Which horse holds the record for the fastest Grand National winning time?
The fastest winning time at the Grand National has stood for over 30 years. Records are meant to be broken, yet the fastest Grand National race-winning time remains intact. It has stood for over three decades, and may not be broken at the 2023 Grand National race.
Mr Frisk won the Grand National in 1990 in a time of eight minutes and 47.80 seconds. The time broke the previous best time set by Red Rum in 1973. Red Rum set the previous record at eight minutes 33.7 seconds.
The 2023 Grand National will have horses racing to break Mr Frisk’s three-decade-plus record. Race fans are anticipating the list of Grand National Runners 2023 as Noble Yeats will likely race once more. Could the 2022 winner race to victory once more?
Mr Frisk made history for winning the race with the fastest time, but also for amateur jockey Marcus Armytage being in the saddle. Armytage was the last amateur jockey until 2022 to win the event. Last year, Sam Waley-Cohen rode a 50/1 shot, Noble Yeats, to the race win in shock fashion.
Since Waley-Cohen was an amateur jockey, he did not receive any of the £500,000 prize money. The jockey retained his amateur status while working a regular job. Waley-Cohen owns and operates a dentist’s office. Noble Yeats’ owner was Waley-Cohen’s father. The jockey, who retired after the Grand National, was likely rewarded in some way for the race win.
Some Grand National jockeys have arrangements with the owners they ride for. Some may have a riders’ retainer fee to ride the owner’s horses. A Grand National winning jockey will receive a percentage of the race’s prize money, which is usually around 8% for winning and 4% for placing.
Despite the Grand National race being shortened in 2013 by 342 yards, Mr Frisk’s record has not been broken. Eleven-year-old Mr Frisk had a starting price of 16/1 to win the Grand National in 1990. The event was the horse’s biggest victory. The Gelding also won the Whitbread Gold Cup in 1990, but the victory was nowhere near the magnitude of the Grand National.
Mr Frisk and Armytage returned to Aintree for the Grand National 1991, but the day ended in disappointment. The gelding started the race at 25/1 odds to win. However, Mr Frisk was DNF after pulling up at fence 22. The 1991 edition was the final Grand National of Mr Frisk’s career. The horse continued as an eventer after race retirement. Mr Frisk was saddely put down after fracturing a back leg in 2000.
While Mr Frisk remains the fastest horse to win the Grand National, the distinction of the slowest horse to win the famous event goes to Lottery. The 1839 edition of the event was the first official running it. The inaugural Grand National was held on a Tuesday, with 17 horses contesting it. Lottery ran the course in a time of 14 minutes and 53 seconds, which remains the slowest time. It is unlikely that the slowest winning time will be topped. James Mason rode Lottery at a starting price of 9/1.