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2006 Grand National
The 2006 Grand National (officially known as the John Smith's Brewery, John Smith's Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 159th official annual running of the Grand National Steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase which took place at Aintree Racecourse, Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 8 April 2006 and attracted the maximum permitted field of forty competitors for total prize money of £689,360 including £399,140 to the winner. 11–1 Irish shot Numbersixvalverde, ridden by Niall Madden, won the race, ahead of 5–1 joint-favourite and the 2005 Grand National, previous year's winner Hedgehunter in second place. The other joint-favourite, Clan Royal, was deemed third in a photo finish ahead of Nil Desperandum at 33–1. Nine of the forty runners completed the course, the fewest since 2001 Grand National, 2001. Runners and betting Clan Royal was the long-time ante-post favourite with the public on the back of finishing second in 2004 Grand National, 2004 and bein ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grand National
The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap steeplechase over an official distance of about , with horses jumping 30 fences over two laps.'' British Racing and Racecourses'' () by Marion Rose Halpenny – Page 167 It is the most valuable jump race in Europe, with a prize fund of £1 million in 2017. An event that is prominent in British culture, the race is popular amongst many people who do not normally watch or bet on horse racing at other times of the year. The course over which the race is run features much larger fences than those found on conventional National Hunt tracks. Many of these fences, particularly Becher's Brook, The Chair and the Canal Turn, have become famous in their own right and, combined with the distance of the event, create what has been ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Becher Chase
The Becher Chase is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged six years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 3 miles and 2 furlongs (3 miles 1 furlong and 188 yards, or 5,201 metres), and during its running there are twenty-one fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in November or December. It is run over the same fences as Aintree's most famous race, the Grand National, and it serves as an early-season trial for that event. Two winners have gone on to win the Grand National; Amberleigh House and Silver Birch. Earth Summit won the race in 1998 following his Grand National win the previous April. One of the obstacles jumped is Becher's Brook, which is named in memory of Martin Becher (1799–1864). The Becher Chase was established in 1992, when a new race meeting was introduced at Aintree. For the twenty years prior to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
François Doumen
François Doumen (born 11 June 1940) is a retired French racehorse trainer. He was a winner of the King George VI Chase on five occasions with ''Nupsala (1987), The Fellow (1991, 1992), Algan (1994), First Gold (2000), and the Cheltenham Gold Cup with The Fellow (1994). Life and career Doumen born 11 June 1940 in Angoulême, Poitevin-Saintongeais. As a young man he had also been a competitive slalom skier. From 1956 to 1970 he was an amateur jockey, and he then worked as an assistant trainer to his father Jean, who was a jockey and trainer at Maisons-Laffitte for over 50 years. His older brother Christophe was also a racehorse trainer. François obtained his own training licence in 1977, working in Boucé, Orne. His first successful outing in the UK was in 1987, winning the Boxing Day King George VI Chase at Kempton with the 25-1 outsider Nupsala, the first French horse to do so. He won the same race in 1991 and 1992 with The Fellow, who went on to win the Cheltenham ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Thornton (jockey)
Robert "Choc" Thornton (born 14 July 1978 in Darlington) is a retired England, English National Hunt racing, National Hunt jockey. Career Robert "Chocolate" Thornton (known as Choc) was one of the United Kingdom's leading National Hunt jockeys. After growing up riding hunters with his father, a professional Huntsman, he started working for trainer David Nicholson (horse racing), David Nicholson in 1997 as an amateur. After immediate success, he became a Conditional jockey, riding 71 winners during his first season in the sport. He won the Conditional Jockey's title the following year. After making his professional debut in the 1994-95 season, his performance was consistent, if unspectacular, featuring in the top 10 of the British Jumps Jockey Championship. Thornton’s most successful season was the 2007/2008-season, during which he broke the 100-winner barrier for the first time, by winning 105 of his 597 races. After Nicholson retired in 1999, Thorton joined up with trainer A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sue Magnier
John Magnier (born 10 February 1948) is an Irish people, Irish business magnate. He is a leading thoroughbred stud (animal), stud owner and has extensive business interests outside the horse-breeding industry. Magnier was a senator in the upper house of the Oireachtas, Seanad Éireann from 1987 to 1989. He is based at Coolmore Stud at Fethard, County Tipperary, Fethard in County Tipperary, considered one of the world's best stallion stations. Career Origins Magnier was born in Fermoy, County Cork, the eldest son of Thomas Magnier (1909–1962) a County Cork landowner. His aunt Mary Elizabeth Hallinan married Rupert Watson, 3rd Baron Manton, Senior Steward of the Jockey Club 1982–1985. Early life Magnier received his formal education at Glenstal Abbey in County Limerick but had to leave school at 15 to take charge of the family estate near Fermoy after his father died. Coolmore Magnier later moved to County Tipperary, where he helped transform Coolmore Stud into a multi-mil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Native Upmanship
Native Upmanship (1993 – 13 May 2024) was a National Hunt racehorse. He was trained in Ireland by Arthur Moore and owned by John Magnier. Early career Native Upmanship made his racecourse debut in a National Hunt flat race in February 1998 at Gowran Park, where he finished third behind subsequent Champion Bumper winner Alexander Banquet. He had one more run that season in April, where stepped up on his debut, to win a National Hunt flat race at the Punchestown Festival. 1998–99 season Native Upmanship reappeared in the 1998–99 season, where he made his seasonal debut in a Grade 3 Novice Hurdle at Navan in October, finishing fourth. His trainer stepped him up to the top level a month later for the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle, and Native Upmanship finished seventh of eight runners, behind Alexander Banquet. His next outing saw him dropped down considerably in a maiden hurdle, which he won. He then finished second in his next three runs, two of which were at Grade 2 level. In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Timmy Murphy
Timothy James Murphy (born 20 August 1974 in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland), known as Timmy Murphy, is a retired Irish jockey who competed mostly in National Hunt racing, National Hunt racing. A multiple Grade 1-winning rider, he is best known for his victory on Comply or Die in the 2008 Grand National. He overcame problems with alcohol, which had led to a prison sentence after a drunken incident on a plane in 2002, to resume a successful career and win the 2005 jump jockey of the year Lester Award. He won the Irish Grand National on Davids Lad in 2001, and the Scottish Grand National on Merigo in 2010 and 2012. He had eight winners at the Cheltenham Festival, the first in 1997 and the last in 2009. He recorded his 1000th win in Britain in 2010. Following an injury in a fall in 2010 he was unable to regain his licence to ride over jumps and switched codes, riding on Flat racing, the flat from 2015 until 2018, when he retired from race riding. Background Murphy wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Johnson (racehorse Owner)
David Johnson (21 September 1943 – 6 July 2013) was a British businessman, known for owning National Hunt racehorses. Early life Johnson was born in September 1943, and was brought up in Essex. He was a West Ham United fan. His father was a docker in London. Business Johnson began his first role in banking as a clerk for Martins Bank in Lombard Street, where he initially earned £9 per week. He would go on to work for Cedar Holdings, and began to specialise in the specialist lending industry. He established his own finance house, J&J Securities, in the 1990s which was acquired multiple times before becoming iGroup. Johnson was Managing Director of iGroup when it was sold to GE Capital in 2001, with the business valued at £200million. He resigned the following year. In 2003, Johnson set up Commercial First Mortgages, and lender Link Group in 2006. However, the 2008 financial crisis, Johnson's businesses declined rapidly. He was able to keep the business afloat, and in 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martin Pipe
Martin Charles Pipe (born 29 May 1945), is an English former racehorse trainer credited with professionalising the British racehorse training industry, and as of 2021 the most successful trainer in British jump racing. The son of a West Country bookmaker, Pipe was an amateur jockey before turning his attention to training in 1974 at Nicholashayne, Somerset, near Wellington, England, at Pond House stables. Pipe is broadly credited with professionalising National Hunt racing. He made multiple simple but effective changes to what had been then the traditional methods of training racehorses, specifically those in jump racing. His training innovations included using interval training, using daily blood tests to assess fitness, and keeping horses lean during the racing season, all intended to ensure his horses were at peak fitness for races. His methods came into broad use during the period he was training. Pipe was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Johnson (jockey)
Richard Johnson (born 21 July 1977) is a retired England, English National Hunt jockey. Johnson is the second most prolific winner in the history of National Hunt Racing behind Tony McCoy, Sir Anthony McCoy, a long-time rival of Johnson's, with over 3500 winners. Richard Dunwoody previously held the record with 1874. Johnson holds the record for the most appearances in the Grand National and also the record for the most rides in the race without a victory. Johnson has twice won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, on Looks Like Trouble in 2000 and Native River in 2018. Johnson has been British jump racing Champion Jockey, Champion Jockey on four occasions and has been a runner-up 17 times in the Championship (on 16 occasions to McCoy and once in 2020 to the new champion Brian Hughes). Background and early career Johnson comes from a racing family with his father being an amateur jockey and his mother, Sue Johnson (trainer), Sue Johnson, a successful trainer. Johnson left ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trevor Hemmings
Trevor James Hemmings (11 June 1935 – 11 October 2021) was a British billionaire businessman. Early life Hemmings was born in Woolwich, London, on 11 June 1935, the son of a Royal Ordnance worker. During the Second World War, part of the Royal Ordnance was relocated to Euxton, Lancashire, and the family moved there when he was aged five. Hemmings began work on the railways while studying business studies at night school. He then became an apprentice bricklayer and made his initial fortune through housebuilding businesses, the first of which he sold in the early 1970s and the second of which was bought by Barratt Developments for £5.7million. Career Hemmings owned Preston North End F.C., Northern Trust Co. Ltd, Classic Lodges Ltd. and Trust Inns Ltd. He also owned over 100 racehorses, three of which won the Grand National: Hedgehunter (2005), Ballabriggs (2011), and Many Clouds (2015). In 2009, it was reported by the ''Sunday Times Rich List'' that Hemmings had lost £ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Willie Mullins
William Peter Mullins (born 15 September 1956) is an Irish racehorse horse trainer, trainer and former jockey. He is a nineteen-time List of Irish National Hunt races, Irish National Hunt Champion trainer. Mullins is the most successful trainer in the history of the Cheltenham Festival, having saddled 113 winners as of 2025. He was the trainer of the 2024 Grand National winner I Am Maximus and 2025 Grand National winner Nick Rockett. Personal life Mullins was born and raised around horses. His father, Paddy Mullins, was a horse trainer, and his mother, Maureen, was a successful breeder. Mullins is from Goresbridge, County Kilkenny, but is based at Closutton, Bagenalstown, County Carlow, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. He was educated at Cistercian College, Roscrea, an all-boys Catholic boarding school in County Tipperary. His son, Patrick Mullins (jockey), Patrick Mullins, is an amateur jockey riding mainly in Ireland for his father and acting as assistant trainer to him. Patr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
