20 Interesting Facts About the Grand National

The Grand National is the most popular horse race in the world, with millions people around the Globe watching and placing bets on this Aintree steeplechase every year.

Let’s take a look at some fascinating facts about the race, that’s been taking place in Liverpool for over 180 years.

1. The first race took place back in 1839. The winning horse was called ‘Lottery’ and the odds were 5-1.

2. The famous race is shown in around 140 countries. It’s estimated that approximately 600 million watch it every year, and it attracts crowds of around 70,000 spectators.

3. The race takes place at Aintree - a town settled by the Vikings where all the trees were cut down except one, known as Ein-tree (in Old Norse) – and that’s where the name Aintree comes from.

4. When buying a drink, racegoers have over 80 different bars to choose from. Each year, it’s believed 250,000 pints of beer, 38,000 shots and 5,000 cocktails are consumed at the event, along with 75,000 cups of tea & coffee.

5. Up until now, the most famous and successful horse to run in the Grand National is Red Rum, winning the race in 1973, 1974 and 1977. When he died in 1995, his remains were buried at the winning post at Aintree Racecourse.

6. One of the most memorable victories was when ‘Foinavon’ won the 1967 race at 100-1 odds. It’s reported that the horse’s owner and trainer didn’t even turn up to watch the race.

7. The most successful jockey in the history of the Grand National is George Stevens – he won the race an impressive five times in the 19^th

8. The youngest person to win the race was Bruce Hobbs – he was just 17 when he won in 1938.

9. The oldest jockey to win the race was Dick Saunders in 1982, at the age of 48.

10. In 1855, a jockey named Sam Darling fell off his horse...only to be revived when the horse coming up behind him gave him a knock to the head.

11. Around 150 tonnes of spruce branches, from the Lake District National Park, are used to top the 16 fences.

12. Building the site costs tens of thousands of pounds each year and can take up to 4 weeks to complete.

13. The fastest time for completing the race is 8 minutes and 47.8 seconds – this was back in 1990 and the horse was named Mr Frisk. 

14. The slowest was actually the first horse to win the race back in 1839, with a time of 14 minutes and 53 seconds.

15. The first female trainer to win the Grand National was Jenny Pitman in 1983.

16. The current prize fund for the Grand National is £1 million, making it the most valuable jump race in Europe.

17. In 1866, the winning horse was Salamander. The owner & trainer of the horse, Edward Studd, bet £1,000 at 40/1 on his own horse, winning a massive £40,000 – around £3 million in today’s money.

18. In 1883, there were only 10 racers - the smallest number ever seen. The most horses to be entered was in 1929, with 66 taking part.

19. Did you know that Becher’s Brook is named after a famous jockey, Captain Martin Becher? He fell from his horse during the race and protected himself from other riders and horses by taking shelter in the brook.

20. In 1993, the race ended in chaos and was declared a void race, the only time this has ever happened to date. This was because 30 of the 39 riders completed both laps of the challenging course, not realising a false start had been called.

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