2013 Grand National: Seabass, Auroras Encore, and the Race That Defied the Odds

Welcome to the wild world of the Grand National where underdogs become legends, favourites sometimes falter, and every year brings a story you just can’t make up.

The 2013 Grand National was no exception. We had a packed Aintree racecourse, the air buzzing with anticipation, and punters were clutching their betting slips, hoping for a slice of history.

This wasn’t just any race day, it was a changing of the guard, with Channel 4 stepping into the spotlight, new fences being tried out, and a record prize pot up for grabs.

Whether you’re a die-hard racing fan or just love a good underdog tale, the 2013 Grand National had something for everyone.

So, settle in, and let’s take a trip back to one of the most dramatic, unpredictable, and downright entertaining days in British sport.

A New Era: Channel 4 Takes the Reins

Big changes were afoot for the Grand National in 2013. For starters, the race was moving to Channel 4, marking the end of a long association with the BBC.

Channel 4 wasn’t messing around, either. They brought in Carl Hicks, a former BBC Sport producer, to head up coverage.

His team was young, hungry, and ready to deliver more than 300 hours of racing across the year—including 88 racedays and 62 editions of The Morning Line – from Aintree, Cheltenham, and Royal Ascot.

Channel 4 rolled out the big guns: a rebranded portable studio with touch-screen tech, new graphics, snazzy logos, and even a virtual finishing line.

The official judge would announce the result to the TV audience, ramping up the drama for those watching at home. But with all this innovation came pressure.

After the deaths of two horses in 2012, the race was under the microscope. The fences had been modified, and everyone, from the producers to the punters, was hoping for a safer, more exciting race.

As Hicks put it, “The race faces its biggest test… We have to remind the viewers that the Grand National is a dangerous event, and that racing is a dangerous sport.”

Show Me the Money: Record Prize Funds

If you thought the only drama was on the track, think again. The 2013 Grand National Festival was setting records before the first horse even set hoof on the course.

Prize money for the festival hit a whopping £2,275,000, with 13 of the 21 races getting a bump. The biggest winner was Thursday’s card, which now boasted a prize pot of £695,000, up £130,000 from the previous year.

The Grand National itself didn’t see an increase this year, but with £975,000 up for grabs (the winner pocketing nearly £550,000), it was still the richest steeplechase in the world.

Andrew Tulloch, Aintree’s Clerk of the Course, was confident the changes would strengthen the festival and draw bigger crowds. “It is a formidable day’s racing,” he said, and he wasn’t wrong.

The Countdown Begins: Dates and Entries

So, when was all this happening? The 2013 Grand National was scheduled for April 6th, a week earlier than the previous year.

Entries closed on January 29th, and the BHA Handicapper announced the weights on February 12th. There were two scratching stages – February 26th and March 19th – giving trainers plenty of time to decide if their horses were up for the challenge.

By the time the dust settled, 57 horses were still in the running. The ante-post market was buzzing, with Prince de Beauchene the early favourite at 14/1, followed by On His Own at 16/1.

But as any seasoned punter knows, the smart money waits until the final field is set.

2013 Grand National Entries

The 166th running of the world’s greatest chase, the John Smith’s Grand National, attracted a high-class entry of 84, an increase of two on 2012's figure.

Second in 2012, Sunnyhillboy was hoping to go one better and the 2012 third and fourth, Seabass and Cappa Bleu, were also both entered again.

Cappa Bleu was one of eight entries trained in Wales, along with most recent Welsh National second Teaforthree (Rebecca Curtis), Always Waining, who had won the last three runnings of the Topham Chase over the Grand National fences, Gullible Gordon and Mumbles Head (all with Peter Bowen) and 2011 Scottish Grand National winner Beshabar, Saint Are and Tartak (all with Tim Vaughan).

Picking The Winner: Stats and Trends

If you’re new to the Grand National, picking a winner can feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But the stats can help you narrow it down.

In the 20 years prior to the 2013 Grand National, most winners were aged 9, 10, or 11. The heaviest winner in recent memory was Neptune Collonges, who carried 11-06 to victory in 2012. Most winners carried no more than 11-01.

Official ratings between 138 and 157 were a must, and current form was crucial as no horse had won without a top-three finish in at least one of their last three runs.

Stamina was key, too: all recent winners had won over at least three miles. And if your horse had a history of falling or unseating its rider, it was best to look elsewhere.

After applying all these filters, the field was whittled down to just 10 horses. And of those, only five had never fallen or unseated their rider.

The stats were clear: the winner would likely be a seasoned, reliable, and proven stayer.

The Name Game: Who Was Going to Win?

With the field set and the stats crunched, the big question remained: who was going to win? One Cambridge University academic, Mr. Hartson, tried to answer that by analysing the names of past winners.

His system? Count the frequency of certain letters in the winners’ names. The most common letters? S, R, M, and C. According to his formula, the horse most likely to win in 2013 was Seabass.

Now, if that sounds a bit daft, you’re not alone. But in a twist of fate, Seabass was also being tipped by racing journalists and former trainers. So maybe there was something to it after all.

The Betting Markets: Odds and Outsiders

As race day approached, the betting markets were in a state of flux. Seabass and On His Own were the clear favourites, but their odds were shifting daily.

Seabass, with Katie Walsh in the saddle, was attracting a lot of attention. At one point, both Seabass and On His Own were at 8/1, but Seabass eventually became the clear favourite at 7/1, while On His Own drifted out to 10/1.

Other horses making waves included Sunnyhillboy, Cappa Bleu, and Rare Bob. The odds for Soll and Tatenen were also shifting, as punters tried to find the next big outsider.

But as any Grand National veteran will tell you, picking a winner is never easy. The race is famous for its unpredictability, and the long shots rarely come in, but when they do, they’re remembered for years.

Who Won The 2013 Grand National?

On April 6th, 2013, Aintree was buzzing with excitement. The field of 40 runners lined up, with Seabass and On His Own at the head of the market. Katie Walsh, riding Seabass, was aiming to become the first female jockey to win the Grand National, and the pressure was on.

The race itself was a thriller. The field set off at a blistering pace, and the new, modified fences held up well, with fewer incidents than in previous years.

As the race unfolded, it became clear that the stamina and experience of the top contenders would be key.

In the end, it was Auroras Encore, a 66/1 outsider, who stormed to victory. Trained by Sue Smith and ridden by Ryan Mania, Auroras Encore defied the odds and the stats, proving once again that the Grand National is anyone’s race.

Seabass, despite all the hype, finished outside the places, in 13th place, unable to do any better than the 3rd place finish of 2012.

And with that, the fairytale ending for Katie Walsh would have to wait.

A Race to Remember

As the dust settled over Aintree that unforgettable April day, it was Auroras Encore’s name that echoed through the stands and across the airwaves.

For a horse who’d been largely overlooked by the experts and priced at a whopping 66/1, his victory was nothing short of a fairytale, especially for those who knew his story.

Auroras Encore, an 11-year-old bay gelding with plenty of heart but a patchy jumping record, had already come close in the Scottish National the year before.

This time, under the skilled guidance of jockey Ryan Mania, he handled the new, safer Aintree fences with newfound confidence and stormed home by nine lengths, silencing the doubters and writing his name into racing history.

For trainer Sue Smith, based in West Yorkshire with her showjumping legend husband Harvey, this was the crowning achievement of a long and distinguished career.

Becoming only the third woman ever to train a Grand National winner, Sue joined an elite club alongside Jenny Pitman and Venetia Williams.

Ryan Mania, just 23 years old and making his National debut, became the first Scottish jockey to win the race in over a century, a true underdog story himself.

The trio’s triumph was a reminder that, in the Grand National, anything can happen, and the most unlikely heroes can steal the show.

For Auroras Encore, Sue Smith, and Ryan Mania, that day at Aintree wasn’t just about the prize money or the glory.

It was about proving that with patience, perseverance, and a little bit of luck, dreams really do come true.