When Maori Venture won the Grand National in 1987, it was their first and last appearance in the Aintree race. Sired by St Columbus of Moon Venture, he was raised by the Welsh publican Dai ‘Maori’ Morgan, nicknamed for his adventures in New Zealand, where he played rugby. The horse won a Taunton bumper at the age of five, with odds of 50-1, and under his new owner, Major Jack Rubin was sent to Jim Old for training. His first notable hurdle victory was at the Mandarin Chase in Newbury on New Years Eve 1984.
The death of its owner meant that it was sold at Ascot sales, where it was purchased by Marlborough coach Andrew Turnell on behalf of Mr. Joel for 17,000 guineas. Not long after the sale, the Maori Venture won four races at Lingfield, but in the run-up to the 1987 Grand National he showed very mixed form and gained a bit of a reputation as an insecure jumper. While he finished third in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, won the Mandarin Chase a second time and was runner-up in the Sandown Grand Military Gold Cup, he also ran out of place in one race and fell in another, falling in the race to the National. it’s never a good thing, and many began to believe that there was no way he would handle the fences of Aintree with his formidable reputation.
Mr. Joel; whose previous entrance to the National, Door Latch was well imagined, but ended up falling over the first fence; He entered Maori Venture almost resigned to the fact that he was not going to do well. He was 12th at 28-1, ridden by Steve Knight. The gelding didn’t do anything special on the first circuit, in fact it was a wonder that he was left standing considering his nose touched the ground when landing after Becher’s Brook, but he managed to see it. The second circuit saw him transform: he began to jump with precision, something he had never done before, and he began to increase his pace. He began to approach the leaders, which included Lean Ar Aghaidh, who was demonstrating excellent jumping form, and for the latter he joined The Tsarevich – he beat them by four and five lengths respectively. The favorite West Tip, the winner of the previous year, came in fourth place, while the second seed, Dark Ivy, had suffered a fatal fall in the first Bechers.
Maori Venture achieved the third fastest time on record at the National and gave its owner, Mr. Joel, his great career double: he had won the 1967 Epsom Derby with the Royal Palace, the 92-year-old had started to try to win the National in 1957.. When he learned that he had won the National, he was flying from South Africa to England, declaring at the celebrations the following day that Maori Venture would retire to Childwick Stud – he left it in his will to Steve Knight, his winning rider.