Following the abandonment of the 2020 renewal due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with Scottish Government restrictions still in place, the 2021 Grand National was run behind closed doors. It was also run 24 hours later than usual, on Sunday, April 18, 2021, to avoid clashing with the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle the previous day.
On the prevailing good going, 22 horses went to post and Dingo Dollar was sent off 7/1 favourite, ahead of three 8/1 co-second favourites, Mighty Thunder, Mister Fogpatches and Aye Right, in a competitive betting market. Once underway, Sam’s Adventure was an early casualty, unseating jockey Henry Brooke at the fourth fence but, although nine runners were pulled up at various stages, there were no out-and-out fallers.
Dingo Dollar, trained by Sandy Thomson and ridden by Ryan Mania, made much of the running and, having taken a five-length lead at the second-last fence, looked likely to collect the £84,405 first prize money. However, the nine-year-old, who was having just his second run for the yard, was joined, and passed, on the run-in by the rallying Mighty Thunder, trained by Lucinda Russell and ridden by Tom Scudamore. Dingo Dollar, himself, rallied once headed, but could never quite get back up and eventually went down by three-quarters of a length in a driving finish. One of the other co-second favourites, Mister Fogpatches, kept on to finish third, without really threatening the first two, while The Ferry Master, a 20/1 chance also saddled by Thomson, faded between the last two to finish fourth.
Tragically, Mighty Thunder never won again and collapsed and died, as the result of an aneurysm, in the stable area after unseating rider in the 2023 Scottish Grand National. Russell said of him, “He filled our world with love and we will never forget him.”