Sundew: 1957 Grand National Winner

It was a hat-trick of wins for the ladies as Mrs. Geoffrey Kohn became the third female owner in three years to own a Grand National Champion. Sundew comfortably took the win by eight lengths.

The horse had raced in the National twice before, including previously suffering a big fall at the famous Beecher’s fence. Sundew’s jockey, Fred Winter, had also never finished on three previous occasions.

Having to carry over 11 stone and never having finished the Grand National before; it was no wonder he was tastefully priced at 20-1. He was never even talked about as a serious contender which was strange considering the dominance of his win.

Sundew led the whole way. He managed to get into his stride early on and was relaxed and comfortable all the way to the end. Athenian tried to challenge him in the middle of the race but never truly panicked Sundew or Winter.

As he cruised to victory, the battle for a top four finish tightened. It was Wyndburgh (25-1) who fought hard to take second place. This marked the first of five top four Grand National finishes in a row for the British horse. However, he never earned that elusive win.

The race also sparked off a three year streak for Tiberetta (66-1), who took third. He finished second a year later and fourth in ’59. Glorious Twelfth (100-8) took fourth.

Sundew did a great job of leading from start to finish, something that rarely happens at the Grand National. This merely accentuates the dominance of his win when you also take into consideration the weight he was carrying and his winning distance.