The most famous and historic event in the horse-racing calendar takes place over three days. The Grand National begins on Thursday 3 April with the Grand Opening day, followed by Ladies’ Day on Friday 4 April and finally the Grand National Event on Saturday 5 April.
Grand Opening Day will be host to a number of races, as well as a host of live entertainment, the line-ups for which are still yet to be announced. Ladies’ Day is notable for the wealth of elegance that it brought to proceedings. It giving racegoers the opportunity not only to compete in the racing action, but in the styles too. Ladies’ Day will include a live performance from singer Katy B, as well as the big feature races, the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle, the Topham Steel Chase and the Melling Steeple Chase.
The Grand National Event will see 40 jockeys line up to race across the famous Becher’s Brook, Valentine’s, Canal Turn and the Chair fences. Over 600 million people across the world will watch it live on television.
You could come to Aintree to witness all of the drama an experience all of the excitement in person. Come with friends to watch the races from the Tattersalls enclosure or from the balcony of Amberleigh House, or witness the horses flash past the post from the splendour of the Princess Royal Restaurant. With ample parking, you can arrive in style in one of the prestige cars from Hertz Car Hire.
The history of the Grand National
The Grand National was founded by the proprietor of the Waterloo Hotel and syndicate head, William Lynn. He used land in Aintree that he had leased from the 2nd Earl of Sefton, William Molyneux. Historians now seem to agree that the first race occurred in 1836 as a small local event which was incidentally won by the Earl himself. From 1838 to 1839, three events occurred which transformed the small race to a national event.
In 1838, another Liverpool-based race, the Great St. Albans Chase was not renewed in 1839, which left a hole in the area’s racing calendar. Perhaps the most momentous event was the arrival of a railway system in Liverpool, which allowed people from all over the country to attend the race more easily. The greater accessibility led to a committee being formed to better organise the event. The higher level of publicity attracted a wealth of top quality jockeys and horses, as well as attracting more attendees. Consequently, 1839 is the year when the race officially became known as the Grand National.
Since then, the Grand National has rightly taken its place in history as the greatest steeplechase event in the world. This is due to a greater number of exciting races won by legendary horses, including the triple-winning Red Rum.
