Conflated will have the most weight after the last series of scratches. Photo: Getty Images/Seb Daly
Cheltenham Festival in the background The mirror's attention can now turn to Aintree and the 176th running of the Randox Grand National.
A total of 22 horses were withdrawn from the race, including the controversial Monbeg Genius, after the latest round of scratches, leaving 58 horses in contention. For more information, see our comprehensive guide for runners and racers.
The next round of scratches will occur during the five-day confirmation phase on Monday, April 8th.
Irish-trained King George winner Hewick was due to carry the maximum weight but was officially ruled out today. Last year's winner Corach Rambler's chances have been reduced after he ran a superb race to finish third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
When is the Aintree Grand National?
The Grand National is the culmination of the three-day Grand National at Aintree. The national festival, which this year will take place from Thursday 11 April to Saturday 13 April.
The main event, the Grand National Festival itself, will take place on Saturday afternoon.
What time does the Grand National 2024 start?
Runners will set off at 4pm on Saturday 13 April.
The start time has been moved from 5.15pm following the controversial 2023 race to increase the likelihood of a good start. The Jockey Club said the new start times are part of an «ongoing focus on the welfare of horses».
Where will the 2024 Grand National be held?
The race takes place at Aintree Racecourse, on the outskirts of Liverpool. Since it was first held in 1839, the race has never been officially held anywhere else.
Are Grand National tickets available?
Tickets for each day of the festival are on sale on the Jockey Club website. On National Day, seafront prices for adults start from £45. Many other cases are already sold out. The most expensive hospitality package on sale costs £1,225. Parking costs an additional £35 or £60 if you want to park within walking distance of the field.
How many horses compete in the Grand National?
In 2024, the total number of horses in the Grand National was reduced from 40 to 34 to improve racing safety. The highest number of runners was 66 in 1929. There were also only 10 horses in the race in 1883.
When will the horses be announced?
The last 34 horses will be confirmed on Thursday, April. 11 – 48 hours before the race. As of last year, if a horse is withdrawn after these 48-hour applications, that horse will not be replaced.
Initial entries for the race were due by 6 February, with the BHA then publishing the weights (see below) two weeks later on 20 February. The five-day announcement takes place on the Monday before the race, after which the number of horses will be reduced to 50.
Only a certain number of horses meet the eligibility criteria for the Grand National. Among the qualifications they must:
- have an official rating (OR) of 130 or more (in 2023 horses must only be rated 125)
- be aged 7 years. or older,
- completed three or more steeplechase events,
- completed one steeplechase in the current season,
- finished between 1st and 4th some steeplechases over 2 miles 7½ furlongs or further.
What is the distance of the race?
Traditionally, the Grand National is described as a 4½ mile race. However, the official distance is four miles two furlongs and 74 yards (4m 2ft 74). This distance is measured in two yards inside the innermost rail.
The Grand National is the largest long jump race held in the UK.
How long does the Grand National last?
About nine minutes. The distance record — 8 minutes 47.8 seconds — was set by Mr. Frisk in 1990. The jockey of the day, Marcus Armytage, is now a racing correspondent for Telegraph Sport.
How many fences are there in the Grand National?
There are 16 separate fences in the race, 14 of which are jumped twice. There are 30 jumps in total.
The fences are made from Sitka spruce or Norway spruce, which is trucked into Aintree from the Lake District. It takes about three weeks to erect all the fences.
Grand National Track Fences
- Fence 1 and 17 — Height 4' 6″ x Width 2' 9″
- Fence 2 and 18—4 feet 17 inches high, 3 feet 6 inches wide.
- Fence 3 and 19—open ditch.
- strong>Fence 4 and 20– 5 feet tall, 10 feet 6 inches. width (including 7' ditch on takeoff side)
- Guard 5 and 21 — 5' high, 3' 6″ wide
- Guard 6 and 22, Becher's Brook — height 4 ft 10 in, width 7 ft 6 in.
- Fence 7 and 23, Foinavon — height 4 ft 6 in, 3 ft wide
- 8 and 24 fenceChannel turn — 5 ft high, 7 ft wide
- 9 and 25 fence, Valentines Brook — height 5 feet, width 7 feet.
- Fence 10 and 26— height 5 feet, width 3 feet.
- Fence 11 and width. 27—height 4 feet 10 inches, width 9 feet (including 6 feet ditch on landing side)
- Fence 12 and 28—height 5 feet, width 8 feet 6″ (including 5'6″ on landing side)
- Fence 13&29— Height 4' 7″ x 3' W
- Fence 14 and 30— 4'6″ Height, 3' Wide
- Fence 15The Chair — 5' 2″ Height, 9' Wide (includes 6' ditch on takeoff side).< /li>
- Fence 16, water jump — height 2ft 6in.
The most famous fences of the Grand National
Aintree fences are no longer as dangerous as earlier. However, they are still the most famous obstacles in business.
Chair (fence 15): The chair is the tallest fence on the course, currently standing at five feet two inches.
Becher's Creek (fences 6 and 22):The sixth and 22nd fences of the race may not be the biggest, but it is difficult due to the fact that the length of the landing side is 10 inches. lower than the take-off side. Named after Captain Martin Becher, a jockey who fell at this stage during the first race in 1839 and hid in a creek to avoid injury.
Valentina Creek (fence 9 and 25):Named after the horse that allegedly jumped back in 1840. Most likely, the horse turned in the air to create the optical illusion that its hind legs landed first.
Foinavon (fence 7 and 23):One of the smaller fences is named after Rifleman 100/1, who escaped a disastrous pile-up here in 1967 to victory. .
Channel rotation (fence 8 and 24): As the name suggests, horses must turn sharply to the left after clearing a five-foot obstacle. Another Aintree myth is that used horses that refused to turn ended up in the Liverpool and Leeds Canal.
Grand National Prize Fund
The Grand National has a total prize fund of £1 million. In 2023, prize money was awarded to the first ten horses to pass as follows:
How does the handicapping system work?
The idea behind the handicapping process is that less popular horses can compete against better hunters. To achieve this, the best horses are asked to carry extra weight. The exact weight is determined by a handicapper appointed by the British Horseracing Authority.
The minimum weight a horse (including jockey) is allowed to carry is 10 pounds weighing 2 pounds. The highest-weight horse in the race will carry the 11th weight of 12 pounds, and all other handicap weights are calculated from this weight based on each horse's rating. Last year's winner, Corach Rambler, carried just 10 pounds, weighing 5 pounds.
In 2015, Many Clouds won with a 9-ounce weight of 11, the heaviest weight a winner has carried in recent history. The last horse to win with maximum weight was Red Ram in 1973, when the maximum handicap was set at 12th.
What changes were made to the Grand National this year?
Significant changes were made to the Grand National for 2024. The changes were made after animal rights protesters ambushed the 2023 event, causing a 15-minute delay. However, the Jockey Club insists that the changes were not a direct response to these protests.
The most significant changes are:
- The facility has been reduced from 40 horses to a maximum of 34. Evidence shows a correlation between field size and the risk of horses falling.
- The first fence has been moved forward, to the starting line, 60 yards to reduce the speed at which horses reach it.
- The start will now be from a standing position on the tape, rather than from a traditional standing start. The change is also intended to reduce the speed at which horses reach the first hurdle.
- Each horse must have an official rating of at least 130 (rather than 125) and will be checked for jumping errors before being allowed. for entry.
- The height of fence 11 has been reduced by two inches and the drop on the landing side will be reduced.
- The handler will no longer take horses to the course before the race, but will instead release them galloping in front of the stands.
- The start time has been moved from 17:15 to 16:00.
Review of the genius Monbeg eliminates controversy
A potentially contentious outcome to the 176th Randox Grand National was averted after Michel Monbeg and Doug Barrowman's Monbeg Genius was among 17 horses scratched on March 26.Having been one of the favorites when the weights were announced, Monbeg Genius's form of late — well beaten at Kelson, tightened up at Cheltenham — suggested his chances were getting slimmer anyway. However, the prospect remained that show jumping's most famous race would be won by a horse owned by a couple involved in the Medpro PPE dispute, which is under investigation.
Medpro PPE became the subject of media attention. review and investigation by the National Crime Agency after it won a £200 million government contract to supply medical equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic. The government is trying to recover £122 million because some of the equipment was faulty. Although Baroness Monet, a fellow Conservative, has resigned from the House of Lords, she and her husband deny any wrongdoing.
As the £800 heavyweight Hewick also predictably defected instead This at the Bowl at Aintree will see weights increase by 3lb across the board, with the new maximum weight being Conflated.
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