Grand National first jump, suddenly veered across the leading group at the 23rd, causing them to either stop, refuse or unseat their riders. Racing journalist Lord Oaksey described the resulting pile-up by saying that Popham Down had "cut down the leaders like a row of thistles". Some horses even started running in the wrong direction, back the way they had come. Foinavon, whose owner had such little faith in him that he had travelled to Worcester that day instead, had been lagging some 100 yards behind the leading pack, giving his jockey, John Buckingham, time to steer his mount wide of the
Terry Biddlecombe Terry Biddlecombe Terry Biddlecombe (2 February 1941 – 5 January 2014) was an English National Hunt racing jockey in the 1960s and 1970s. He was Champion Jockey in 1965, 1966 and 1969. Biddlecombe was born in Gloucester on 2 February 1941. He rode 114 winners in the 1964/1965 season, and followed that with 102 the next season. In 1968/1969, he rode 77 winners, which saw him tied with Bob Davies. One of his finest moments came in the 1967 Cheltenham Gold Cup, when he rode the 100-8 horse "Woodland Venture" to victory. In 1972 he finished second in the Grand