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Lottery was the winner of the 1839 Grand National Steeplechase at Aintree, near Liverpool, England. This is often stated as the first running of this famous race as it was the first to truly attract National interest in the United Kingdom. It was actually recorded by the press of the time as the fourth running, but the previous three races failed to capture the imagination and were quickly forgotten.
One Victorian commentator claimed that Lottery could trot faster than most of his rivals could gallop, and it was widely believed that he would have won the National more than once had it not been for a heavy weight burden imposed in 1841 that left him little chance of victory. However, he also failed to win the 1840 Grand National when, without the huge weight burden, he fell at the wall. Some courses were so concerned that Lottery would scare away the opposition that they framed the conditions of races to stipulate that they were open to any horse bar the winner of the Cheltenham Steeplechase, said horse being Lottery.