Aintree Racecourse is a racecourse in Aintree, Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, bordering the city of Liverpool. The racecourse is best known for annually holding the world-famous Grand National steeplechase. The Grand National meeting takes place in April over 3 days. Aintree also holds meetings in May and June, October, November and December. With almost 200 years of history, and many instantly recognizable entrants and incidents, the Grand National is perhaps the world’s most famous horse race. Taking place at Aintree racecourse near Liverpool, England every Spring, the race is run over a distance of almost four and a half miles, with several difficult fences to be jumped along. The 2021 Grand National will be held at Aintree Racecourse on Saturday, April 10th at 5.15pm. Sponsored by Randox Health, it is a UK handicap steeplechase over 4.

The history of the Randox Grand National Festival can be traced back to the early 1800's.

In February 1839, Lottery became the first winner of the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase, the race that would become known as the Grand National. Horses had to jump a stone wall, cross a stretch of ploughed land and finish over two hurdles.

Aintree Racecourse Grand National

Mr Edward William Topham, a respected handicapper, was responsible for turning the Grand National into a handicap in 1843 after it had been a weight-for-age race for the first four years. The Topham family owned substantial tracts of land around Aintree and in 1949 they bought the course outright from Lord Sefton, from whom the land had previously been leased since the racecourse’s opening in 1829.

Grand National Racecourse Uk

Back to back winners includes Abd-El-Kader, The Colonel, and the Irish horse Reynoldstown.