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
1992 Grand National the major chases, winning the "Racing Post" Chase at Kempton in February and then finishing third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup the following month. With regular rider Anthony Tory unavailable, champion jockey Peter Scudamore took the ride and gave their backers every chance jumping the Canal Turn on the second circuit among an unusually large number of runners still holding a chance of victory. Scudamore moved his mount through the field on the run back to the racecourse, turning for home a close-up third but was unable to quicken into the second-last fence and was beaten by the final flight,