Stitching Success: The Silk Colours that Dominate the Grand National

15.04.2023, Aintree, Liverpool, GBR – Horses and jockeys during the Grand National. Winner Corach Rambler with Derek Fox up with saddle cloth 26. Aintree racecourse.

The Aintree course is set to be dazzled by horses and jockeys bedecked in colourful silks, as the Grand National is here.

The Grand National is the most valuable jumps race in Europe, drawing the attention of race enthusiasts, punters and even people not normally interested in racing. Placing a bet during the Grand National, for the entertainment aspect, is a common occurrence.

Of course, predicting winners based on silk colours is a superstition that is very prevalent in horse racing. To play on that, we used extensive data from irishracing.com to determine the luckiest silk colours and patterns at the Grand National-

Through irishracing.com, we received data on the silk colours and patterns of jockeys that finished first, second and third at the Grand National. The data was from 2009 to 2023.

We then created tables to showcase which colours tend to win the Grand National the most as well as the patterns.

Yellow And White – The Colours Of Champions

Our analysis showed that yellow and white coloured silks tend to win more than other colours. 12 winners from the past 14 years wore yellow or white and that includes 2023 winner Derek Fox whose silks featured yellow armlets.

Emerald green is another colour that is associated with winning at the Grand National, with winning jockeys sporting that colour on nine occasions. Rachael Blackmore famously wore emerald green silks when she rode Minella Times to victory in 2021.

Yellow also trumps other colours when it comes to finishing second. Yellow was featured on the second-placed jockey’s silks on 17 occasions, followed by emerald green (10) and royal blue (6).

In terms of third place, white reigns supreme with 13 instances, followed by yellow (11) and emerald green (6).

Armlets The Luckiest Patterns

When it comes to analysing patterns, hoops featured more than any other pattern for the top three positions but armlets were the most common (six instances) when it came to winners. Derek Fox’s silks featured armlets when he won the Grand National last year.

Stars and hoops follow armlets in terms of wins with four appearances each. The latter, however, is the pattern of choice if you want to finish second or third. Eight second-placed jockeys wore hoops and nine third-placed ones wore hoops in the last 14 years at the Grand National.

Methodology

Data Collection

The dataset for this project has been sourced from Irish Racing, encompassing detailed records of the colours and patterns worn by the jockeys of the first, second, and third-place horses in the Grand National since 2009. This rich dataset provides a comprehensive view of visual elements associated with winning horses over multiple years.

Data Transformation

The initial phase of the project involves rigorous data cleansing techniques to ensure the quality and accuracy of the information used in the analysis. This process includes:

• Removing incomplete or incorrect entries
• Standardising colour and pattern names
• Ensuring consistency across the dataset for comparative analysis

Data Analysis

Luckiest Colours Analysis:

This involves an aggregated review of the jersey and sleeve colours, including base and pattern colours. The analysis will identify the most successful colour combinations overall, as well as season-specific trends.

Luckiest Patterns Analysis:

This section focuses on the patterns on the jerseys and sleeves, examining whether certain designs correlate more strongly with winning outcomes. The analysis will cover combined data to discern overarching patterns that have historically signified success.