The Grand National – History

The actual start date of the Grand National is somewhat disputed. William Lynn is known to have originated the race, but some experts view the first national taking place in 1836 but there is scant evidence that this race was run at Aintree. As a result, the majority of experts view 1839 as the first official running of the race. 

The only time the race took place outside of Liverpool was in 1916 to 1918 when it was ran three times at Gatwick Racecourse, now the site of Gatwick Airport. These races are also often left off of the list of official Grand National winners. 

The very first winner of the national was a horse called Lottery, a 9-year-old, ridden by Jem Mason and trained by George Dockeray, who trained three of the first four winners in the race. Lottery won as the 5/1 favourite for the race.

The first horse to win the race twice was Abd-El-Kader, who did so in 1850 and 1851. The feat was repeated by The Colonel in 1869 and 1870, Manifesto (1897 and 1899), Reynoldstown (1935 and 1936) and Tiger Roll (2018 and 2019).

Red Rum is the only horse to have ever won the race three times, doing so in 1973, 1974 and 1977. Incredibly, Rummy also finished second in the races run in 1975 and 1976.

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The Grand National – The Course & Fences

• Date – First Saturday in April
• Race Start – 4 pm
• Venue – Aintree Racecourse
• Race Type – Steeplechase
• Number of Fences – 30 (16 in total, 14 of which are jumped twice only The Chair and Water Jump are jumped once in the race)
• Distance – 4 miles, 514 yards (6.907 km)
• Track – Left-Handed
• Qualification – Seven-years-old+, Rated 125 or higher by BHA, previously placed in a recognised chase of at least 2 miles 7.5 furlongs or more. 
• Weight – Handicap (max 11st, 10lb)
• Purse – £1,000,000

Aintree Racecourse has long been the home of the Grand National and the course and its fences have changed a great deal since the early races.

For example, the Water Jump was originally a solid brick wall for early races, before this was wisely torn down and replaced with a standard fence.

Nowadays, the course has been made more horse and rider-friendly. Fence height and width have been reduced in many case, takeoff and landing areas improved and the field has been cut down from the original 40 runners to 34. 

However, it is the famous fences, perhaps even more so than Aintree Racecourse itself, that are some of the most famous aspects of this celebrated steeplechase.

Aintree’s Famous Fences

Check out the official Grand National fences guide here.

Becher’s Brook (Fence 6 and 22)

A true test of horse and rider, Bechers book is just a 4ft 10” tall fence on approach, but on the landing side, there is a small brook but the landing area is between five and ten inches lower than from where the horse took off. Many horses fell at this fence due to this unexpected drop and recent modifications have made the fence safer. So much so that in the 2024 race, every horse cleared the obstacle on the first circuit.

The fence is named after the jockey Captain Martin Becher, who was unseated in the first Grand National and took shelter in the brook as other horses jumped the fence. He stated “Water tastes disgusting without the benefits of whisky” following the race.

Foinavon (Fence 7 and 23)

Until 1967, Fence 7 was just a standard Grand National fence, but in the race that year, an extraordinary pile up of horses saw almost every horse impacted and only Foinavon clear the fence at the first time of asking. Despite being a rank outsider, Foinavon gained such an advantage over the field who did eventually get over the fence, that the horse hung on to win the 1967 race. This fence was retrospectively named after it following that crazy incident. 

Canal Turn (Fence 8 and 24)

Although not one of the tallest fences, the Canal Turn can often decide the outcome of the race, especially on a second circuit, when horses can take a more diagonal leap across the fence, which reduces the turn required on landing. This diagonal approach can reduce the amount of distance run and reduce the time taken considerably to get over the fence and to complete the 90-degree left hand turn required to continue on the circuit. 

Valentine’s Brook (Fence 9 and 25)

Named after a horse that is reported to have jumped the fence hind legs first in 1840, Valentine’s Brook is a 5ft tall fence, with a brook on the landing side around 5ft 6’ wide. 

The Chair (Fence 15)

One of the most famous jumps in the race. A trough leads up to a fence of 5ft 2”, but with a landing that is 16cm higher than the take-off. The opposite of what happens at Becher Brook. It was originally known as the Monument Jump, but became known as the Chair in the 1930s. 

Water Jump (Fence 16)

The final jump on the first circuit of the race, the Water Jump has the smallest fence of any in the national at two feet six inches, but is followed by a shallow trough of water around 15cm deep and 2.69m long. In the very early years of the race, this fence was a solid brick wall.

On the second circuit, the jockeys bear right towards the finish, missing out The Chair and Water Jump on the second lap and heading on the long “run in”. A final 494 yards, including an elbow to the right leading onto the home straight, that will be the climax of this exhilarating race!

£1m Purse – Prize Money Breakdown

The £1m purse for the race is divided between the top ten finishers in the race as follows:

1. £561,300
2. £211,100
3. £105,500
4. £52,700
5. £26,500
6. £13,200
7. £6,800
8. £3,600
9. £2,000
10. £1,000

The Grand National – Famous Events

• 1928 – Tipperary Tim Wins The Race As The Only Finisher

The 1928 race saw 42 horses start, but only one make it across the finish line. That horse was the unfancied outsider Tipperary Tim. On the eve of the race, the horses jockey, William Dutton, heard a friend call to him “Billy boy, you’ll only win if all the others fall down!”. 

Oddly enough, that almost came to pass with just seven horses making it past the Canal Turn on the first circuit and just two horses remaining at the last. The leader, Billy Barton fell at the last, leaving Tipperary Tim to clear the fence to take the win. 

Billy Barton’s jockey remounted to finish second in a race that still has the record for the fewest finishers in Grand National History.

• 1956 – Devon Loch’s Phantom Jump Costs Him A National Win

In the 1956 race, Devon Loch, a horse owned by the then Queen Mother, was comfortably leading the Grand National on the run in and was 40 yards from taking a popular win.

However, for some reason, the horse thought there was a jump and leapt into the air, but landed on its stomach. Jockey Dick Francis, who went on to become a famous author, tried to get his mount to the finish, but could not. 

ESB managed to overtake the stricken Devon Loch and ran in to claim an unexpected victory.

After witnessing her horse’s stumble so close to victory, the Queen Mother is said to have proclaimed: “Oh, that’s racing!”

• 1967 – Foinavon’s Remarkable Win After Carnage at the Canal Turn

At 100/1, nobody fancied Foinavon’s chances of winning the 1967 Grand National. After a relatively incident-free race, the riders and a number of riderless horses, approached the 23rd fence, the Canal Turn. 

At this point, one loose horse, appropriately named Popham Down, veered across the racetrack in front of the fence in front of the leading group of horses. This group was forced to either stop, refuse the fence or unseat the riders. Leaving utter carnage and many horses unable to continue as more runners and riders became embroiled in the melee.

However, behind the main group, Foinavon jockey John Buckingham had time to steer his mount wide of the incident and the horse became the only one to clear the fence cleanly. 

17 jockeys remounted their rides, but so much time and distance had been lost to Foinavon, that although they closed on the leader, they could not reel the horse in. 

• 1973 – Crisp Crumbles on Run In To Allow Red Rum To Claim Victory

The 1973 race was arguably the most exciting race in Grand National history. Two horses led the betting as 9/1 joint-favourites, Australian runner Crisp ridden by Richard Pitman, and local horse Red Rum ridden by Brian Fletcher, who had recovered from injury to run in the race. 

At the end of an incredible first circuit, Crisp led by 20 lengths and at Bechers Brook, that lead had increased to 33 lengths clear.

However, Red Rum had started to make ground out of the pack and over the last few fences he cut the lead down to 15 lengths by the time Crisp reached the final fence. On the run in, Red Rum closed the gap as Crisp tired badly and just two strides from the finishing line, Red Rum passed Crisp by three-quarters of a length to win the race, in what was a record time (that stood until 1990).

L’Escagot, who finished third and would win the race two years later, was 25 lengths behind Crisp in third.

Red Rum would go on to win the race an unbeaten three times, winning in 1974, finishing second in 1975 and 1976 and then winning for the third time in 1977.

• 1981 – Aldaniti Proves To Be A Champion For Bob

In 1979, jockey Bob Champion was diagnosed with testicular cancer and given months to live. Incredibly he had beaten cancer by 1981 and was passed fit to ride in the Grand National.

His mount would be Aldaniti, a horse which had only recently recovered from chronic leg problems. 

Aldaniti and Champion made a poor start to the race, but came through the field to beat the 8/1 favourite Spartan Missile to first place by four lengths. The story of the 1981 Grand National became a film “Champion” just two years after the race had been won.

• 1993 – The Grand National Winner That Never Was

Arguably the most controversial race in the history of the Grand National. The 1993 race was eventually declared void after a terrible series of events at the start. After several failed attempts at a start, another attempt was made, but this time a jockey became tangled up in the tape, which had not risen correctly.

As such another false start was declared, but by that time, it was too late.

30 of the 39 horses began the race and streaked towards the first fence, despite calls for the race to stop and officials waving red flags at various points of the course.

Jockeys later revealed that they thought the stewards were protesters, who had earlier disrupted races around the course, and so the race continued. 

Seven horses completed the race, won by Esha Ness, only for the jockey to hear the devastating news that the race result would not stand.

The Grand National – Recent Winners & Odds

The full list of Grand National Winners and odds they won at since 2014 are shown below:

The Grand National – Recent Changes

Since 2011, the Grand National Course has seen many changes to make it safer and fairer for jockeys and horses. This has included reducing the height of some of the fences, changing the materials of some fences so they are safer for horses, improving the take off and landing areas for horses, especially on taller fences and reducing the field from 40 down to 34 for the race.

Grand National 2025 – Looking forward to Aintree in April

The 2025 Grand National is the next race up in this event and the 2024 winner I Am Maximus currently leads the Antepost betting markets at 12/1. Intense Raffles is 14/1 with Three Card Brag a 16/1 shot, all those prices available with bet365 Sport.

The 2025 Grand National will take place at 4pm on Saturday 5th April 2025, at Aintree Racecourse. Tune in to BonusReferrerCode nearer the time for more information about this famous steeplechase!

Always remember to gamble responsibly.

Check out bet365’s Safer Gambling page for more details.