Churchtown Boy

Churchtown Boy’s first recorded Grand National appearance came in 1976. He completed the demanding Aintree course and finished 11th, gaining experience over the race’s distinctive fences before returning the following year as a more formidable contender.

That return in 1977 produced an exceptional Aintree campaign. Churchtown Boy first won the Topham Trophy, ridden by Chris Read. Run over the Grand National fences, the Topham offered a significant test in its own right, and victory established the gelding’s ability over the course before his attempt at the principal race.

On 2 April 1977, he contested the Grand National with Martin Blackshaw riding. Churchtown Boy completed the course in second place, finishing 25 lengths behind Red Rum. Although well beaten by the winner, his performance placed him at the centre of one of the most historically significant Nationals: Red Rum was securing an unprecedented third victory in the race.

Churchtown Boy returned for the 1978 Grand National, again partnered by Blackshaw, but fell. He made a fourth consecutive appearance in 1979, this time ridden by his trainer, Taffy Salaman. He fell at Becher’s Brook and sustained a fatal injury.

Churchtown Boy’s runner-up finish in the 1977 Grand National remains his best-known achievement. Ridden by Martin Blackshaw, he finished 25 lengths behind Red Rum, whose victory was his record third in the race.

The margin made Red Rum a decisive winner, but second place still represented an outstanding performance by Churchtown Boy. He had progressed from 11th the previous year to become the nearest finisher to the sport’s most celebrated Grand National specialist. His result therefore occupies a lasting place in the story of Red Rum’s historic achievement as well as in Churchtown Boy’s own record.

The performance also confirmed that his Topham victory was not an isolated success over the course. Within the same Aintree campaign, he won one major race over the National fences and finished second in the most famous steeplechase of all.

Churchtown Boy’s recorded career brought together three important figures. Nicholas Murphy bred him in Ireland, while Taffy Salaman trained him and ultimately rode him in his final Grand National. His best National performance came under Martin Blackshaw, who partnered him to second place in 1977 and rode him again in 1978. Chris Read was aboard for the Topham Trophy victory.

The contrast between his jockeys in the two major races of 1977 is part of the detail of that outstanding campaign: Read guided him to his victory over the National fences, while Blackshaw partnered him in the longer Grand National challenge.

Across four consecutive years, Churchtown Boy’s Grand National record encompassed a completion in 11th, a runner-up finish and two falls. Combined with his Topham success, those appearances defined him as an Aintree performer. His strongest season showed both sides of his connection with the course: he was a winner there in his own right, and then played a prominent supporting role in one of the Grand National’s landmark results.