Midlands Grand National

The Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter is a premier handicap over four and a quarter miles.

The Midlands Grand National takes place on the 16th of March 2024.

It takes place in March on the weekend after the Cheltenham Festival. Notable past winners include subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup winners The Thinker (1986) and Synchronised (2010) and Grand National winner Rag Trade (1975).

Find out more about the Midlands National:

Race Overview – The Midland Grand National

The Midlands Grand National is held at Uttoxeter Racecourse.

It is a handicap steeplechase run over a course that is roughly 4 miles and 2 furlongs long (4 miles, 2 furlongs and 8 yards, or 6,847 metres).

There are 24 fences to jump during the race.

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Midlands Grand National Previous Winners

Check out the previous winners for this race:

Midlands Grand National Previous Result

Check out the latest result from this race:

Famous Midlands Grand National Winners

The race was first run in 1969 with victory going to the thirteen-year-old Happy Spring, still the oldest horse to win the Midlands National.

1975 winner Rag Trade would go on to win the 1976 Aintree Grand National. He was trained by Arthur Pitt when finishing tenth at Aintree in 1975 before winning this race three weeks’ later.

Rag Trade was transferred to Fred Rimell’s yard at Kinnersley and won the Welsh Grand National in 1976. He famously beat Aintree legend Red Rum by four lengths but sadly suffered a fatal injury when pulled up in the 1978 renewal.

In 1986 the race was won by Arthur Stephenson’s progressive chaser The Thinker, ridden by Ridley Lamb. It was the first major victory of his career and he took his chance in the Cheltenham Gold Cup after winning the Rowland Meyrick Chase at Wetherby.  The 1987 Gold Cup is best remembered for the snowstorm that engulfed Cheltenham causing the race to be delayed. The heavy ground brought a late flurry of bets on The Thinker who took over from long-time leader Cybrandian to win by a length and a half.

Another notable winner of the Midlands Grand National was Martin Pipe’s Bonanza Boy in 1991. He had won the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow in 1988 and 1989. He also competed in the Aintree Grand National but he was only a small horse and he was not as effective over the massive obstacles.

A more recent Midlands National winner to go on to big race glory was Synchronised in 2010. He was trained by Jonjo O’Neill and ridden by Tony McCoy when successful here as a seven-year-old. He went on to win the Lexus Chase in Ireland in 2011 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2012. Tragically the Aintree Grand National also cost him his life when galloping loose and suffering a freak injury.

Key Midlands Grand National Trials

The Welsh Grand National has the best recent record of producing subsequent winners here.

Synchronised and Potters Corner (2019) won both races in the same season while Truckers Lodge (2020) was placed at Chepstow before winning at Uttoxeter.

None of the last twenty winners had previous winning form at the course.

Subsequent targets for winners of this race include the Aintree Grand National, although this race usually favours horses who like the mud.

The drying spring ground at Aintree and usually at Ayr for the Scottish National can be a disadvantage for Midlands National winners.

Midlands Grand National Betting Trends

There have been two winning favourites in this race in the last ten seasons; Goulanes (2014) at 13-2 and Time To Get Up (2021) at 3-1.

The longest-priced winner during that period was Potters Corner (2019) at 20-1 while other long-priced winners include Firebird Flyer (2016) and Regal Flow (2018), both returned at 16-1.

Eight and nine-year-olds have the best recent record, although Regal Flow and Screaming Colours (2022) managed to win at the age of eleven.

Only two six-year-olds have ever been successful; Fighting Chance (1974) and Big Occasion (2013).

Midlands Grand National – Top Trainers and Jockeys

David Pipe won the race a record four times from 2011 to 2014; Minella Four Star, Master Overseer, Big Occasion and Goulanes. He has not managed to work his magic since but remains the most successful trainer in the history of the event.

Jonjo O’Neill trained Synchronised and Time To Get Up to win here while Jessica Harrington won it with Miss Orchestra (1998) and Intelligent (2003).

Trainer Venetia Williams has yet to train the winner of this race despite having numerous fancied runners and Irish-trained trainers have only won it twice in the past sixteen years.

Four jockeys have won it twice, the most recent being Norman Williamson with Lucky Lane (1995) and The Bunny Boiler (2002). The others were Ken White, Derek Morris and Brendan Powell.

Betting on the Midlands Grand National

The Midlands Grand National is always a very competitive event with a large field and plenty of each-way betting opportunities.

The going is invariably soft or heavy so the Welsh Grand National is the obvious place to look for clues.

The race tends to go to a horse which is side-stepping the big festival meetings to target this valuable prize.

Midlands Grand National Facts

• The Midlands Grand National is a National Hunt horse race that takes place annually at Uttoxeter Racecourse in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England.
• The race is for horses aged five years and older and is run over a distance of 4 miles and 2 furlongs (6,928 metres).
• The Midlands Grand National was first run in 1969.

Summary of the Midlands Grand National

Thank you for reading our Midlands Grand National guide.

We have looked at previous winners, stats, odds, tips and more, so you have all the information you need, whether placing a bet or simply enjoying the race.

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