Grand National

All racing enthusiasts look forward to one of the most highly anticipated events in the British social and racing calendar each and every year. The event, which is called the Grand National, is being held annually during the month of April. In the upcoming year, it is scheduled to occur on April 6-8. The event is participated by a lot of racing fans, bettors and people from various social standings. Almost 154,000 people go to the Grand National just to witness the exciting horse races and even more people are attracted to the magnificent betting offers for Grand National leading up to the event. The event is held for 3 days and includes the very popular John Smith’s Grand National Day, Ladies’ Day and the Liverpool Day.

History of the Grand National

The Grand National Founded by Waterloo Hotel’s proprietor, William Lynn, the Grand National was first held on the year 1936. The very first race was successfully won by a horse named the Duke who also won the race the following year. The early years of Grand National was also held in Aintree however, there are some historians believed that they occur in Maghull.

Aintree Racecourse
Located in Aintree, Merseyside, England the Aintree Racecourse is the Grand National’s home. It was a railway station before until it got closed in the year 1963. The steeplechase is regarded as one of the most popular races in the entire planet and before Aintree, it was held at  Maghull, a nearby district. Back in the year 1839, stepplechasing was first introduced at the racecourse. However, before this, flat racing was already taking place in the track. Aintree is known as the world’s most challenging courses to finish since there are 16 fences which include Becher’s Brook, Canal Turn, Valentine’s Brook, Foinavon and The Chair. Even the best jockeys are afraid of the infamous racecourse. Contrary to the British National Hunt’s courses, every fence bars that bar the water jump are wrapped with spruce. There are 4 other races that occur in the National fences. These races are the Becher Handicap Chase and the Grand Sefton Handicap Chase that occur in the November meeting, the Fox Hunter’s Chase at the Grand National meeting and the previously known John Hughes Trophy Chase which is the Topham Chase.

Facts and Figures

  • In 1939, the first race took place but it began in inauspicious situations as it occurred a couple of hours late because of weighing procedures that were really confusing.
  • In 1833, the smallest field occurred with only 10 facing the starter.
  • Mr. Frisk  was the fastest racer ever finishing a record of 8 minutes and 47.8 seconds in the year 1990.
  • The race with the most starters occurred in the year 1929 with over 66 horses on the line up.
  • In 1928, the smallest number of finishers was recorded when a 100-1 outsider, Tipperary Tam was the first of the 2 to past the post.

Aintree Racecourse Address:

Location: Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool, England
Address: Ormskirk Road, Aintree, Liverpool, Merseyside L9 5AS, UK (see map)
Phone: +44 0151 523 2600
Website: http://www.aintree.co.uk/