1985 Grand National
| Grand National | |
| Location | Aintree Racecourse |
|---|---|
| Date | 30 March 1985 |
| Winning horse | Last Suspect |
| Starting price | 50/1 |
| Jockey |
 Hywel Davies |
| Trainer |
 Capt. Tim Forster, OBE |
| Owner |
 Anne Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster
|
| Conditions | Good to Soft |
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 Highlights of the 1985 Grand National YouTube |
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Highlights of the 1985 Grand National in German YouTube |
The 1985 Grand National (known as the Seagram Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 139th renewal of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 30 March 1985.
The race was won by eleven-year-old, 50/1 outsider, Last Suspect, ridden by Hywel Davies in a time of 9 minutes 42.7 seconds for a prize of £54,314. The winner was owned by Anne, Duchess of Westminster and trained by Captain Tim Forster in Letcombe Bassett, Oxfordshire.
Aintree chose this year to honour all of the surviving winning jockeys in National history. Almost all of those still alive attended the event which took place in front of the Grandstand two hours before the race was due to take place. Each rider was introduced to the crowd before being presented with an Aynsley China Trophy by HRH Princess Anne. The oldest of those to take part was eighty-two-year-old Tim Hamey who had been victorious aboard Forbra in 1932.
As for its introduction last year, the maximum field safety limit of forty runners was filled with no entrants being withdrawn on the day of the race. The public however were undecided on where they believed the title would fall this year with joint favourites, Greasepaint and West Tip at 13/2. The former had joined an elite group of competitors to have been runner up in the race twice, having done so in each of the last two years and at ten years old was thought to have now reached the prime age at which to go one better and win the race. He was partnered, as in defeat last year by Tommy Carmody. The other co favourite had no Grand National experience for neither horse nor rider but still attracted heavy public attention. The horse, West Tip had been fortunate to survive being hit by a lorry in 1982, which left a huge scar in his hind quarters. Having recovered, he went on to show impressive form by winning four races in the buildup to the National, including The Ritz Club National Hunt Handicap at Cheltenham a few weeks before Aintree. His partner was Richard Dunwoody, the youngest rider in the contest and among thirteen riders making their National debut. Such was the interest in the pair in the days leading to the race that he was asked to appear on the Wogan show on BBC.
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