in to the finishing post, when he suddenly half-jumped into the air and landed in a bellyflop on his stomach, allowing E.S.B. to overtake and win. Although Francis tried to cajole the horse, it was unable to continue.

Finishing order

Position	Name	Jockey	Age	Handicap (st-lb)	SP	Distance
01	ESB	David Dick	10	11-3	100/7
02	Gental Moya	George Milburn	10	10-2	22/1
03	Royal Tan	Tosse Taaffe	12	12-1	28/1
04	Eagle Lodge	Alan Oughton	7	10-1	66/1
05	Ken Royal	Tim Molony	8	10-8	28/1
06	Martinique	Stan Mellor	10	10-0	40/1
07	Carey's Cottage	Bob Turnell	9	10-13	10/1
08	Clearing	Johnny Bullock	9	10-1	66/1
09	Wild Wisdom	Luther Bridge	11	10-1	66/1	Last to Complete

Non-finishers

Fence	Name	Jockey	Age	Handicap (st-lb)	SP	Fate
01	Early Mist	Bryan Marshall	11	12-2	25/1	Fell
01	High Guard	Arthur Thompson	9	11-1	22/1	Fell
01	Must	Bert Morrow	8	10-10	7/1	Fell
01	Reverend Prince	Mr C Pocock	10	10-5	40/1	Fell
03	No Response	Cathal Finnegan	10	10-1	50/1	Fell
04	Mariner's Log	Rene Emery	9	11-11	22/1	Fell
11	Merry Windsor	Leo McMorrow	8	10-10	28/1	Fell
12	Athenian	Rex Hamey	7	10-3	66/1	Fell
18	Border Luck	Mick O'Dwyer	11	10-0	66/1	Refused
18	M'as Tu Vu	Arthur Freeman	10	10-6	40/1	Fell
19	Dunboy II	Bobby Brewis	12	11-0	66/1	Fell
19	Polonius	Gene Kelly	10	10-3	66/1	Refused
19	Domata	Derek Ancil	10	10-4	66/1	Fell
21	Witty	Paddy Farrell	11	10-4	66/1	Fell
22	Sundew	Fred Winter	10	11-4	8/1	Fell
22	Pippykin	Jimmy Power	8	10-0	100/7	Refused
26	Armorial III	Jack Dowdeswell	7	10-10	20/1	Fell
26	Much Obliged	Michael Scudamore	8	11-0	50/1	Fell
29	Ontray	Dick Curran	8	10-0	100/6	Fell
31(Run-in)	Devon Loch	Dick Francis	10	11-4	100/7	Slipped Up

^[2] ^[3] ^[4]

Media Coverage and Aftermath

E.S.B.'s jockey Dave Dick said of his unexpected win: "Devon Loch had me stone cold. I was a terribly lucky winner." Devon Loch's owner Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother famously said of the incident: "Oh, that's racing!"^[5]^[6] For jockey Dick Francis, his mount's bizarre collapse on the run-in to victory in the world's most famous steeplechase remained a "terrible memory, even after all these years."^[7] Devon Loch's was not the first time a horse had seemed to jump some form of ghost fence on the run in of the National. In 1901, Arthur Nightingall's race was well won on board Grudon when his mount also made to jump a fence that wasn't there. On that occasion the pair recovered and had sufficient time to continue and win the race ^[8]

References

↑ "Aintree Grand National Winners 1839 - 2014". racingbetter.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
↑ The Grand National : the history of the Aintree spectacular, by Stewart Peters & Bernard Parkin, ISBN 0-7524-3547-7
↑ "1956 - The Grand National & Aintree 1946-1959". fiftiesnationals.webs.com. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
↑ "Past Winners of The Grand National". grand-national.net. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
↑ The Guardian (24 March 1956). "Devon Loch joins the great failures". London. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
↑ Armytage, Marcus (6 April 2004). "Francis was victim of a great sporting calamity". London: Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 May 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
↑ Hayler, Will (14 February 2010). "Scars of Devon Loch's Grand National never healed for Dick Francis". The Guardian. London.
↑ My racing Adventures, by Arthur Nightingall, published early 1900s, undated

Grand National

Races by year	1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Course	Aintree Racecourse Becher's Brook Canal Turn The Chair

Famous horses	Aldaniti Battleship Corbiere Crisp Devon Loch The Duke E.S.B. Foinavon Golden Miller L'Escargot Lord Gyllene Lottery Peter Simple Red Rum West Tip

Famous jockeys	Jack Anthony Martin Becher Tommy Carberry Bob Champion Richard Dunwoody Brian Fletcher Dick Francis Josh Gifford Bruce Hobbs Count Karl Kinsky Jem Mason Tony McCoy Tom Olliver Ernest Piggott Richard Pitman Ruby Walsh Fred Winter

Other people	Peter Bromley Ginger McCain Vincent O'Brien Michael O'Hehir Peter O'Sullevan Jenny Pitman Fred Rimell Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Lord Oaksey Lord Sefton

Lists	List of Grand National winners List of Grand National first four placings List of equine fatalities in the Grand National

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