The Grand National is the biggest horse race in the UK and is watched by almost 600 million people worldwide. This event is by far one of the biggest events globally in the horse racing calendar and takes place in Aintree, England, every year. The extremely historic and prestigious race began in the 1800s, with many famous faces attending each year and 160,000 horse racing supporters in attendance. While the celebrities won’t be needing any Grand National free bets, a culture has been built up around the race and has only grown in popularity. With the event just around the corner, let’s take a look at 4 facts that you didn’t know about the Grand National.
Not Just Aintree
The Grand National is hosted at Aintree Racecourse each year, giving Aintree the reputation of being the home of the Grand National. Not only has the race brought a positive reputation to the village, but it has also brought great financial profits to the local area and Liverpool as a whole. However, Aintree is not the only place to have hosted the Grand National, with other venues hosting the event. In fact, Aintree possibly isn’t even the original home of the prestigious race. In 1836 the first Grand National, known then as the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase, took place with 10 horses. This was previously thought to have run at Maghull, roughly six miles north of Liverpool. The first horse to win the race officially at Aintree was as Lottery in 1839, when taking on 16 rivals.
26 February 1839. The 1st running of the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase took place at Aintree, Liverpool. The race would later become known as the Grand National and in 1843 became a handicap race. The 1st winner was the 9-1 chance Lottery ridden by Jem Mason. pic.twitter.com/yOwmvLaiQm
— Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) February 26, 2025
During the first World War the race moved to Gatwick Racecourse between 1916 and 1918. After the war, the Grand National was moved back to Aintree, which has remained the home of the prestigious race ever since. However, for a very brief piece of history in terms of the race, between 1941 and 1945 the Grand National was paused as a result of World War II, returning to Aintree in 1946.
The Format of The Race
Today, the Grand National consists of 4 miles and 514 yards, but this was never always the case during the early days of the race. Originally, the race consisted of 2 laps, equalling about 4 miles and 856 yards. As a result of being very demanding on the jockeys and horses, the race was altered in 1928 and has remained the exact same since. This isn’t the only alteration to the course itself, with the fences also seeing a big change over time. The 16 fences are one of the most altered aspects of the Grand National since the first event was held. The fences have faced several modifications, with the main one being reducing the height in order for the jumps to be made safer and widening some of the fences to provide a larger landing area. More recently, in 2013, fences were changed to a plastic material, further emphasising the focus on rider safety in the Grand National.
The building and maintenance of the Grand National fences is key 🔑
Here’s how our fantastic grounds team build and maintain them 👇 pic.twitter.com/DTAWArG0FG
— Aintree Racecourse (@AintreeRaces) October 30, 2024
The course has undergone several changes since its original formation as a result of ensuring rider safety, which leaves the question of how difficult and dangerous the Grand National once was in comparison to today’s race.
The Prize
The Grand National is an extremely demanding race and requires a lot of preparations for not just the horse but also the jockey. It is one of the most prestigious events to participate in, and winning this race cements the name of horses, riders and trainers in the sport’s history alongside some of the greats. But what do you actually get for winning the Grand National? While it is obvious that the winner of the prestigious race will be cemented in history, other benefits come, such as media coverage and access to future races, helping to build the jockey and horse’s career going forward. The direct winnings from the race include the Grand National trophy and £500,000, with a total of a £1,000,000 prize pot distributed between places 1 and 6.
Jockey Experience
The prestigious race typically sees the best of the best when it comes to jockeys, with legends such as Ruby Walsh and Tony McCoy taking first place, however, despite being such a highly regarded event, amateurs can also participate. Despite the race being a mix of amateurs and professionals, the underdogs have actually won on a handful of occasions, with the most recent coming in 2022 with jockey Sam Waley-Cohen. Despite being somewhat well known, he was still an amateur jockey nonetheless and managed to take home the number one spot.
Age is Just A Number
Typically, when it comes to the Grand National, the younger horses tend to have much more success when it comes to placements; however, that is not always the case. On average, the winner of the race is roughly 7-11 years old, the prime age for the best performance on the racecourse, but it’s not unheard of for horses younger or older to win the prestigious race. In 1868, the youngest horse on record won the Grand National at the age of 5 years old, the oldest horse win at the age of 15 occurred in 1853, showing that age does not define the performance and outcome of a horse.