Gaylad (horse)

Gaylad was a racehorse that beat fourteen rivals to win the 1842 Grand National, ridden by Tom Olliver. It won in a time of 13 minutes 30 seconds.

The horse was foaled in 1834, trained by George Dockeray, and its owner at the time of the Grand National was John Elmore. Elmore sold Gaylad at Tattersall's on 4 July 1834, receiving 950 guineas for the horse. Gaylad was still racing in 1848.

The horse is sometimes recorded in modern historical accounts as Gay Lad; both spellings were used interchangeably at the time though the pronunciation is thought to have sounded galad as one word with a silent y, a gaylad at the time being a term for a young man with a fondness for a hedonistic lifestyle.

References

• A-Z of the Grand National by John Cottrell and Marcus Armytage. Highdown press ISBN 978-1-905156-43-6