Last Suspect (foaled 1975) was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing.
| Last Suspect | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Above Suspicion |
| Dam | Last Link |
| Damsire | Fortina |
| Sex | Gelding |
| Foaled | 1975[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Colour | Seal brown |
| Breeder | Eileen Wren, Countess of Mount Charles |
| Owner | Anne Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster |
| Trainer | Tim Forster |
| Major wins | |
| Grand National (1985) | |
In 1985 he won the Grand National despite being a 50/1 outsider.
Background
editLast Suspect was bred by the Countess of Mount Charles, and the brown gelding came from a good breeding background - his sire, Above Suspicion, had been a regular winner on the Flat and his dam, Last Link, had won the Irish Grand National.
Despite this though Last Suspect was said to be "moody, unreliable, disinterested" and developed a reputation for being stubborn.[2]
Racing career
editDuring the race at Warwick prior to the 1985 Grand National, the 11-year-old gelding showed his stubbornness as he pulled himself up. Forster and the Duchess of Westminster only ran him in the National at the insistence of his jockey Hywel Davies who was convinced Aintree would suit the horse whose jumping and stamina were very good. It proved to be the correct decision as Last Suspect won by 11⁄2 lengths in front of Mr Snugfit and the 1983 Grand National winner Corbiere coming in third.
Last Suspect was retired following his National victory, but the Duchess of Westminster decided to bring him out of retirement after seeing that he wasn't flagging and this was proven correct when he won two marathon races in the run up to the 1986 Grand National. However, he was now twelve years old, with eleven more pounds to carry compared to Mr Snugfit who only had an extra seven and was the 13-2 favourite. He had a poor race and was always well to the rear before being pulled up at the eighteenth fence after which he was retired for the final time.[2]
Grand National record
edit| Grand National | Position | Jockey | Age | Weight | SP | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1st | Hywel Davies | 11 | 10-5 [3 lbs ow] | 50/1 | Won by 1½ lengths |
| 1986 | DNF | Hywel Davies | 12 | 11-2 | 14/1 | Pulled up at fence 18 |
Pedigree
edit| Sire Above Suspicion (GB) 1956 |
Court Martial (GB) 1942 |
Fair Trial (GB) | Fairway (GB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lady Juror (GB) | |||
| Instantaneous (GB) | Hurry On (GB) | ||
| Picture (GB) | |||
| Above Board (GB) 1947 |
Straight Deal (GB) | Solario (GB) | |
| Good Deal (GB) | |||
| Feola (GB) | Friar Marcus (GB) | ||
| Aloe (GB) | |||
| Dam Last Link (GB) 1956 |
Fortina (FRA) 1941 |
Formor (FRA) | Ksar (FRA) |
| Formose (FRA) | |||
| Bertina (FRA) | La Farina (FRA) | ||
| Thea (AUT) | |||
| Senria (IRE) 1939 |
Sun Yat-sen (IRE) | Santoi (GB) | |
| Nesta (IRE) | |||
| Rozria (IRE) | Captain Ross (USA) | ||
| Proudstown (IRE) |
References
edit- ^ "Last Suspect profile". Racing Post. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- ^ a b Wright, Simone. "Last Suspect". Eddison-Media.com Ltd (www.grand-national.me.uk). Retrieved 10 December 2015.
- ^ "Last Suspect pedigree". pedigreequery.com. Retrieved 11 April 2021.