The name of Thomas ‘Tommy’ Stack is, of course, immortalised in the annals of Aintree folklore by virtue of his history-making, 25-length win on the inimitable Red Rum in the 1977 Grand National. Less well remembered, perhaps, is the fact that he had ridden ‘Rummy’ numerous times in his early hurdling and steeplechasing career, when in the charge of Robert ‘Bobby’ Renton at Oxclose, near Ripon, North Yorkshire.

Born in Moyvane, Co. Kerry on November 15, 1945, Stack had joined Renton, as a 19-year-old, in 1965 and, on his retirement, briefly became both jockey and trainer at the yard. He subsequently became stable jockey to Arthur Stephenson at Leasingthorne, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham and became Champion National Hunt Jockey twice, in 1974/75 and 1976/77, with 82 and 97 winners, respectively.

At the time of his retirement from the saddle, at the relatively early age at 32, in May 1978, Stack had accrued at total of 602 winners. Aside from the Grand National, his career highlights included winning Schweppes Gold Trophy, now the Betfair Hurdle, on True Lad in 1977 and the Whitbread Gold Cup, now the Bet365 Gold Cup, on Strobolus in 1978.

Born on February 28, 1943, Co. Limerick native Ron Barry rode his first winner, Lluvia, on the Flat at Gowran Park in May 1961. However, it was not until three years later, when he joined Wilfred Crawford at Haddington, East Lothian as a conditional jockey, that he began his climb to the top of the National Hunt tree.

In an outstanding career, Barry was Champion National Hunt Jockey twice, in 1972/73 and 1973/74, on the first occasion with a then-record 125 winners. At the time of his retirement, aged 40, in October 1983, he had clocked up 823 winners, the majority of which came for Grand National-winning trainer Gordon W. Richards, with whom spent two spells as stable jockey.

Barry enjoyed the highest-profile of his career in the 1973 Cheltenham Gold Cup, when he rode The Dikler, trained by Fulke Walwyn, to a short-head success over Pendil. He might also have won the 1978 Grand National, but for declining the winning ride on Lucius, trained by Richards, because of previous commitments. Nevertheless, Barry garnered plenty of success elsewhere and, notably, remains the most successful jockey in the history of the Bet365 Gold Cup, previously the Whitbread Gold Cup, which he won three times, on Titus Oates (1971), Charlie Potheen (1973) and The Dikler (1974).

As a jockey, John Joseph ‘Jonjo’ O’Neill Snr. will always be best remembered for his association with the highest-rated jumping mare in the history of Timeform, Dawn Run, on whom he completed an unprecedented double in the Champion Hurdle, in 1984, and the Cheltenham Gold Cup, in 1986. Of course, O’Neill was by no means a one-trick pony and, in fact, is generally considered one of the greatest National Hunt jockeys in history.

Born in Castletownroche, Co. Cork on April 13, 1952, O’Neill rode his first winner, Lada, on the Flat at the Curragh in 1970, but it was over obstacles in Britain that he would make his name. He won the National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship twice, in 1977/78 and 1979/80, on the first occasion with a record 149 winners. His achievment was all the more remarkable for the fact that he was based with the late Gordon W. Richards, at Castle Stables, in Greystoke, Cumbria in the North of England.

By the time of his retirement, later in 1986, O’Neill had ridden a total of 901 winners. Aside from Dawn Run, his career highlights also included winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Alverton in 1979 and the Champion Hurdle on Sea Pigeon in 1980.

Known for his determined riding style, Graham Thorner was Champion National Hunt Jockey just once, in 1970/71, when he interrupted the winning sequence of Bob Davies, who won the title jointly, with Terry Biddlecombe, in 1968/69 and on his own in 1969/70 and 1971/72. Thorner spent the whole of his riding career with Tim Forster, having joined the ‘Captain’ straight from school, as a 15-year-old, in 1964.

He rode his first winner, Longway, at Newton Abbott in 1966, turned professional the following season and at the time of his retirement, in 1979, had amassed a total of 650 career winners. Thorner and Forster enjoyed a fruitful association at Old Manor House Stables in Letcombe Bassett, near Wantage, Oxfordshire, with numerous high-profile winners, including Mocharabuice in the Mildmay of Flete Challenge Cup in 1972, Denys Adventure in the Arkle Challenge Trophy in 1973 and, away from the Cheltenham Festival, Royal Marshall II in the Hennessy Gold Cup in 1974.

Their highest-profile winner of all, though, was Well To Do in the 1972 Grand National. Saddled with just 10st 1lb in the world famous steeplechase and therefore in receipt of 27lb from the favourite, L’Escargot, Well To Do was the subject of a gamble, from 33/1 to 14/1, the day before. He duly obliged, coming with a well-timed run to beat the 1970 winner Gay Trip by two lengths.