The Grand National Aintree Racecourse, Aintree, Liverpool
(below left) Pomp and ceremony, and blood and guts, at the 2018 Grand National’s Aintree Racecourse, one of the world’s most famous and challenging hurdle races. (below right) Tiger Roll jumping the Chair as the other runners thrill the capacity crowds (opposite), racing to an epic photofinish with Tiger Roll beating second-placed Pleasant Company by a virtual whisker. Europe’s most valuable jump race, the Grand National attracts punters from across Britain and the world to watch riders and their mounts risk death for glory (and valuable prize money)
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The history of the Grand National can be traced back to the early 1800s, when the first official races were organised at Aintree. It was Edward William Topham, a respected handicapper, who was responsible for turning the Grand National into a handicap in 1843 after it had been a weightfor-age race for the first four years. The Topham family owned substantial tracts of land around Aintree, and in 1949 they bought the course from Lord Sefton, from whom the land had previously been leased. The current course, which stages races over conventional fences and hurdles, opened in 1839. A difficult period for Aintree in the post-war years led to it being sold to a property developer. Bookmaker Ladbrokes then stepped in to manage the Grand National until 1984, when Seagram Distillers became sponsors. Famous fences include Becher’s Brook, named after Captain Martin Becher, who sheltered in the brook after being unseated. The Chair is the tallest fence, at over 5 feet. A massive nine million people watch the event on television in the UK and another six hundred million around the globe. The Grand National is Europe’s most valuable jump race; by 2014, the prize fund had reached £1 million. The race is popular with viewers who do not normally follow racing or bet on races. The steeplechase has made headlines year after year. Known as the ‘ultimate test of horse and rider’, the Grand National course differs from that of other National Hunts in that it is run over a longer distance and features much larger fences. The cores of the fences, rebuilt in 2012, are now made from flexible plastic, which is more forgiving than the original wooden-core fences. They are topped with Lake District spruce. All sixteen fences are jumped on the first circuit, but on the second and final circuit, horses bear right onto a run-in for the winning post.