Lottery (racehorse)
Encyclopedia
Lottery was the winner of the 1839 Grand National
Steeplechase
at Aintree
, near Liverpool
, England
. Often stated as the first running of this famous race as it was the first to truly attract National interest in the United Kingdom
. It was actually recorded by the press of the time as the fourth running but the previous three races failed to capture the imagination and were quickly forgotten.
Lottery was such a good horse
that one Victorian commentator claimed he could trot
faster than most of his rivals could gallop and it was widely believed that he would have won the National more than once had it not been for an impossible weight burden imposed in 1841
that left him little chance of victory. However that excuse could not be used for the horse's failure to win in 1840
when, without the huge weight burden, he fell at the infamous wall. So worried were some courses that Lottery would scare away the opposition that they framed the conditions of races to stipulate that they were open to any horse bar the winner of the Cheltenham
Steeplechase
, said horse being Lottery.
1839 Grand National
The 1839 Grand Liverpool Steeplechase was the first official annual running of a steeplechase which later became known as the Grand National.It was held at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 26 February 1839 and attracted a field of seventeen runners.Although recorded by the press at...
Steeplechase
Steeplechase (horse racing)
The steeplechase is a form of horse racing and derives its name from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many intervening obstacles in the countryside...
at Aintree
Aintree Racecourse
Aintree Racecourse is a racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England.It was served by Aintree Racecourse railway station until the station closed in the 1960s....
, near Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Often stated as the first running of this famous race as it was the first to truly attract National interest in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was actually recorded by the press of the time as the fourth running but the previous three races failed to capture the imagination and were quickly forgotten.
Lottery was such a good horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
that one Victorian commentator claimed he could trot
Trot
A trot is a type of symmetrical gait in animals.Trot may also refer to:*Trot , the specifics of trotting in horses*Trot , a genre of Korean pop music*Trot , a character from the Oz books of L...
faster than most of his rivals could gallop and it was widely believed that he would have won the National more than once had it not been for an impossible weight burden imposed in 1841
1841 Grand National
The 1841 Grand Liverpool Steeplechase was the third official annual running of a Steeple-chase, later to become known as the Grand National Steeplechase handicap Horse race which took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool on March 3rd 1841 and attracted a then smallest ever field of eleven...
that left him little chance of victory. However that excuse could not be used for the horse's failure to win in 1840
1840 Grand National
The 1840 Grand Liverpool Steeplechase was the second official annual running of a steeplechase, later to become known as the Grand National Steeplechase handicap horse race which took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool on March 5, 1840 and attracted a then smallest ever field of thirteen...
when, without the huge weight burden, he fell at the infamous wall. So worried were some courses that Lottery would scare away the opposition that they framed the conditions of races to stipulate that they were open to any horse bar the winner of the Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
Steeplechase
Steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari...
, said horse being Lottery.