Grittar (1973 - 1998) was a British-bred

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

who competed in

National Hunt racing National Hunt Racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to many European countries, including, but not limited to: France, horse racing in Great Britain, Great Britain and horse racing in Ireland, Ireland. Jump Racin ...

. In 1982 he won the

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 ...

as the 7/1 favourite being ridden by amateur jockey Dick Saunders, who at the age of 48 became, and remains, the oldest jockey to have won the Grand National.

Background

Grittar was a bay gelding bred in the United Kingdom by Frank H Gilman. He was owned and trained by Gilman and resided in Rutland.

Racing career

In 1981 Grittar won the Cheltenham and Liverpool Foxhunters and Gilman decided he should be entered in the National the following year. In preparation for the National, he won at a canter at Leicester before finishing a creditable sixth in the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlon ...

. Grittar was installed as a 7/1 favourite on the day of the 1982 Grand National race, due mostly to the Foxhunter Chase double in 1981. The victory at Liverpool was enough for him to get the support of

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

commentator,

Peter Bromley Peter Bromley (30 April 1929 – 3 June 2003) was BBC Radio's voice of horse racing for 40 years, and one of the most famous and recognised sports broadcasters in the United Kingdom. Early life Born at Heswall on the Wirral (then in Cheshire) B ...

though several newspaper pundits expressed concern at the horse being a hunter chaser. Forty-eight-year-old amateur rider Dick Saunders told trainer Frank Gilman to employ the services of a professional rider,

Peter Scudamore Peter Michael Scudamore MBE (born 29 June 1958), often known as 'Scu', is a trainer and former jockey in National Hunt racing. He was an eight-time Champion Jockey (including one title shared with John Francome), riding 1,678 winning horse ...

for the big race, but Gilman insisted Saunders take the ride if fit. His age and amateur status did little to deter the betting public although leading professional gambler, Alex Bird commented "I immediately pencilled him in for the '82 National, but I'm not happy about the jockey - I'll be keeping my money in my pocket."Liverpool Echo, April 2nd 1982, Page 3, "Grittar gets the bird for big one." Grittar had a virtually trouble free run beating the other 7 finishers by 15 lengths with Saunders retiring immediately after the race and becoming chairman of the Aintree stewards. Grittar ran in two more Nationals. In

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

he finished 5th behind Corbiere and the following

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ridden by

John Francome John Francome (born 13 December 1952) is a retired seven-time British Champion jump jockey. He was previously a racing trainer and broadcaster with Channel 4, and is an author. Racing career Francome first rode a pony called Black Beauty at ...

he finished 10th to Hallo Dandy. Grittar died aged 25 in Leicestershire.

Grand National record

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1973 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Grand National winners 1998 racehorse deaths Sport in Rutland