Grey Glory at Aintree: Inside Neptune Collonges’ Historic 2012 Grand National Win
Neptune Collonges’ 2012 Grand National victory produced the closest finish in the race’s long history, a nose verdict at the end of 4 miles 4 furlongs that delivered Paul Nicholls his first Aintree National and the first grey winner since 1961.
It was a dramatic renewal framed by false starts, heavy casualties and an emotional safety debate, but also an outstanding staying performance from an 11‑year‑old who retired on the spot at the peak of his powers.
The race was run at Aintree on 14 April over the 30 fences, although one fence was omitted, on officially good ground. A maximum field of 40 went to post, with total prize money for the race topping £900,000 and £547,267 going to the winner.
Seabass, trained by Ted Walsh and ridden by Katie Walsh, headed the market as an 8‑1 joint‑favourite on the day, with support also for Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Synchronised, owned by JP McManus and trained by Jonjo O’Neill.
Neptune Collonges, an 11‑year‑old French‑bred grey, went off at 33‑1, having been more associated with Grade 1 staying chases than with marathon handicaps around Aintree.
False Starts and Early Drama
The race began in chaotic fashion with two false starts, heightening tension among horses and riders and drawing early criticism of the start procedures.
During the preliminaries Synchronised unseated Tony McCoy on the way to post and bolted, but he was caught, checked over, and allowed to line up, a decision which would come under scrutiny afterward.
Once they did get away, the field quickly began to thin. Viking Blond fell at the very first fence, and by the time they had reached the early obstacles, horses such as West End Rocker, Junior, State Of Play, Rare Bob, and Chicago Grey had either fallen, been brought down, or unseated their riders.
However, the race will always be remembered as much for its casualties as for its finish. Synchronised, the reigning Gold Cup winner, fell at Becher’s Brook on the first circuit and later had to be put down after suffering fatal injuries.
According To Pete was brought down at the same fence on the second circuit and also euthanised. Those deaths drove immediate media and public debate about the National’s safety, adding a sombre tone to the post‑race reaction despite the spectacular sporting spectacle.
How The 2012 Grand National Unfolded
As the field turned for home after the second circuit, only a fraction of the original 40 remained in serious contention, setting up a tight, stamina‑sapping finish.
Seabass, who had travelled prominently for much of the way under Katie Walsh, looked a major player at that stage, raising hopes she might become the first female jockey to win the Grand National. However, his effort flattened out after the last, and he ultimately faded into third.
Sunnyhillboy, ridden by Richie McLernon for Jonjo O’Neill and JP McManus, struck for home on the run‑in after the final fence, going clear enough that many thought the race was over.
Neptune Collonges, who had been held up and delivered late by Daryl Jacob, began to stay on relentlessly from the Elbow, gradually cutting into Sunnyhillboy’s advantage with every stride.
The pair flashed past the line, locked together, prompting a lengthy wait for the judge’s confirmation. When the result was announced, Neptune Collonges had prevailed by a nose – the shortest winning margin in the race’s then 165‑year history, and still widely regarded as its closest finish.
| Pos | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neptune Collonges (FR) | Paul Nicholls | Daryl Jacob | 33/1 |
| 2 | Sunnyhillboy (IRE) | Jonjo O’Neill | Richie McLernon | 16/1 |
| 3 | Seabass (IRE) | T M Walsh | Ms K Walsh | 8/1J |
| 4 | Cappa Bleu (IRE) | Evan Williams | Paul Moloney | 16/1 |
| 5 | In Compliance (IRE) | D T Hughes | Niall P Madden | 100/1 |
| 6 | Ballabriggs (IRE) | Donald McCain | Jason Maguire | 12/1 |
| 7 | Hello Bud (IRE) | Nigel Twiston-Davies | Sam Twiston-Davies | 33/1 |
| 8 | Tharawaat (IRE) | Gordon Elliott | Brian O’Connell | 125/1 |
| 9 | Shakalakaboomboom (IRE) | Nicky Henderson | Barry Geraghty | 8/1J |
| 10 | Swing Bill (FR) | David Pipe | Conor O’Farrell | 100/1 |
| 11 | The Midnight Club (IRE) | W P Mullins | Andrew Tinkler | 40/1 |
| 12 | Planet Of Sound | Philip Hobbs | Richard Johnson | 33/1 |
| 13 | Neptune Equester | Brian Ellison | Felix De Giles | 100/1 |
| 14 | Calgary Bay (IRE) | Henrietta C Knight | Dominic Elsworth | 33/1 |
| 15 | Midnight Haze | Kim Bailey | Sean Quinlan | 80/1 |
| BD | According To Pete | Malcolm Jefferson | Harry Haynes | 28/1 |
| BD | Rare Bob (IRE) | D T Hughes | B J Cooper | 40/1 |
| BD | Chicago Grey (IRE) | Gordon Elliott | Paul Carberry | 20/1 |
| F | Black Apalachi (IRE) | D T Hughes | Denis O’Regan | 25/1 |
| F | Treacle (IRE) | T J Taaffe | A E Lynch | 22/1 |
| F | Junior | David Pipe | Tom Scudamore | 16/1 |
| F | Becauseicouldntsee (IRE) | N F Glynn | Davy Condon | 25/1 |
| F | West End Rocker (IRE) | Alan King | Wayne Hutchinson | 16/1 |
| F | Weird Al (IRE) | Donald McCain | Timmy Murphy | 28/1 |
| F | Synchronised (IRE) | Jonjo O’Neill | A P McCoy | 10/1 |
| F | Quiscover Fontaine (FR) | W P Mullins | D J Casey | 50/1 |
| F | Alfa Beat (IRE) | John Joseph Hanlon | Davy Russell | 50/1 |
| F | Viking Blond (FR) | Nigel Twiston-Davies | Brian Hughes | 80/1 |
| F | On His Own (IRE) | W P Mullins | Paul Townend | 14/1 |
| PU | Deep Purple | Evan Williams | Jamie Moore | 25/1 |
| PU | Postmaster | Tim Vaughan | Dougie Costello | 100/1 |
| PU | Mon Mome (FR) | Venetia Williams | Aidan Coleman | 50/1 |
| PU | Giles Cross (IRE) | Victor Dartnall | Paddy Brennan | 20/1 |
| REF | Vic Venturi (IRE) | D T Hughes | Harry Skelton | 80/1 |
| UR | State Of Play | Evan Williams | Noel Fehily | 40/1 |
| UR | Always Right (IRE) | John Wade | James Reveley | 25/1 |
| UR | Arbor Supreme (IRE) | Jonjo O’Neill | Mark Walsh | 100/1 |
| UR | Killyglen (IRE) | S R B Crawford | Robbie Power | 14/1 |
| UR | Tatenen (FR) | Richard Rowe | Andrew Thornton | 100/1 |
| UR | Organisedconfusion (IRE) | A L T Moore | Ms N Carberry | 20/1 |
Only 15 of the 40 starters completed the course, and the top five home were Neptune Collonges, Sunnyhillboy, Seabass, Cappa Bleu, and the 100‑1 shot In Compliance. Seasoned performers like Ballabriggs and Hello Bud among the finishers further back.
The Grey Neptune Collonges
Neptune Collonges was an 11‑year‑old gelding, foaled on 25 April 2001, by Dom Alco and owned by John Hales.
He had already established himself as a high‑class staying chaser, winning the Grade 1 Guinness Gold Cup at Punchestown in 2007 and 2008 and finishing third behind stablemates Kauto Star and Denman in the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
His Aintree success made him only the third grey ever to win the Grand National, following The Lamb (1868, 1871) and Nicolaus Silver (1961), ending a 51‑year wait for another grey hero.
It also provided a first National win for champion trainer Paul Nicholls at the 53rd attempt, and a breakthrough in the race for jockey Daryl Jacob.
Nicholls announced immediately that Neptune Collonges would be retired, confirming that the gelding would not run again after his Aintree triumph.
That decision froze his career on a high and contributed to the story around the performance, with the horse remembered as a top‑class staying chaser who bowed out on the ultimate stage.
Legacy of the 2012 National
From a sporting perspective, many still regard 2012 as delivering one of the greatest Grand National finishes of all time, the image of the grey thrusting his head down on the line becoming instantly iconic.
For Katie Walsh and Seabass, third place marked the closest any female jockey had then come to winning the race, underlining the growing role of women in National Hunt’s biggest contest.
However, the fatalities to Synchronised and According To Pete ensured that the renewal was also a flashpoint in the wider conversation about the National’s future, prompting further reviews of fence design, start procedures, and welfare protocols.
In that context, Neptune Collonges’ nose success stands at the intersection of tradition and change: a hard, old‑fashioned staying performance that helped shape the modern era of Aintree’s great race.
