1. Leighton Aspell was born on 12 June 1976 and is a retired Irish jockey, best known for winning both the 2014 and 2015 Grand National's riding Pineau de Re and Many Clouds.
13 Facts About Leighton Aspell
1. 2.
Leighton Aspell was born 12 June 1976 in Dublin, Ireland.
3.
Leighton Aspell has a fan club, making him "one of the few jockeys" to have such a thing.
4.
Leighton Aspell's niece is actress and equestrian show jumper Lilly Aspell.
5.
Aged 16, Leighton Aspell moved from Ireland to Great Britain and joined Reg Hollinshead as an apprentice following in the footsteps of Pat Eddery, Kevin Darley and Walter Swinburn.
6.
Leighton Aspell later moved to Sussex to join Josh Gifford at Findon switching to National Hunt riding.
7.
Leighton Aspell won the December Novices Chase at Lingfield Park in December 1996 onboard Foodbroker Star for Gifford.
8.
Leighton Aspell continued working closely with Gifford, Peter Bowen and Pat Murphy.
9.
Leighton Aspell won the 2005 Welsh Grand National with L'Aventure for Paul Nicholls.
10.
Leighton Aspell and United would later win the National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell Park.
11.
In July 2007, Leighton Aspell announced his retirement from race riding, and left to work for trainer John Dunlop in Arundel.
12.
Wins in the Hennessey Gold Cup and Cotswold Chase were chalked up on the way to Aintree where Leighton Aspell won his second Grand National, recording the first back-to-back wins for a jockey in the race since the 1970s by Red Rum jockey Brian Fletcher.
13.
In February 2020, Leighton Aspell retired from racing riding almost 1,000 winners.