L'Escargot (IRE)
Bred in Ireland, L’Escargot was America’s champion steeplechaser in 1969 when he won the Meadow Brook Handicap at Belmont Park in record time, but his greatest achievement took place six years later when he won England’s prestigious Grand National at the age of 12. In between, he won consecutive editions of the Cheltenham Gold Cup and earned a reputation as a crowd favorite.
1977
1963
Escart III
What A Daisy
Grand Inquisitor
Barbara O'Neill
Raymond R. Guest
Dan Moore
1967-1975
$237,572
Racing Record
61
Starts
| 1967 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $2501 $2,501 |
| 1968 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | $6022 $6,022 |
| 1969 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | $29622 $29,622 |
| 1970 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | $38252 $38,252 |
| 1971 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | $22760 $22,760 |
| 1972 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 0 | $11290 $11,290 |
| 1973 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | $12179 $12,179 |
| 1974 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 1 | $24921 $24,921 |
| 1975 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $90025 $90,025 |
Biography
Bred in Ireland, L’Escargot was America’s champion steeplechaser in 1969 when he won the Meadow Brook Handicap at Belmont Park in record time, but his greatest achievement took place six years later when he won England’s prestigious Grand National at the age of 12. In between, he won consecutive editions of the Cheltenham Gold Cup and earned a reputation as a crowd favorite.
A chestnut son of Escart III out of the Grand Inquisitor mare What A Daisy, L’Escargot was sold as a 3-year-old to Raymond R. Guest, a former Senator from Virginia who was serving as the United States Ambassador to Ireland at the time.
Trained in Ireland by former steeplechase jockey Dan Moore, L’Escargot won twice in six starts in his debut season of 1967. After winning two of five starts in 1968, L'Escargot posted a record of 5-2-2 from 10 starts in 1969, including some quality performances in the United States. Along with his record-setting effort in the Meadow Brook, L’Escargot finished third in the Temple Gwathmey and fourth in the inaugural Colonial Cup, earning American champion steeplechase honors for the year.
In 1970, L’Escargot returned to Europe, where he remained for the duration of his career. Throughout the next six years, he won four stakes races and placed in seven other added-money events in England and Ireland. L’Escargot won back-to-back editions of the coveted Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1970 and 1971 before beginning a quest to capture the famed Grand National at Aintree.
L’Escargot fell in his first attempt at the Grand National in 1972. He finished third in 1973 edition and second in the 1974 running, both of which were won by the legendary Red Rum. L’Escargot, however, finally won the Grand National in 1975, romping to a 15-length victory over Red Rum. Guest described winning the Grand National with L’Escargot as “the biggest thrill of my life, the biggest excitement.”
Following the 1975 season, L'Escargot was retired with a record of 14-15-7 from 61 starts. He died at the age of 21 at Guest’s Powhatan Plantation in Virginia.
Achievements
Champion Steeplechase Horse — 1969
Media
