Duke of Albuquerque,

Duke of Albuquerque

1918 - 1994

In 1927, a young Spanish boy, aged 8, - who would become the 18th Duque de Albuquerque - sat in a cinema watching a newsreel of the Grand National.

In that moment, an impossible dream was born.

Born on 15 December 1918, the boy - Beltran de Osorio y Diez de Rivera - was so enchanted that he resolved one day win to the great race himself.

Aged 33, the Duke - having ridden in French steeplechases - made his Grand National debut in 1952, putting up ten pound overweight on his own eight-year-old Brown Jack lll, trained by Peter Cazalet. The tall Spaniard fell at the sixth, sustaining cracked ribs and concussion.

His second attempt came eleven years later aboard the Irish-bred Jonjo (named after its joint owners John O'Hagen and Joe Thompson). 

Together the 44-year-old Duke and the 13-year-old Jonjo completed the first circuit safely enough and were well up with the leaders when being unluckily brought down at the 21st.

In 1965 the Duke took a bad fall from Groomsman at Valentine's and was taken to Walton General Hospital with a broken leg.

His ride in 1966 was on the doubtful stayer L'Empereur who had to pulled up at the 26th.

He was back again in 1973, pulling Nereo up at the Canal Turn. He finished 8th on the same horse the following year.

Yet another bad fall a week before the 1975 National resulted in yet another broken leg, ruling him out of the race, and, in 1976, he was back once more on the faithful Nereo. He was thrown heavily at the 13th and was again rushed to Walton Hospital, this time unconscious. He had fractured his right thigh-bone, fractured vertebrae and broken seven ribs.

Understandably, for his own safety, the Stewards stepped in. He was barred from riding again in Britain.

The Duke was furious, saying: 'I don't understand it. It's my body, my horse and my responsibility."

A fortnight before riding Nereo in 1974, the Duke had 16 stitches removed from a patched-up leg. A week earlier he had broken his collarbone.

In total, the Duke suffered 107  fractures in his quest to ride the National winner.

Aged 72, he completed the 721-mile pilgrimage to Santiago da Compostella - on foot.

The gallant Duke died on February 18, 1994.