Silver Birch (born 10 April 1997) is an Irish-trained

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. He was owned through the first part of his career by Paul Barber and Des Nichols, then from 2006 by Brian WalshGrand National's Silver lining
BBC Sport, 15 April 2007 from

County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, a

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

and

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...

owner. Ridden by

Robbie Power Robbie "Puppy" Power is a retired National Hunt jockey. The son of Irish show-jumper Con Power, Robbie Power rode the 33-1 outsider Silver Birch to victory in the 2007 John Smith's Grand National at Aintree Racecourse on Saturday 14 April 2007. ...

and trained by 29-year-old

Gordon Elliott Gordon Elliott may refer to: * Gordon Elliott (journalist) Gordon Elliott (born 30 September 1956) is a British Australian journalist and producer, radio and television personality, based now in the United States. He was the executive produc ...

, Silver Birch was the winner of the 2007

John Smith's John Smith's Brewery in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England, produces beers including John Smith's, the highest selling bitter in the United Kingdom since the mid-1990s. The majority of John Smith's sales are of the nitrogenated Extra Smooth ...

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

Aintree Racecourse Aintree Racecourse is a horse racing, racecourse in Aintree, Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, bordering the city of Liverpool. The racecourse is the venue for the Grand National steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase, whi ...

, run on Saturday 14 April 2007. He was Walsh and Elliott's first runner in the race.

Racing career

Silver Birch had previously won the Becher Chase at Aintree and the

Welsh National The Coral Welsh Grand National is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Chepstow, Wales, over a distance of about ...

in 2004 trained by Paul Nicholls, ridden by Ruby Walsh, for owners Des Nichols and Paul Barber who had seen him as a potential Grand National horse from his early hurdling days. He had been an early favourite in the betting coming into the 2005 Grand National under the champion trainer ( Paul Nicholls), but a leg injury ruled him out from the race. He competed in the 2006 race but was hampered and fell at the Chair, the largest fence on the course. His starting price that day, in dramatic contrast to the enthusiasm he'd engendered the previous year, had been 40-1. He was subsequently sold at Doncaster Sales. In 2007 Silver Birch came second in the cross-country race at the

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Rac ...

. Gordon Elliott had originally wanted Jason Maguire to ride him but he picked Idle Talk instead. That allowed Robbie Power to take the ride. Silver Birch won the 2007 Grand National by 3/4 of a length from McKelvey. Silver Birch also participated in 2009 Grand National, once again under Robbie Power, but fell at

Becher's Brook Becher's Brook ( ) is a fence jumped during the Grand National, a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. It is jumped twice during the race, as the and fence, as well as on four other occasions du ...

on the second circuit. He then competed in cross-country chases for another season before being retired in 2010.

References

1997 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 10-d Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in Ireland National Hunt racehorses Grand National winners Welsh Grand National winners {{racehorse-stub