1948 Grand National 1948 Grand National The 1948 Grand National was the 102nd renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 20 March 1948. The race was won by the mare Sheila's Cottage at odds of 66/1. The winning jockey was Arthur Thompson and Neville Crump trained the winner. The pairing of Thompson and Crump won the Grand National again in 1952. Sheila's Cottage became the first mare to win the National for 46 years, and only the 12th in the long history of the steeplechase. First of the Dandies finished second, with
John Sanford (1851) would become a major figure in the industry. He raced a number of top horses and in 1916 won the Kentucky Derby with his colt, George Smith. In 1923 he became the first American to win the most prestigious steeplechase race in the world when his horse Sergeant Murphy won the English Grand National. In 1923, Sanford won the American Grand National with Best Play. John Sanford was member of the New York Racing Commission and the Sanford Stakes, run annually at Saratoga Race Course, is named in his family's honor. In 1927, John Sanford changed the Hurricana Stock Farm