Tipperary Tim

dark horse noun – a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds.

At Dark Horse Luxury Homes each of our floor plans are named after an underdog race horse winner. We hope you enjoy the history!

One of the top underdogs in the history of the Grand National can also claim one of the best stories in the history of the race, thanks to some prophetic words of encouragement prior to the start of the race. Just before the start of the 1928 Grand National, Tipperary Tim’s non-professional jockey heard a friend yell out to him that he could win the race if every other horse fell down. As it turns out, that is exactly what happened.

In a 42 horse field, 41 horses took a spill over the entirety of the race. Of those 41 horses to fall, 40 of them were unable to finish the race. And while one of the horses to take a fall during the course of the 1928 Grand National was able to finish the race, they were unable to catch up to Tipperary Tim. This was the first time in the history of the Grand National that a horse was able to defy the Grand National odds and win as a 100/1 long shot.

The 1928 Grand National set a record for the fewest horses to finish a Grand National race. It has also set the record for the biggest underdog to come out victorious in the race, a record that other horses have been able to equal in the decades to follow.