The 2009 Grand National (officially known as the John Smith's Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 162nd running of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 4 April 2009.
A 100/1 outsider, the French-bred Mon Mome, ridden by Liam Treadwell, won the race by 12 lengths from the previous year's winner Comply or Die (14/1) in a time of 9 minutes 34 seconds. Mon Mome became the first 100/1 shot to win since Foinavon in 1967.Where they finished at Aintree BBC Sport, 4 April 2009 He also became the first winner of the race to have been bred in France for 100 years.
Mon Mome was trained by Venetia Williams at her Herefordshire stables and was owned by Vida Bingham of East Sussex.
Seventeen runners completed the 4-mile 4 furlong course over Aintree's National circuit. Hear The Echo collapsed during the latter stages of the race and later died.
Race card Note: Trained in Great Britain unless otherwise stated in brackets.
1: Cloudy Lane Weight: 11–10. Jockey: Jason Maguire; trainer: Donald McCain, Jr. Colours: white cap, green and yellow checked vest with white sleeves.
2: Chelsea Harbour Weight: 11–8. Jockey: Emmet Mullins; trainer: Tom Mullins (Ireland). Colours: white cap with black ring, orange vest with black star and orange and black diamond sleeves.
3: Snowy Morning Weight: 11–8. Jockey: Andrew McNamara; trainer: Willie Mullins (Ireland). Colours: yellow and white checked cap, yellow and black striped vest with yellow sleeves.
4: Knowhere Weight: 11–7. Jockey: Paddy Brennan; trainer: Nigel Twiston-Davies. Colours: green cap, vest and sleeves all with white stars.
5: Comply or Die Weight: 11–6. Jockey: Timmy Murphy; trainer: David Pipe. Colours: white cap with blue stars, blue vest with green sleeves.
6: Ollie Magern Weight: 11–6. Jockey: Mr Sam Waley-Cohen; trainer: Nigel Twiston-Davies. Colours: blue cap, blue vest with claret stars and claret sleeves.
7: Stan Weight: 11–6. Jockey: Aidan Coleman; trainer: Venetia Williams. Colours: pink cap, blue vest with pink and blue striped sleeves.
8: Black Apalachi Weight: 11–5. Jockey: Denis O'Regan; trainer: Dessie Hughes (Ireland). Colours: green cap with blue star, green vest with blue and green striped sleeves.
9: Hear The Echo Weight: 11–5. Jockey: Davy Russell; trainer: Mouse Morris (Ireland). Colours: claret cap with white star, claret vest with white star and white stripe to claret sleeve.
10: Weight: 11–5. Jockey Philip Enright; trainer: Gerald O'Leary (Ireland). Colours: blue cap with yellow star, blue vest with yellow star to chest and sleeves.
11: My Will Weight: 11–4. Jockey: Ruby Walsh; trainer: Paul Nicholls. Colours: red cap, white and black vest with red sleeves.
12: Eurotrek Weight: 11–3. Jockey: Sam Thomas; trainer: Paul Nicholls. Colours: light blue cap, vest and sleeves with dark blue diamond.
13: State Of Play Weight: 11–2. Jockey: Paul Moloney; trainer: Evan Williams. Colours: blue cap, blue vest with pink stripe and blue sleeves.
14: Big Fella Thanks Weight: 11–1. Jockey: Christian Williams; trainer: Paul Nicholls. Colours: dark green and white checked cap, dark green vest with a white V and light green sleeves.
15: Mon Mome Weight: 11–0. Jockey: Liam Treadwell; trainer: Venetia Williams. Colours: green cap, green vest with blue and green stripe sleeves.
16: Silver Birch Weight: 11–0. Jockey: Robbie Power; trainer: Gordon Elliott (Ireland). Colours: blue cap, black vest with blue star, blue sleeves with black stars.
17: Butlers Cabin Weight: 10–13. Jockey: Tony McCoy; trainer: Jonjo O'Neill. Colours: white cap, green and orange striped vest and sleeves.
18: Offshore Account Weight: 10–13. Jockey: David Casey; trainer: Charlie Swan. Colours: orange and green checked cap, white vest and sleeves with green flashes to shoulder.
19: Parsons Legacy Weight: 10–12. Jockey: Richard Johnson; trainer: Philip Hobbs. Colours: yellow cap, claret vest with yellow stripe and yellow sleeves.
20: Reveillez Weight: 10–12. Jockey: Mark Walsh; trainer: Jonjo O'Neill. Colours: orange cap, green and orange striped vest and sleeves.
21: Fundamentalist Weight: 10–11. Jockey: David England; trainer: Nigel Twiston-Davies. Colours: orange cap, black and orange striped vest, black sleeves with orange stars.
22: Golden Flight Weight: 10–11. Jockey: Barry Geraghty; trainer: Nicky Henderson. Colours: yellow cap with blue rings, yellow and blue striped vest and sleeves.
23: Lami Weight: 10–11. Jockey: Robert Thornton; trainer: Enda Bolger (Ireland). Colours: yellow and green checked cap, orange and green striped vest and sleeves.
24: Battlecry Weight: 10–10. Jockey: Tom Scudamore; trainer: Nigel Twiston-Davies. Colours: orange cap, yellow and green checked vest with white sleeves.
25: Cornish Sett Weight: 10–10. Jockey: Nick Scholfield; trainer: Paul Nicholls. Colours: black and white checked cap, black and white stripe vest with black and white checked sleeves.
26: Fleet Street Weight: 10–10. Jockey: Andrew Tinkler; trainer: Nicky Henderson. Colours: red and white checked cap, white vest and sleeves with red trim.
27: Musica Bella Weight: 10–10. Jockey: Philip Carberry; trainer: Francois Cottin (France). Colours: orange cap, black and orange striped vest and sleeves.
28: Can't Buy Time Weight: 10–9. Jockey: Noel Fehily; trainer: Jonjo O'Neill. Colours: blue cap, orange and green striped vest and sleeves.
29: Darkness Weight: 10–9. Jockey: Wayne Hutchinson; trainer: Charles Egerton. Colours: pink cap, pink and grey diamonded vest and sleeves.
30: Irish Invader Weight: 10–9. Jockey: Paul Townend; trainer: Willie Mullins (Ireland). Colours: blue cap with black spot, orange vest with white star and blue sleeves.
31: Rambling Minster Weight: 10–9. Jockey: James Reveley; trainer: Keith Reveley. Colours: blue cap, white vest and sleeves with blue stars.
32: Southern Vic Weight: 10–9. Jockey: Niall Madden; trainer: Ted Walsh (Ireland). Colours: yellow cap with black star, yellow and black checked vest with black sleeves.
33: Kilbeggan Blade Weight: 10–7. Jockey: Graham Lee; trainer: Tom George. Colours: red cap with blue diamond, Blue vest and sleeves with red diamond.
34: Brooklyn Brownie Weight: 10–6. Jockey: Phil Kinsella; trainer: Malcolm Jefferson. Colours: orange cap, brown and orange checked vest with brown sleeves.
35: Himalayan Trail Weight: 10–6. Jockey: Paddy Flood; trainer: Jimmy Mangan (Ireland). Colours: red cap, blue vest with white V and blue sleeves with white stripes.
36: Arteea Weight: 10–5. Jockey: Richie McGrath; trainer: David Pipe. Colours: white cap with black star, Green vest with white star and black and green striped sleeves.
37: Cerium Weight: 10–5. Jockey: Keith Mercer; trainer: Paul Murphy. Colours: green cap, Green vest with white star and black and green striped sleeves
38: Idle Talk Weight: 10–5. Jockey: Brian Harding; trainer: Donald McCain Jr. Colours: green cap, yellow and green checked vest with white sleeves.
39: Kelami Weight: 10–5. Jockey: Derek Laverty; trainer: Lisa Williamson. Colours: red and white ringed cap, black vest with red and white striped sleeves.
40: Zabenz Weight: 10–5. Jockey: Tom O'Brien; trainer: Philip Hobbs. Colours: green cap, beige vest and sleeves.
Leading contenders 2007 Irish Grand National winner Butler's Cabin was made the favourite having fallen in the previous year's National when going well and in addition he had champion jockey Tony McCoy in the saddle. The favourite was still among a group of sixteen horses who still held serious chances with four fences to jump but he made a mistake at the 27th and was always struggling to get back on terms with those at the head of the group. After the race, jockey Tony McCoy said: "He ran OK. He's probably still a bit high in the handicap. From Becher's on the second circuit he was just starting to get a little bit tired and he made a lot of little mistakes late on."
My Will was made favourite for the race after finishing fifth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup but was sent off as joint-second favourite on the day with two-time winning rider Ruby Walsh in the saddle. Despite a series of jumping errors the horse turned for the home straight marginally leading an unusually large contending pack of sixteen horses and briefly looked to be on the way to victory at the penultimate flight. The horse was quickly passed by the eventual winner and took the last flight in third place where he remained, finishing 13¼ lengths behind the winner. Jockey Ruby Walsh said: "He was just hitting the fences low and I was really having to work hard at keeping him upright. We did well to stay on our feet."
Rambling Minster was identified as the 'trend' horse after winning the Blue Square Gold Cup at Haydock two months before the National. Despite ticking all the boxes the tipsters looked for in a potential National winner, he proved very disappointing in the race itself and was well to the rear when he was almost brought down at the 18th fence and was pulled up soon after. Jockey James Reveley said afterwards: "He didn't take to it and just didn't like it. He jumped OK until he made a mistake down the back and he was looking after himself after that so I pulled up going down the back on the second circuit."
Black Apalachi had been a faller in the 2008 Grand National but became popular when he won the Becher Chase over one circuit of the course in November and followed that by winning the Bobbyjo Chase in February. He went straight to the front from the start, taking the lead at the third fence where he remained for over a circuit. He was still three lengths clear and going well when he stumbled on landing over Becher's Brook and threw his rider Denis O'Reagan, who later said: "It was very disappointing – he was travelling well and jumping from fence to fence. I don't know what happened until I see a replay."
Comply Or Die was the defending champion and came within 12 lengths of being the first horse for over thirty years to win back-to-back Nationals. The horse jumped alongside Mon Mome at the final flight but was outpaced on the run-in. After, jockey Timmy Murphy said: "He ran a blinder. Apart from failing to get 10 lengths closer to the winner I have no complaints whatsoever."
State Of Play had won the 2006 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup but appealed to his backers after winning the Charlie Hall Chase in November at Wetherby. The horse was among the leading eight throughout the race and was among four who shared the lead jumping the penultimate fence. He was unable to mount a challenge after that and finished fourth, 14 lengths behind the winner. Jockey Paul Moloney said of his race: "There was a moment when I thought I was going to win going to two out. You can't do it without the horse and I had a lot of confidence in him."
Big Fella Thanks was backed after winning the Sky Bet Chase in January and on race day ran a textbook National in mid-division on the first circuit before moving into a challenging position at the Canal Turn on the second circuit. The horse was always having to find a few lengths and was never quite able to get on terms with the leader before finishing sixth. Jockey Christian Williams regarded the race as a prep for a bigger bid next year, saying: "He'll be a year older next year, and perhaps on softer ground you never know. He's only a baby. I had AP [McCoy, on Butler's Cabin] upsides me so I knew I was in the right place. He's got a slight cut on his hind leg and that may have made a slight difference, but if he improves again and comes back with a nice weight next year he could go close."