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Double Irish Tragedy at the Grand National

The Grand National has thrown up some remarkably heart-warming tales over its 172-year history.

But there are also many tales of poignant tragedy – some of which are made more palatable only by the passing of time.

One such example is the tragic story of the Irish Wynne family’s association with the National.

The first ever Irish-trained winner of the Grand National was the 9-year-old horse Matthew, ridden by Dennis “Denny” Wynne in 1847 – a 10-1 winner, prepared for the race by John Murphy at The Curragh, for County Cork-based owner John Courtenay.

Fifteen years later, Denny’s son Joseph was down to ride the horse O’ Connell in the 1862 Grand National, but on the morning of the race the Wynne family received tragic news; Joe’s sister had died suddenly at home in Ireland.

O’Connell’s owner, Lord De Freyne, did his utmost to persuade jockey Joe not to ride, but he was determined to take part to honour his sister and the family’s association with the great race and the horse racing tips suggested he could even win.

Tragedy was to strike. At the plain fence before the water, O’Connell was brought down, in full view of the grandstand to the shock of the thousands of spectators. Those looking at the Grand National 2011 betting will hope this year’s race will pass off without such a dramatic incident.

The fence, which was always taken at great speed was later changed to an open ditch partly as a result of the tragedy. It later came to be known as “The Chair” due to its proximity to the distance judge’s seat.

As a result of his fall, Joe Wynne received internal injuries and was taken unconscious to the nearby Sefton Arms Inn where he died just five hours later, tragically following in the footsteps of his father Denny who had also died in a fall in 1858.