In 2018 Worcester Racecourse celebrated its 300th anniversary having starting racing at Pitchcroft on Friday 20th June 1718. One hundred and eighteen years later, in 1836, the course staged the inaugural running of the Worcester Grand Annual Steeplechase. In the same year, 130 miles north of Worcester, Aintree Racecourse staged their first ‘unofficial Grand National’ called the Liverpool Grand Steeplechase on Monday 29th February 1836 when The Duke defeated 9 rivals. There were to be two further ‘unofficial Grand Nationals’ before the first recognised Aintree Grand National was held in 1839. From 1836 until 1933 the Grand Annual Steeplechase occupied pride of place in Worcester’s racing calendar, with a number of horses contesting both the Worcester Grand Annual and Aintree Grand National. In 1846 there were two Grand Annuals and no less than 4 future Grand National winners contested the races. In 1853 the Worcester Grand Annual Steeplechase was won by Bourton who just one year later captured the Aintree version of the great race. However, arguably the most famous Grand Annual took place in 1851 when the race was won by Sir Peter Laurie who, in 1852, came third in the Grand National, but also in the field was The British Yeoman who was 3rd in the 1848 Grand National, and Rat-Trap who ran unplaced in both the 1850 and 1851 Grand Nationals. Abd el Kader owned by Mr Joseph Osborne, dual Grand National winner in 1850 and 1851, was also in the race, but in 1858 the Grand Annual was also won by an Abd el Kader owned by Mr Briscoe, but this was not the famous Abd el Kader who captured both the 1850 and 1851 Grand Nationals, but a horse of the same name. Further Grand Annual winners who went on to triumph at Aintree in the Grand National include dual winner Peter Simple, Anatis and Cortolvin. In 1866 there was an incident in the Grand Annual which threatened to affect the long-term future of the race, because Lord Coventry's horse Balder, ridden by George Stevens, was brought down by a loose pony and he vowed never to run his horses again at the Pitchcroft. A full account of the 1866 race is given in the 1866 race section. He did not appear to keep this promise too long because records show he ran Tennyson in the 1867 Grand Annual when also ridden by George Stevens.
In order to mark their 300th anniversary Worcester revived their famous Grand Annual Steeplechase on Wednesday 4th July 2018 after an absence of 85 years. Full results of the first 98 years of the race are shown below.
