1848 Grand National


The 1848 Grand National Steeplechase was the tenth official annual running of a handicap steeplechase horse race at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool on Wednesday, 1 March. It attracted a then record, field of 29 competitors for a prize valued at £1,015 to the winner.
The race was won by Lieutenant Josey Little on Captain William Peel's Chandler trained by Tom Eskrett. Lieutenant Little wore Captain Peel's colours of white silks with a black 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.
Tom Olliver rode in the race for a record tenth time, 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.

Finishing order

No official returns for the Grand National exist prior to 1865. The return below is that published by the reporter of The Times newspaper the day after the race.
positionnameriderageweightstarting pricedistance or fate
WinnerChandlerLieut Josey Little1211-1212/11/2 a length
SecondThe CurateTom Olliver11-024/1 favourite1 & 1/2 lengths
ThirdStandard GuardWilliam Taylor10-12100/6
FourthBritish YeomanMr Charles Bevill10-08Not quoted
FifthSir ArthurJ.G. Murphy11-0115/1
Non Finishers------
WolverhamptonBartholomew Bretherton11-12Not quoted
SaucepanTom Abbott11-11Not quotedRefused at the first fence on the second circuit, stopping many others.
MathewDenny Wynne1011-108/1Brought down on the first circuit
JerryW. Sanders11-07Not quotedPulled up
Father MatthewJohn Lamplugh11-06Not quotedFell
Mr O'Higgin's PioneerCaptain William Peel811-0625/1Brought down
The SwitcherLord Strathmore11-05Fell
Ashberry LassJ. Collis611-03
CherootW. McGee11-02
AristidesJ. Rowlands11-01Not quoted
KhondoozH Rackley11-0025/1Pulled up
SophiaWilliam Ford11-00Not quoted
The Irish BardD. Freeze11-00Not quoted
EagleJohnny Broome10-13Not quotedFell at Becher's Brook 2nd time when tailed off
Mr Harrison's PioneerJ Neale10-13Not quotedBrought down
PictonN Burke10-13
CounsellorJohn Frisby10-1225/1Fell fatally at the ditch and bank along the canal side on the second circuit
Fortune TellerNeptune Stagg10-1033/1Fell
The SailorWilliam Holman610-08Fell fatally at the bank and ditch on the canal side on the second circuit
The Gipsy QueenW. Whitfield10-06Refused
VarietyHoratio Powell10-08
Blue PillW Allensby10-03Fell fatally at the bank and ditch along the canal side on the second circuit
SpartaT Turner10-00Fell
NaworthWilliam Archer9-08