| Grand National | |
| Location | Aintree |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 March 1848 |
| Winning horse | Chandler |
| Starting price | 12/1 |
| Jockey |  Capt.Josey Little |
| Trainer | Tom Eskrett |
| Owner | Josey Little |
| Conditions | Heavy |
The1848 Grand National Steeplechase was the tenth official annual running of a handicapsteeplechase horse race atAintree Racecourse nearLiverpool on Wednesday, 1 March. It attracted a then record, field of 29 competitors for a prize valued at £1,015 to the winner.[1]
The race was won by LieutenantJosey Little on Captain William Peel'sChandler trained by Tom Eskrett. Lieutenant Little wore Captain Peel's colours of white silks with black sleeves and cap. The horse won in a time of 11 minutes and 21 seconds, forty-two seconds slower than the course record set the previous year. With the proceeds of the race Lieutenant Little was able to purchase his promotion to the rank of captain in the 1st King's Dragoon Guards.[2]Tom Olliver earned the distinction of being the only rider to have taken part in all ten official renewals of the race, finishing second on The Curate. The race was marred by the fatal falls of three competitors at the same fence in the latter stages of the second circuit, taking the total number of fatalities in the history of the race to five.
The construction of the Liverpool to Bury Railway cut into the course immediately after Becher's Brook, which necessitated that the runners turn slightly to the left after the jump. This line to modern day Foinavon and The Canal Turn has remained the same since.
The posts and rails at both Brooks were removed and many of the hedges appeared to have been cut lower than in previous years. This caused much criticism from spectators.[3]
The race was started from the lane that separated the racecourse from the line of country the runners would race. They would jump the four natural banks that separated the four fields that they would cross to reach Becher's Brook, which was now just a small bank and brook beyond. Two fences were taken on the slightly new line to take the runners towards the Canal Turn, the second of which was a double fence with a rivulet through it. The Canal Turn itself was a Timber fence before the runners jumped the second brook. A new fence was added after this, described as a strong post and rails. The remainder of the Canal side of the course consisted of a bank and ditch followed by another newly installed artificial water jump beyond a post, rails and hedge, which attracted a lot of spectator attention. The rails at Mess Bridge lane were removed, creating a long run back to the stands to jump the Chair and the water jump before completing the first circuit by jumping the sunken lane.
The runners covered the same line of country again before taking a wider line onto the course to jump two hurdles before the finish.
The weather in the days leading up to the race was rainy, making travelling to the course from Liverpool on the wet muddy roads treacherous. This saw a reduction on the crowd size with notably fewer ladies in the more expensive areas of the stands.
The weather also led to the withdrawal of eight runners from the published race card, though still left a record field of twenty-nine starters. The press focused heavily on the participation of famed bare knuckle Boxer, Johnny Broome, as he had laid two heavy bets, one that he would be within four fields of the leader when they jumped the Chair and secondly that Blue Pill would win[4]
The runners were allowed away at the second attempt, although many spectators cried that the start was if anything worse than the first, which had been recalled. Almost half the field were left up to 100 yards adrift and cause the runners to be widely strung out from the start.
The combination of the false start and the large field resulted in a lot of incidents of runners colliding during the race. Lord Strathmore suffered a foot injury early in the race when another runner smashed into him, effectively rendering him unable to assist his mount.
However, the biggest incident of the race came at the Sunken Lane where the leaders, Switcher and Saucepan both refused and badly hampered many of the runners from the mid to rear division.
The finish developed into a duel between Chandler and The Curate.
No official returns for the Grand National exist prior to 1865. The return below is taken from the contemporary newspaper reports.
| position | name | rider | age | weight | starting price | distance or fate | Colours |
| Winner | Chandler | LieutJosey Little | 12 | 11-12 | 12/1 | 1/2 a length | White with black sleeves and cap |
| Second | The Curate | Tom Olliver | 11-02 | 6/1 favourite[5] | 1 & 1/2 lengths | Blue with red cap | |
| Third | British Yeoman | Charles Bevill | 10-08 {11-04} | 30/1 | 1 & 1/2 lengths | White with black cap | |
| Fourth | Standard Guard | William Taylor | 10-12 | 100/6 | Fell 3rd fence, remounted - 11 lengths | ||
| Fifth | Sir Arthur | James Murphy | 11-01 | 15/1 | Last confirmed finisher | Green with black cap | |
| Sixth* | Variety | Horatio Powell | 10-08 [10-12] | 25/1 | Distanced | Orange with black cap | |
| Seventh* | Naworth | William Archer | 9-08 | Not quoted | Distanced | Straw and light blue stripes with black cap | |
| Eighth* | Wolverhampton | Bartholomew Bretherton | 11-12 | Not quoted | Fell & Remounted {2nd Valentines Brook} Distanced | Blue with white cap | |
| Ninth* | Father Matthew | John Lamplugh | 11-06 | 40/1 | Hampered and refused sunken lane, continued tailed off | White with black cap | |
| Distanced by judge | Sophia | William Ford | 11-00 | Not quoted | Fell at the artificial water jump [13], remounted but tailed off | Purple with red sleeves and black cap | |
| Distanced by judge | Fortune-teller | Neptune Stagg | 10-10 | 30/1 | May have fallen on the second circuit, tailed off | ||
| Distanced by judge | Aristides | Fogo Rowlands | 11-01 | Not quoted | Fell & remounted at 1st Valentine's, later tailed off | Blue with red cap | |
| Distanced by judge | Switcher | Lord Strathmore | 11-05 | Not quoted | Rider suffered a foot injury in a collision at 1st Valentine's {10} | Straw and light blue stripes with black cap | |
| Distanced by judge | Jerry | W. Sanders | 11-07 | Not quoted | Pulled up exhausted on the run in | Red with white sash and black cap | |
| Distanced by judge | Saucepan | Tom Abbott | 11-11 | Not quoted | Refused at the sunken lane, went on, but faded at the hurdles | Red with black cap | |
| Distanced by judge | Ashberry Lass | J. Collis | 6 | 11-03 | Not quoted | Hampered and refused sunken lane. Tailed off, pulled up and walked in | |
| Distanced by judge | The Gipsy Queen | W. Whitfield | 10-06 | 40/1 | faded after 2nd Becher's and walked in | ||
| Non Finishers | |||||||
| 2nd Mess Bridge Lane | Blue Pill | W Allensby | 10-03 | Broke down fatally | Red with black cap | ||
| Fence {28} | Counsellor | John Frisby | 10-12 | 25/1 | Broke down fatally | Green with red sleeves and cap | |
| Fence {27} The strong post and rails | Mathew | Denny Wynne | 10 | 11-10 | 8/1 | Hampered and fell | Purple with straw sleeves and black cap |
| Fence {27} The strong post and rails | The Irish Bard | D. Freeze | 11-00 | 20/1 | Hampered and fell | ||
| 2nd Valentines | Sparta | T Turner | 10-00 | Not quoted | Fell | ||
| Not recorded | Picton | N Burke | 10-13 | Not quoted | Tailed off by the ragged start and remained so until pulling up or falling. | ||
| 2nd Bechers {21} | Eagle | Johnny Broome | 10-13 | Not quoted | Unseated when tailed off | Red with black cap | |
| Fence 20 | The Sailor | William Holman | 6 | 10-08 | 40/1 | Fell fatally | Sky blue with white cap |
| End of 1st circuit | Half Breed Pioneer | J Neale | 10-13 | Not quoted | Broke down & pulled up | Cerise with white cap | |
| Not recorded | Cheroot | W. McGee | 11-02 | Not quoted | Tailed off by the ragged start and remained so until pulling up or falling. | Sky with black cap | |
| Fence 16 | Khondooz | H Rackley | 11-00 | 25/1 | Fell fence 4, remounted, Fell again | Red and white hoops with white cap | |
| Fence {3} | Mr O'Higgin's Pioneer | Captain William Peel | 8 | 11-06 | 25/1 | Hampered & fell | Black with red sleeves and cap |
The epic battle between Little and Tom Olliver earned the Captain the eternal respect of his professional rival, the two become best friends. Little rode for Olliver to win the 1853 race and years later, recalling his victory when they rode against each other he stated. "I hope I may have as straight a ride to heaven! If my cove had been an Archbishop instead of a Curate, The Chandler's shop would have been equally safe from burglars."[7]
Lord Strathmore returned to the unsaddling encloser with half his boot missing and required medical attention for his injured foot while Turner, rider of Sparta also required medical attention after a heavy fall at Becher's second time.
There was also some criticism in the press over the severity of the race after several horses broke down, two of them, Blue Pill and Counsellor so badly they had to be destroyed, while a third horse, Sailor broke a leg in his fall, resulting in more equine fatalities in this National than all the previous runnings combined.
Bare knuckle Boxing champion, Johnny Broome became the first celebrity rider to take part in a Grand National when he entered to ride Eagle in the race, with his bet in place that he would be four fields from home by the time the winner passed the post, effectively meaning he would have crossed the lane at the top of the course and be back on the race-course proper. Broome also bet that Blue Pill, who would carry the same crimson colours, would win.
When the crowd got their first view of the leading group re-entering the racecourse for the final time, A crimson jacket was well up among the leaders, and when the jockey promptly pulled his mount up and dismounted, a majority in the crowd assumed this was Broome, having won his bet. However, it was actually Blue Pill, having badly broken down, while Broome was being cared for by spectators, having been unseated at Becher's second time round.
For most, including the man with whom Broome had laid his bet, this only became apparent when, the recovered Boxer arrived at the Waterloo Hotel to settle his bet, receiving great praise from the press and public in the process.