Location Aintree Winning horse Vanguard Jockey Tom Olliver | Date 1 March 1843 SP 12/1 Owner Lord Chesterfield | |
The 1843 Grand Liverpool Steeplechase was the fifth official annual running of a handicap steeplechase, later to become known as the Grand National Steeplechase handicap horse race which took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool on Wednesday 1 March 1843 and attracted a field of 16 runners.
Although recorded by the press at the time as the eighth running of the Grand Liverpool, which was renamed the Grand National in 1847, the first three runnings were poorly organised affairs and are not currently officially recognised.
This year the race was run as a handicap, with horses weighted according to their ability. In previous years they had all carried the same amount. The National has remained a handicap ever since.
Finishing order
Vanguard was owned by George Stanhope, the 6th Earl of Chesterfield and ran in his blue colours with red sleeves and was trained by his grooms at the Earl's private stables and gallops at Bretby Hall in Derbyshire.
The horses all returned safely but Mr Moore suffered a broken collar bone when he fell at the Wall.
John Crickmere was considered to be very unlucky not have won as his mount, Dragsman had bolted down a lane and lost a huge amount of ground before he was able to get the horse back into the race to finish just three and a half lengths behind the winner. In the winners enclosure Crickmere was telling anyone who would listen how unlucky he was when Tom Olliver responded in jest "But John did we not stop for a smoke at the turn to give you a chance to catch up"