He won the Grand National in 1967 at odds of 100/1 after the rest of the field fell, refused or were hampered or brought down in a mêlée at the 23rd fence.
[2]: 12 Foinavon’s dam was Ecilace, a nineteen-year-old broodmare who had never raced but had already foaled Umm, the winner of the 1955 Irish Grand National.
He was bought for 2,000 guineas by John Kempton, who ran Chatham Stables, a small training yard in Compton, Berkshire, and had owners looking for a horse to run in the Grand National.
His new owners were Cyril and Iris Watkins and Mac Bennelick, and he had a new stable companion in the form of a white goat called Susie.
[2]: 56 In April 1966, after some disappointing results, he was back at Cheltenham, contesting the Sunday Express Handicap Chase in a bitless bridle and ridden for the first time by John Buckingham.
[2]: 73 These included a fourth place in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day 1966, his former stable companion Arkle’s last race.
[2]: 86 Trainer John Kempton had been hoping to ride Foinavon in the 1967 Grand National himself but, at over six foot, he couldn’t make the weight and began looking for a lighter jockey.
It was only three days before the race that the trainer finally found a jockey for Foinavon – John Buckingham, who had never ridden in the Grand National before.
Of the 44 starters, 28 were still in the race as they approached Becher's Brook on the second circuit, with Foinavon going well in 22nd place, just behind the favourite Honey End.
[2]: 162 At the next obstacle, the Canal Turn, Buckingham looked back in disbelief at the 30-length lead he held with just six fences remaining.
Seventeen horses, including remounted ones, gave chase,[3] and 15/2 favourite Honey End closed the gap to within 20 lengths by the final fence, but Foinavon was able to maintain this lead over the run-in.
[4] BBC commentator Peter O'Sullevan remarked on "a really enterprising piece of jockeyship by young John Buckingham".
[2]: 172 Two days later, a report in The Times newspaper described how the race "degenerated into farce": Out of the battlefield emerged one survivor, Foinavon – now the leader by at least a fence.
Later, describing his victory, the successful rider, John Buckingham, said that after jumping the Canal Turn he presumed that he was in the lead because he could see no one ahead.
[6] Seventeen days after winning at Aintree, Foinavon, Susie the goat, and John Buckingham were invited to a charity reception at St James's Palace in London hosted by the Duchess of Kent.
O'Hehir visited the weighing room before the race, as is the custom of many National commentators, to familiarise himself more clearly with the colours of the silks.