Of the thousands of horse races held each year in the UK, only one truly stops the country in its tracks: the Grand National at Aintree.
In the world’s most prestigious steeplechase, 34 runners cross 30 Grand National fences at the Liverpool course. The four-mile, 2½-mile race lasts no more than nine minutes.
Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s race, including any changes from 2023.
When is the 2023 Grand National?
The Grand National is the highlight of Aintree’s three-day Grand National Festival, which runs from Thursday 11 April to Saturday 13 April this year.
The main event, the Grand National, will take place on Saturday afternoon.
What time does the race start?
Runners will set off on Saturday, April 13 at 17.15.
Following the controversial 2023 edition of the race, the Jockey Club announced that the start would be moved to early afternoon to increase the possibility of good ground. However, it appears that no time changes have been made in the calendar published for 2024.
The Grand National is the sixth of seven races that day, starting at 13.45 and ending with the final race at 18.20.
How can I watch the race? On which television channel?
By law, the Grand National is one of only two horse races that must be broadcast on free-to-air television (the other being the Epsom Derby). Live television coverage will be on ITV and Racing TV.
The three-day Grand National Festival usually hosts around 150,000 fans attending the races in the stands.
Are Grand National tickets available?
Tickets for each day of the festival are available for sale on the Jockey Club website. For the Grand National itself, prices for adults at The Embankment start from £45. Many other enclosures are already sold out. The most expensive accommodation package on sale is £1,225. Parking costs an additional £35 or £60 if you want to park within walking distance of the track.
Which horses are running in the 2024 Grand National?
Only a certain number of horses meet the criteria to be allowed to compete in the Grand National. Among the qualities they must have:
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Have an Official Rating (OR) of 130 or more (in 2023 horses only need to have a rating of 125)
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Being 7 years old or older,
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Having completed three or more obstacle races,
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You have completed one steeplechase this season,
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Finishing between 1st and 4th in a steeplechase of 2 miles, 7½ furlongs or longer.
Initial registrations for the race must be made by February 6; The BHA will release the weights two weeks later on February 20th. Five-day notices will be due on the Monday before the race, at which point the field will be reduced. up to 50.
The final 34 horses for the Grand National are expected to be confirmed on Thursday, April 11, 48 hours before the race. As of last year, if a horse is withdrawn after 48 hours of these declarations, that horse will not be replaced.
How does the disability system work?
The purpose of the handicapping process is so that less fancied horses can compete with the best chasers. To achieve this, the highest scoring horses are asked to carry extra weight. Exactly how much weight is determined by a handicap formula established by the British Horseracing Authority.
The minimum a horse (including a jockey) is allowed to carry is 10st 2lb. The highest weighted horse will carry 11st 12lb and all other handicap weights will be calculated from this weight according to each horse’s grade. Last year’s winner Corach Rambler was only carrying 10th 5lb. In 2015, Many Clouds won by carrying 11.9 ounces, the heaviest weight ever carried by a winner in recent history. The last horse to carry the top weight was Red Rum in 1973, when the highest handicap was set 12th.
Where is the 2024 Grand National?
The race is held at Aintree Racecourse on the outskirts of Liverpool. Since the first edition in 1839 the race has never been held anywhere else.
What are the changes to this year’s Grand National?
Significant changes have been made to the Grand National for 2024. The changes were made after animal rights protesters ambushed the 2023 event, causing a 15-minute delay. But the Jockey Club insists the changes do not come as a direct response to these protests.
The most important changes are as follows:
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The field was reduced from 40 horses to a maximum of 34 horses. Evidence shows a correlation between the size of the arena and the risk of horses falling.
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The first fence was moved forward 60 yards towards the starting line to reduce the speed at which horses could reach it.
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The start will now be a stationary start on the tape instead of the traditional rolling start. This change was also designed to reduce the speed at which horses reached the first hurdle.
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Each horse must have an official score of at least 130 (instead of 125) and will be examined for jumping errors before being allowed entry.
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The height of fence 11 has been reduced by two inches and the drop on the landing side will be reduced.
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Horses will no longer be led to the course by a handler before the race, but instead will be released to canter in front of the stands.
The most famous fences of the Grand National
Aintree hedges are no longer as dangerous as they used to be. But these are still the most notorious obstacles in business.
Chair: The chair is the tallest fence on the course and currently stands five feet two inches tall.
Becher Creek: The sixth and 22nd fence in the race may not be the biggest, but its difficulty comes from the fact that the landing side is 10 inches lower than the takeoff side. It was named after the jockey Captain Martin Becher, who fell at this stage during the first running of the race in 1839 and hid in the stream to avoid injury.
Valentine’s Creek: It took its name from a horse that allegedly jumped backwards in 1840. Most likely, the horse spun in the air, creating the optical illusion of its hind legs landing first.
Foinavon: One of the smaller fences, it takes its name from the 100/1 shot who avoided a disastrous pile-up here in 1967 and went on to win.
Channel Return: As the name suggests, horses have to make a sharp left turn after jumping this 1.5 meter obstacle. Another Aintree legend is that horses that refused to return ended up in the Liverpool and Leeds canal.