Grand National

Lottery won the very first Grand National in 1839, and steeplechasing has been chasing that standard ever since.

On 26 February 1839, a field of 17 runners lined up for what is generally recognised as the first official Grand National at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool. The winner was a horse called Lottery, ridden by Jem Mason, who cleared the formidable obstacles with a style that set the template for steeplechasing. Earlier races had been held at the course from 1836, but 1839 is the year the race's official history begins.

Forty-two set off; just two came home, and the winner needed odds of 100/1 to fancy his own chances.

The 1928 Grand National became one of the most infamous in the race's history. Of the 42 starters, only two horses completed the course. Tipperary Tim, a 100/1 outsider, won simply by staying on his feet while carnage unfolded around him. Billy Barton, the only other finisher, had fallen and been remounted. It remains the race's most extreme illustration of the old adage: to finish first, first you must finish.

His trainer did not even bother showing up; the fence Foinavon cleared that day still bears his name.

Foinavon was so unfancied that his trainer did not bother attending the race. When a loose horse caused a mass pile-up at the 23rd fence, Foinavon was so far behind the field that jockey John Buckingham had time to steer around the chaos. He cantered home at odds of 100/1. The fence was subsequently renamed in his honour, and the name Foinavon became shorthand for the Grand National's capacity to produce the utterly unexpected.

Three Nationals, two seconds, one legend trained on a Southport beach.

Red Rum's victory in 1973 began the most remarkable chapter in Grand National history. Trained by Ginger McCain on the sands of Southport beach, Red Rum overhauled the gallant Crisp in the final strides to win by three-quarters of a length. He won again in 1974, finished second in 1975 and 1976, then returned to win a record third National in 1977 at the age of twelve. No horse has matched that record since.

Two survivors, one race; Champion and Aldaniti rewrote what recovery looks like.

Jockey Bob Champion had been diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1979 and given eight months to live. After gruelling chemotherapy, he returned to racing and partnered Aldaniti, a horse who had himself recovered from serious leg injuries, to win the 1981 Grand National. Their story became a film, and Champion's victory remains one of the most emotionally charged moments in British sporting history.

Seven horses ran the full course, crossed the line, and won absolutely nothing.

The 1993 Grand National descended into chaos when a false start went unnoticed by most of the jockeys. The starting tape became tangled around several riders, and although officials waved red flags to recall the field, the majority of runners completed the full course unaware the race had been voided. Seven horses crossed the finish line in a race that officially never happened. It was declared void, the only time in the race's history.

Sixty thousand racegoers were evacuated on the Saturday; the National ran on Monday regardless.

An IRA bomb threat forced the evacuation of Aintree on the Saturday, with 60,000 racegoers ushered out of the course. The race was postponed to the following Monday, when it was run in front of a reduced but defiant crowd. Lord Gyllene won under Tony Dobbin. The Monday National, as it became known, demonstrated the resilience of the occasion and the determination of the racing community not to be cowed.

Even Becher's Brook, the race's most feared fence, was tamed; the drop on the landing side finally softened.

Following growing concerns about horse welfare, Aintree undertook significant modifications to the course from 2010 onwards. Fences were made more forgiving with softer cores, the landing areas were levelled, and the field size was reduced from 40 to a maximum of 40 runners. Becher's Brook, the most notorious fence, was modified to reduce the severity of the drop on the landing side. These changes reflected a broader shift in racing's approach to safety without diminishing the race's essential character as the ultimate test of horse and rider.

182 years of history, erased in six and a half lengths.

Rachael Blackmore rode Minella Times to victory in the 2021 Grand National, becoming the first female jockey to win the race in its 182-year history. Blackmore, who had already made history at the Cheltenham Festival weeks earlier, won by six and a half lengths. It was a landmark moment, though Blackmore herself was characteristically understated, noting simply that she did not feel her gender was relevant to the achievement.

Six hundred million pairs of eyes, one race, one Saturday in April.

The 2025 Grand National was run on 5 April, continuing a tradition that stretches back to the Victorian era. The race remains the most watched horse racing occasion in Britain, drawing an estimated 600 million television viewers worldwide. Aintree's three-day festival has grown into one of the premier fixtures in the British sporting and social calendar, with the Grand National itself the centrepiece of the Saturday card.