At around 5 pm UK time on Saturday, April 9 the runners and riders will be preparing to take part in what is often called the World’s greatest horse race. Over the next nine minutes, around 40 horses will race around the four-mile, two-and-a-half furlong, 30 jump course.
Their owners will be hoping to share in the £1 million ($1.3 million) prize fund, with over half of the amount going to the winner. Most people have heard of the race, but not everyone knows some of these interesting facts about the National.
Any horse can win, and they have in the past
For many, this is the one race of the season that they will watch. As such, in the run-up to the race, there is no shortage of Grand National top tips as experts try to identify likely winners.
You’ll also find plenty of information on leading sportsbooks, including which horses look good for each-way bets which still pay even if a selection comes in the first five.
Unlike many first-class races where favorites often win, the nature of the National means that it’s far more open. On a number of occasions, horses at +10000 have romped home, including Mon Mome in 2009, Foinavon in 1967, and Caughoo in 1947.
It’s bigger than the Super Bowl
It’s easy to think that the Super Bowl is the biggest single sporting event in the annual sporting calendar, but the National outstrips it in terms of TV viewership. It’s estimated that the highlight of the NFL season attracts around 140 million viewers worldwide.
But around 500 million people tune in to the National from over 130 countries each year. Plus, there are 70,000 people who flock to the course to watch it in person.
There are interesting stories behind the names of the jumps
The race is held at Aintree racecourse on the outskirts of Liverpool in the North West of England. The National course is unusual in that it gives some of its fences names, unlike most other tracks in the UK. There is often an interesting story related to these.
For example, one of the biggest jumps, The Chair, is 5’2” with a 6’ water ditch in front of it. Some people believe the name comes from the shape of the fence, but it was actually the place on the course where one of the race officials used to sit, a practice that’s no longer upheld.
The slightly smaller Valentine’s Brook, the 9th jump on the course, was originally called Second Brook. It was renamed in 1840 after a horse called Valentine successfully jumped over it, hind legs first.
It’s highly unlikely that we’ll see anything as remarkable this year, but many are hoping it will be the second year in a row that a female jockey wins. Last year’s victor, Rachael Blackmore won the prestigious 2022 Champions Hurdle at Cheltenham, so it could be looking good for this particular win double. But we’ll just have to wait till April 9 to find out for sure.