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The Grand National is a Grade 3 handicap chase currently restricted to six-year-old and above horses. It is run over a distance of 4 miles 4 furlongs (7,242 metres) at Aintree Racecourse which is located in Liverpool, England, usually on a Saturday in early April. There are thirty fences to be jumped in the race.

It is run over two circuits of Aintree's National Course, on which there are sixteen fences. All except The Chair and the Water-Jump are jumped twice. Some fences have acquired near-legendary status for their severity, particularly Becher's Brook and The Chair, although in recent years this severity has been much reduced due to pressure from various animal rights groups. The National is the centerpiece of a three-day meeting, one of only four run at Aintree in the racing season.

It is one of the biggest events in the British and Worldwide sporting calendar and is broadcast worldwide being watched by over 600 million people.

In 2007 the Grand National sponsors John Smith's launched the John Smith's Peoples Race which gives 10 members of the public the chance to ride in a flat race at Aintree on Grand National day.

From a betting perspective, the Grand National forms the second leg of the Spring Double - the first leg is the Lincoln Handicap.

By far the most successful horse in Grand National history was Red Rum, the only horse to win three times, in 1973, 1974, and in 1977. He also came in second in the two intervening years, 1975 and 1976.

In 1993, the result of the race was declared void after a series of incidents at the start meant the starting tape failed to rise correctly, causing several horses and jockeys to be caught up in it. A false start was declared, but lack of communication between course officials meant that 30 out of the 39 jockeys did not realise this and started to race. Course officials tried to stop the horses by waving red flags next to The Chair at the end of the first circuit. However, many jockeys thought that these people were protesters and so continued to race. Peter Scudamore stopped only because he saw his usual trainer Martin Pipe waving frantically at him. Seven horses ran the course in its entirety, forcing a void result. The first past the post of the horses that ran was Esha Ness, ridden by John White and trained by Jenny Pitman.

In 1997, the Saturday meeting was abandoned after two coded bomb threats were received, reportedly from the Provisional Irish Republican Army. 60,000 spectators, jockeys, race personnel and local residents were evacuated, and the course was secured by police. The race was eventually run on the Monday, with the meeting organisers offering free admission. Some 20,000 people were left stranded over the weekend, with cars and coaches locked in the course. With limited accommodation in the city and surrounding areas, local residents opened their doors and took in many of those stranded.

Many well known jockeys have failed to win the Grand National. These include champion jockeys such as Terry Biddlecombe, John Francome, Josh Gifford, Stan Mellor, Jonjo O'Neill (who never finished the race), Fred Rimell and Peter Scudamore. More recently, multiple champion and record holder Tony McCoy has failed to win the race along with contemporaries Richard Johnson, Adrian Maguire and Norman Williamson. Two jockeys who led over the last fence in the National and just lost the race on the run-in ended up as TV racing pundits. These were Lord Oaksey on Carrickbeg in 1963 and Richard Pitman on Crisp in 1973. The same fate occurred to Pitman's son Mark on Garrison Savannah in 1991.

The Grand National is the ultimate test of horse and jockey. The race comprises two full circuits of a unique 2¼ mile (3,600 metres) course, where challengers will face 30 of the most testing fences in the world of jump racing.

Each of the 16 fences on the course are jumped twice, with the exception of The Chair and the Water Jump, which are jumped on the first circuit only.

The Start

There is a hazard to overcome even before the race starts - the build up, parade and re-girthing prior to the off lasts for around 25 minutes, over double the time it takes for any other race.

With 40 starters, riders naturally want a good sight of the first fence and after the long build-up their nerves are stretched to breaking point, which means the stewards' pre-race warning to go steady is often totally ignored.
The Fences
1 & 17 Thorn fence, 4ft 7in high, 2ft 9in wide - The first often claims many victims as horses often travel to it far too keenly.
2 & 18 Almost the same height as the first but much wider at 3ft 6in.
3 & 19 Westhead: This is the first big test with a 6ft ditch on the approach guarding a 5ft high fence.
4 & 20 Plain fence, 4ft 10in high and 3ft wide.
5 & 21 Spruce dressed fence, 5ft high and 3ft 6in wide.
6 & 22

Becher's Brook: Although the fence looks innocuous from the take-off side, the steep drop on the landing side, together with a left-hand turn on landing, combine to make this the most thrilling and famous fence in the horse racing world. The fence actually measures 6 ft 9 in on the landing side, a drop of 2 ft from take off.

Becher's Brook earned its name when a top jockey, Captain Martin Becher, took shelter in the brook after being unseated. "Water tastes disgusting without the benefits of whisky" he reflected.

7 & 23 Foinavon Fence: Basically an 'ordinary' fence (4ft 6in high and 3ft wide) that was made famous in 1967 when Fionavon was the only horse to scramble over it at the first time of asking, following a mass pile-up. The jump is the smallest on the course, but coming straight after the biggest drop, it can catch horses and riders out.
8 & 24 Canal Turn: Made of hawthorn stakes covered in Norway spruce, it gets its name from the fact that there is a canal in front of the horses when they land. To avoid it, they must turn a full 90 degrees when they touch down. The race can be won or lost here, with a diagonal leap to the inside of the jump taking the fence at a scary angle, but reducing the turn on landing. With 30 or more horses often still standing when the field reaches this point on the first circuit, not every rider has the option of taking this daring passage.
9 & 25 Valentine's Brook: The third of four famous fences to be jumped in succession, it is 5ft high and 3ft 3in wide with a brook on the landing side that's about 5ft 6in wide.
10 & 26 Thorn fence, 5ft high and 3ft wide.
11 & 27 Booth: The main problem with this fence, which is 5ft high and 3ft wide, is the 6ft wide ditch on the take-off side.
12 & 28 Same size as the two previous fences, but with a ditch on the landing side, which can catch runners out.
13 & 29 Second-last fence on the final circuit, it is 4ft 7in high and 3ft wide.
14 & 30 Almost the same height as the previous fence and rare for any horse to fall at the final fence in the National.
15 The Chair: The final two jumps of the first circuit form the only pair negotiated just once - and they could not be more different. The Chair is both the tallest (5ft 3in) and broadest fence on the course, with a 6ft wide ditch on the take-off side.

In addition, the landing side turf is actually raised six inches above the take-off ground. This has the opposite effect on horses and riders to the drop at Becher's, as having stretched to get over the ditch, horses are surprised to find the ground coming up to meet them. This is spectacular when horses get it right and equally so, for all the wrong reasons, when they don't.
16 Water Jump: This 2ft 9in fence brings the first circuit to an end and the sight of the runners jumping it at speed presents a terrific spectacle in front of the grandstands.

The Finish

The 494-yard long run in from the final fence to the finish is the longest in the country and has an acute elbow halfway up it that further drains the then almost empty stamina reserves of both horse and jockey.

For numerous riders over the years, this elongated run-in has proved mental and physical agony when the winning post seems to be retreating with every weary stride.

Don't count your money until the post is reached as with the rest of the Grand National course, the run-in can - and usually does - change fortunes.

Course Walking

No visit to Aintree would be complete without taking the opportunity to see some of these famous fences close up. The whole course can actually be walked on the morning of the race (subject to ground conditions and security requirements). Walkers should leave an hour to do a circuit, which must be completed one hour prior to the first race. Maps, guiding racegoers to the start point, are located around the racecourse.