As the most popular jumps race in the world, the Aintree Grand National never fails to hit the headlines, with the winner guaranteed to make the front pages as well as the back. One of the most memorable 21st-century editions came in 2009.
The winner that year, 100/1 shot Mon Mome, entered the record books as the joint longest priced winner in the history of the great race. For his young rider, Liam Treadwell, the victory marked the high point of a career which reached the summit of the sport only to unravel and end in tragedy. On top of the world in April of 2009, by June of 2020, Liam had passed away at only 34 years of age.
Too Big for the Flat
Born in Arundel, West Sussex, on 3 January 1986, Liam Treadwell attended Angmering School. Noted as a high achiever in his school days, the boy nicknamed “Tredders” soon developed a love of horse racing.
Upon leaving school, Liam joined the flat yard of David “Dandy” Nicholls. Riding under rules for the first time in 2002, he picked up 10 flat wins during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. While his talent was clear, Liam struggled with an issue familiar to many flat jockeys – his weight.
Unwilling to abandon his dream job, Liam instead changed tack to pursue a National Hunt career, where the weight requirements are significantly more manageable than on the flat. That decision prompted a move to the Kings Caple yard of Venetia Williams ahead of the 2004/05 season, establishing a partnership which would take trainer and jockey into the national spotlight.
Aintree 2009, Mon Mome Shocks the World
| Positon | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Mon Mome | Venetia Williams | Liam Treadwell | 100/1 |
| 2nd | Comply Or Die | David Pipe | Timmy Murphy | 14/1 |
| 3rd | My Will | Paul Nicholls | Ruby Walsh | 8/1 |
| 4th | State Of Play | Evan Williams | Paul Moloney | 14/1 |
Liam rode his first winner over jumps in an eight-winner 2005/06 season. By 2008/09, he was an established member of the Williams team. Liam’s biggest win at that stage of his career came when mastering his better-fancied, Aidan Coleman-ridden stablemate, Stan, in a Listed Handicap Chase at Ascot in November 2008. Five months later, Treadwell repeated that feat on the biggest stage of all.
As the number one rider at the Venetia Williams yard, Aidan Coleman chose to ride Stan over Mon Mome in the 2009 Grand National. Treadwell picked up the ride aboard Mon Mome for his Grand National debut.
Having been beaten by 17 lengths in the Welsh Grand National, 57 lengths in the Midlands Grand National, and 58 lengths in the 2008 Aintree Grand National, it was no surprise to see Mon Mome sent off at odds of 100/1. However, against all expectations, this was to be his day.
Ridden quietly towards the rear and sticking to the inside to save ground, Treadwell and Mon Mome began to creep into contention on the second circuit. By the third last, the pair sat on the heels of the leaders and appeared to be travelling as well as anything. Drawing level with reigning champ Comply Or Die over the final fence, Mon Mome hit the front rounding the elbow and roared clear for a resounding 12-length success.
The unlikely hero became the first 100/1 shot to win the Grand National since Foinavon in 1967, as Treadwell made a spectacular first appearance in Britain’s biggest race.
Treadwell enjoyed several other big wins throughout his career, including with Carrickboy in the Byrne Group Plate at the 2013 Cheltenham Festival, and The Last Derby in the 2009 United House Gold Cup. He also returned to finish third in the 2015 edition of the Grand National aboard Monbeg Dude. However, it is for that sparkling 2009 display over the big fences that he will forever be remembered.
Balding Takes Aim at Treadwell’s Teeth
While rightly praised for his exceptional ride aboard Mon Mome, it was Treadwell’s post-Grand National interview with Clare Balding that dominated much of the discussion. In one of her less inspired interviews, Balding asked Treadwell to, “Give us a big grin to the camera… No, no, let’s see your teeth. He hasn’t got the best teeth in the world, but you can afford to go and get them done now if you like.”
Treadwell himself was not at all offended by this reference to his gappy grin, but many viewers were quick to voice their disapproval. Following around 2,000 complaints, both the BBC and Balding issued an official apology two days after the race.
In the end, the incident worked out well for Treadwell. As the story rumbled on, the jockey received numerous offers of free dental treatment. Taking up one of these proposals, Liam gained a gleaming set of teeth which would likely have cost well into five figures. Looking back on the incident in later years, Treadwell stated:
“A sports psychologist encouraged me to watch the good days on TV – good times, successes, so Mon Mome and Carrickboy were two I watched, and seeing Clare’s comments about my teeth at Aintree definitely helped me to smile again.”
Heavy Fall Tough to Overcome
In the years following his Grand National triumph, Liam Treadwell enjoyed a productive time in the saddle, with the rider posting a career best tally of 42 wins during the 2013/14 season.
Of course, it hadn’t always been plain sailing. Like most jumps jockeys, Treadwell had experienced his share of injuries, including a fall in the 2013 Topham Chase, which resulted in a hospital stay. The tough rider had always bounced back from injury, but a 2016 fall left a more lasting mark.
Knocked out cold when taking a fall at Bangor, Treadwell sustained injuries which kept him out of the saddle for six months. While eventually returning, he often felt confused following the incident and suffered from short-term memory loss, headaches, sleep problems, and difficulty concentrating. The rider also noted in an interview with The Telegraph that the fall had affected his personality:
“My family and close friends told me I had changed. They noticed the little things. To me, I was still me, but they were saying I’d changed as a person.”
On 13 February 2018, the troubled rider announced his retirement from the saddle, citing health reasons related to his head and shoulder injuries. At around this time, Treadwell also separated from his wife, Emily.
Comeback Has a Devastating Conclusion
In March 2019, Liam returned to the sport when resuming riding duties and acting as the assistant trainer to Shropshire handler Alastair Ralph. Riding 10 winners during the 2019/20 season, Treadwell reported that he felt his life “had purpose again”.
Sadly, Liam’s mental health soon took a turn for the worse. As someone who didn’t enjoy spending time alone, the rider found the 2020 restrictions particularly tough. Despite reportedly being in top form in the days leading up to 22 June 2020, it was on that night that he sent a message to a friend reading, “I’ve reached out and spoken to the crisis team this evening. I’ve taken a knock-me-out cocktail tonight. It will either end it for good or shut me down for several hours. I don’t mind which.”
Calling in to check on Liam that evening, his friends found him to be lucid. However, the rider did not turn in for work the next morning and was discovered to have died on his bedroom floor. His death came only four months after Liam was a pallbearer for fellow jockey James Banks, who took his own life in February 2020.
Death by Misadventure
Following an inquest into Liam Treadwell’s death, the coroner returned a verdict of death by misadventure. The rider was found to have a mixture of drugs in his system, including Class A substances and animal painkillers. However, the senior coroner stated he could not be certain that the jockey had intended to take his own life.
Liam Treadwell rode 308 winners over jumps and 28 on the flat. Remembered by all who knew him as a polite, humble, and unassuming gentleman, his memory burns particularly brightly at Aintree in April each year.