1919 Grand National the shortest starting odds of any Grand National winner to date. 1919 Grand National The 1919 Grand National was the 78th renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England on 28 March 1919. It was the first true Aintree Grand National since 1915, with the intermittent races being cancelled due to World War I and substituted by a 'Racecourse Association Steeplechase' and later a 'War National Steeplechase' at Gatwick Racecourse. The 1919 National was won by the Poethlyn, ridden by Ernest Piggott. The pair had won an unofficial National at Gatwick
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