by Of the thousands of horse races organized each year in the UK, only one stops the nation: the Grand National at Aintree.
34 runners are taking on the 30 furlongs of the Liverpool Grand National course on the world’s most prestigious spectacle. The four mile, 2½ furlong race takes no more than nine minutes.
Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s race, including the changes made since 2023.
When is the 2023 Grand National?
The Grand National is the culmination of the three-day Aintree Grand National Festival, which this year takes place from Thursday, April 11 to Saturday, April 13.
The main event, the Grand National itself, takes place on Saturday evening.
What time does the race start?
The runners will be sent on their way at 5.15pm on Saturday, April 13.
The Jockey Club had announced, after the controversial 2023 edition of the race, that it would start earlier in the afternoon, to improve the likelihood of good ground. However, the published schedule for 2024 shows that no time change has been made.
The Grand National is the sixth of seven races that day, on a card that starts at 1.45pm and ends with the final race at 6.20pm.
How can I watch the race? What TV channel is it on?
By law, the Grand National is one of two horse races that must be broadcast on free-to-air television (the other being the Epsom Derby). There will be live television coverage on ITV and Racing TV.
The three-day Grand National Festival usually welcomes around 150,000 race fans in the stands themselves.
Are Grand National tickets available?
Tickets for each day of the festival are on sale on the Jockey Club website. For the Grand National itself, prices start at £45 for adults in the Embankment. Many other enclosures have already sold out. The most expensive hospitality package on sale is £1,225. Parking is £35 extra, or £60 if you want to park within easy walking distance of the course.
Which horses are running in the 2024 Grand National?
Only a certain number of horses meet the criteria for being allowed to race at the Grand National. Among the qualifications they must:
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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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be 7 years of age or older,
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who completed three or more snapshots,
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They have completed one acute model in the current season,
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who finished between 1st and 4th in a race over 2 miles 7½ lengths or longer.
Initial entries for the race must be made by February 6, and the BHA will then publish the weights two weeks later on February 20. The five-day declarations will take place on the Monday before the race, at which point the field will be drawn to reduce. until 50.
The final 34 horses for the Grand National will be confirmed on Thursday, April 11, 48 hours before the race. As from last year, if a horse is withdrawn after these 48 hour confirmations, that horse will not be replaced.
How does the narrowing system work?
The idea behind the narrowing process is that less keen horses can compete with the best hunters. To achieve this, the best horses are asked to carry extra weight. Exactly how much weight is determined according to the formula for your hand, established by the British Horseracing Authority.
The least a horse is allowed to carry (rider included) is 10ths of 2 pounds. The top weighted horse will carry 11st 12 pounds, and all other handicap weights will be worked out from that weight based on each horse’s rating. Last year’s winner, Corach Rambler, carried just 10lb 5. In 2015 Many Clouds won 11st 9oz, the heaviest weight carried by a recent winner. The last horse to win the top weight was Red Rum in 1973, when he finished 12th.
Where is the 2024 Grand National?
The race takes place at Aintree Racecourse, on the outskirts of Liverpool. Since the first edition in 1839, the race has not 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, delaying it by 15 minutes. The Jockey Club insists, however, that the changes did not come in direct response to those objections.
The most significant changes are as follows:
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The field was reduced from 40 horses to a maximum of 34. Evidence shows a correlation between field size and the risk of horses falling.
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The first fence has been brought forward, towards the starting line, 60 yards to reduce the speed at which the horses reach it.
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The start will now be a fixed start at the tape, rather than the traditional rolling start. This change is also designed to reduce the speed at which horses reach the first hurdle.
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All horses must have an official rating of at least 130 (except 125) and will be checked for jumping errors before being allowed to enter.
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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 onto the course by a handler before the race, instead they will be released to canter in front of the grandstands.
The most famous fences of the Grand National
Aintree fences are not as dangerous as they once were. However, they are still the most notorious obstacles in the business.
The Chairman: The Chair is the tallest fence on the course, now standing at five feet two inches.
Brook Becher: It may not be the biggest sixth and 22nd fence in the race, but its difficulty comes from the fact that the landing side is 10 inches lower than the takeoff side. Named after Captain Martin Becher, a jockey who fell at this stage in the first running of the race in 1839 and hid in the Brook to avoid injury.
Brook Valentine: It was named after a horse that allegedly jumped back in 1840. More likely, the horse spun around in mid-air to create the optical illusion of landing hind feet first.
Tunes: One of the smaller fences is named after the 100/1 shot who avoided a disastrous pile-up here in 1967 and went on to win.
Canal Turn: As the name suggests, horses must make a sharp left turn after jumping this five-foot hurdle. Another Aintree myth is that horses that were used and refused to turn ended up in the Liverpool and Leeds canal.
