Horse Racing

Grand National (The Aintree Grand National)

The Grand National is the most infamous National Hunt Race currently run in the world. It is hosted at Aintree Racecourse and is conducted over a distance of an incredible 4 miles, featuring no less than 30 fences. Gruelling in lengths and famous for its notoriously difficult - and often dangerous - fences, the Grand National is considered the ultimate test for any steeplechasing horse.

This iconic National Hunt event was inaugurated approximately in 1836, although historians do not agree on this date completely. However, it is agreed that the race has always been hosted early in April, which is a tradition maintained until today - the Grand National takes place on an early April Saturday every year, as the highlight of the Festival At Aintree.

The Aintree Grand National is watched annually by over 600 million people worldwide as it is broadcasted live by UK Terrestrial Television; in fact, there are only ten sporting events in the country reserved for this honour. But what makes this particular horse racing fixture so immensely popular?

Firstly, you will be hard-pressed to find a more action-packed horse racing event than the Grand National. In 1929 the race ran its largest capacity of starters, 66 horses taking to the track; and although his number has never been surpassed, the Grand National still is prone to sport enormous fields. However, while a large number of horses may start in the event, it is almost guaranteed that not all of the will make it through the course. The largest number of horses to ever finish the Grand National lies at 23; the fewest horses ever to finish the race were 2. When you are watching the Grand National, you are guaranteed a dramatic performance.

Secondly, the Grand National is prone to produce shocking surprises and ludicrous records. The fastest horse to ever finish, for example, was Mr Frisk in 1990; this outstanding athlete finished the four miles and thirty fences in 8 minutes and 47.8 seconds. In 1853, the event was won by Peter Simple - a horse who was 15 years old at the time. More recently, in 2009, French jumping prodigy Mon Mome defeated a massive field of competitors at 100-1 odds. And these things seem to occur at the Grand National on a regular basis. In fact, if you had to pick one single race as the only jump racing event you were allowed to see every year, you would be mad to choose anything other than the Grand National.

The Grand National is open to horses over the age of six and awards a purse of £925,000.

Recent Winners of the Grand National:

Aintree Grand National Odds and News