Grand National 2022 Fallers by Fence

The 30 fences of the Grand National course at Aintree are notoriously difficult to negotiate. It is therefore not uncommon for the majority of the horses running to fall or otherwise fail to finish the race, and 2022 was no exception.

In the end only 15 horses finished the gruelling contest, with Noble Yeats, who had 50/1 odds to win, emerging as the surprise winner. In this article, we will round up which horses fell at each fence of the 2022 Grand National, before then looking in more detail at the two fences that had the most fallers. Note that we have classed all the below as fallers, although some were unseated, many others were pulled up, and Anibale Fly was technically brought down.

*Fence 19 was bypassed as medical staff were looking after a horse that had fallen during the first circuit.

Of the 40 horses that started the 2022 Grand National, 25 fell at some point in the race, meaning that only 15 managed to cross the finish line. Valentine’s Brook (5) and Canal Turn (4) caused the most falls, with seven of these occurring during the first lap of the race.

Valentine’s Brook, which is the ninth fence on the course, is similar to the infamous Becher’s Brook, although supposedly slightly less intimidating. Whilst Becher’s Brook has an enormous six foot nine inch drop that horses have to clear, Valentine’s Brook has a ditch that is “only” five foot six inches. However, it is interesting to note that Becher’s Brook only caused one horse to fall, Cloth Cap, whilst a total of five fell at Valentine’s Brook.

The Canal Turn, on the other hand, poses a very different threat. Instead of clearing a massive ditch, horses instead have to immediately turn sharply left after they clear the fence. This can often cause jockeys to become unseated, as the near-90-degree turn is very tricky to execute whilst also maintaining speed.