I've always maintained that when you're trying to pick a horse for the Grand National that it's a smart move to consider those that have run in it before, even if they didn't win.
Despite all of the recent changes that have, predictably, made it much easier, experience counts for a lot.
It's a long race and barely half the field even complete it so if a runner has nailed it before, it's a big tick in the box.
I say all this because it brings me nicely on to Little Polveir, the 1989 Grand National winner.
Trained by Toby Balding, (uncle to TV presenter Clare Balding), Little Polveir had previously tried his hand in the race on three occasions.
He had come ninth in 1986 and unseated his rider in 1987 and 1988 before finally tasting victory in 1989 on his fourth attempt.
So what was his story and how did he manage the win at the ripe old age of 12, having failed so many times before?
The Early Days
Sired by Cantab out of Blue Speedwell, Little Polveir was bred in Co. Antrim in 1977 and was named after a salmon fishing pool in Scotland.
He was bought without having being raced, by trainer John Edwards on behalf of Mike Shone and entered his first race over fences in a non graded chase at Chepstow in 1982.
By 1986 he was a bonafide long distance chaser winning at over 3m5f, a clear sign of his bottomless stamina and so he was sent to Aintree.
Clocking in at 10-03, he went off on adds of 36/1 under the guidance of jockey Colin Brown.
Although he completed the course, connections had to settle for 9th place.
The following season he took his chances at Aintree again on April 4th but when he fell at the chair, the plan shifted and so he was sent to Ayr for the Scottish National on April 11th.
That proved to be far more successful as, ridden by Peter Scudamore, he went and won the race.
While his first two entries into the Grand National saw him give less than impressive performances, he actually did quite well in the 1988 race.
At the age of eleven, he was in the lead until the twenty-sixth where he took off too soon, landing on the fence, unseating his rider and giving the lead to the eventual winner Rhyme ‘N’ Reason.
As 1989 rolled around, his owner Michael Shone, decided to sell him. So, at the 12-year-old and for £15,750 (15,000 guineas) in February 1989, Edward Harvey bought Little Polvier and moved him to Toby Balding's yard.
With six weeks to the Aintree Grand National, Balding had his work cut out for him.
Winning The Grand National
The 1989 Grand National, officially named the Seagram Grand National, took place on 8 April. A record crowd of 74,189 people attended the race, marking a significant increase from the previous year.
Little Polveir was a relative outside going off on odds of 28/1 on his fourth attempt at the race.
He was up against the likes of Dixton House, the 7/1 favourite after his strong win at Cheltenham. However, he fell at Becher’s Brook, retiring soon after.
Durham Edition, trained for the race, had public backing at 15/2 after finishing second in the previous year but ended in fifth place, unable to quicken in the final stages.
Bonanza Boy, a 10/1 contender and recent Welsh National winner, started strong but faded to finish eighth.
The Thinker, a 1987 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, attempted a rare double and made a late surge but struggled at the penultimate fence.
Little Polveir was demonstrating impeccable jumping, and with Jimmy Frost in command of the reigns they started the second circuit in the lead.
Smart Tar and Durham Edition both challenged, but ultimately Smart Tar gave Little Polveir the race on a stick.
He unseated Carl Llewellyn from the saddle, becoming the loose horse who then carried Durham Edition towards the rails.
On the final run-in, it came down to a battle between fan favourite West Tip and Little Polveir, who had led since before Bechers Brook on the second circuit.
West Tip had surged through to make up ground and ran strongly but was outpaced in the final stages, finishing second.
Jockey Jimmy Frost rode Little Polveir to victory in what was his first Grand National and his horse's last.
They won the race in 10 minutes 6.9 seconds by seven lengths. West Tip finished second, and The Thinker came third, with only 14 out of 40 horses completing the course.
Two horses tragically died at Bechers Brook, leading to safety improvements at the fence.
The Reactions
Of course all of Little Polveir's connections were elated with the win. Jimmy Frost, spoke about how he had had a few anxious moments during the race saying: “My big worry was jumping the big ditch on the second circuit.
“We did not have a good stride, but I sat still and he did it for me. When we landed I thought my luck's in, just keep going.”
It also transpired that although the horse had only been with Toby Balding for around six weeks, he was more than familiar with the chaser.
Balding said: “I saw him beat my horse Burannpour in the Scottish National and knew the quality of the horse.”
Little Polveir was raced four more times after that fateful victory, however the Grand National was his last win before he retired after his last race in January 1990.
He died in 1999, still owned by Edward Harvey.
