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
1985 Grand National had befallen the horse they had backed. Twenty-five years after jockey Hywel Davies' win, his hometown of Cardigan in Mid Wales held a commemorative dinner to celebrate the anniversary of his Grand National victory. Champion jockey Peter Scudamore, who finished the race third on Corbiere, and Neale Doughty, who won the race in 1984, were among the guests at the dinner in February 2010. Davies said of the horse "In the last race before the National, at Warwick, we went about halfway round and he just pulled up and as a result his owner nearly didn't run him at the