4/14/2022»»Thursday

Track My Horse Grand National

4/14/2022
Track My Horse Grand National Average ratng: 9,4/10 5392 reviews

Officials at Chepstow are keeping their fingers 'firmly crossed' that Saturday's rescheduled Coral Welsh Grand National card will go ahead despite the fact the meeting must pass an inspection on Friday. The fixture was originally scheduled for its usual festive slot on December 27 but was cancelled. The Grand National Meeting gets under way on Thursday, with the first race of the three-day event taking place at 14:00 BST. Top Stories Liverpool legend St John dies at age 82. Find out where your horse finished - or fell - in the 172nd Grand National at Aintree. A horse will be entered into the Grand National if it meets the minimum criteria for qualification and the owner and trainer feel that their horse is capable of handling the race. Not all horses are suited to the long Aintree course or have the necessary jumping ability.

The Aintree Grand National is one of the biggest single horse races in the world. Winners become the stuff of legends and with £1 million prize money on the line, it’s also incredibly lucrative.

The process for getting to the Grand National is very simple. At the end of January, all potential runners are entered. That gives the BHA Handicapper two weeks to decide on the weights.

The Grand National is a ‘handicapped’ race. This means that each horse will carry a specific weight, the idea being that once they line-up they all have as equal a chance of winning as possible.

It is the job of the BHA Handicapper to decide what those weights are. The maximum he can allocate is 11st 10lbs. This is given to the horse he believes is the best of the entries. He also uses the Official Rating (OR) to influence his decision.

Once the Handicapper has done his job, the weights are published in mid-February. This is a huge event where normally, trainers and owners gather for a massive lunch in Liverpool for the unveiling.

Scratching Stages

From the time the weights are published trainers must then decide if they will keep their horses in contention. Depending on the weight they have been given, how their prep races have gone and the decision of the owners, horses will either be left in or scratched.

If they are scratched that means they have been taken out of the race. This is important for the weights and final line-up. The highest weighted horse, the one on 11st 10lbs, will always be number 1. As the numbers and weights then descend in order, if a horse is taken out all of the potential runners below him on the list move up a place.

If the top horse is taken out, all of the runners move up a place. Their numbers change and the horse that was number two now has to carry top weight. The weight of all other horses will go up accordingly.

Track

As an example: Bristol De Mai is handed 11st 10lbs as the top horse. Behind him in spot number two is Tiger Roll on 11st 9lbs. If Bristol De Mai is taken out, Tiger Roll becomes the top horse and his weight goes up by one pound to 11st 10lbs.

That is because there has to be a top-weighted runner in the Grand National. All other horses will also have one pound added to their weight.

Grand National Final Line-Up

Over the three scratching stages, the number of potential runners will get whittled down. But it is only those that are in the top 40 that will make it to the starting line.

The week of the Grand National can be a very nervous time for trainers. If they are on the edge of the top 40 they will be hoping another horse is scratched so they can get in. The weather also plays an important role. Too dry and it’s not suitable for some runners.

Likewise, if it becomes too rainy or wet as the ground would be too soft for some to run a good race. Horses have been withdrawn on the day because of the weather.

But by 10am the day before the race, the line-up is set. Any horses withdrawn are replaced. On the day of the race, if a horse is taken out, it is too late for a replacement and the race starts with less than 40 runners.

The Right Time To Place A Bet

At the time of writing this, the Grand National 2021 is still nearly three months away. The entry deadline has not passed. That means all of the betting markets, are just guessing at who they think will run.

Experience has thought me that at least half of the horses you can currently bet on, will not even get entered. That is why the odds are ‘antepost’. So if you place a bet now, and your horse doesn’t run, you will lose your money.

Closer to the race the odds switch to Non Runner No Bet or Non Runner Money Back. If you place a bet then, and your horse is withdrawn, you get your money back. The odds may be lower, but you won’t lose your money.

How To Pick Your Grand National Horse

The trouble with the Grand National, though, is that the course is so challenging. It always has the potential to throw up a surprise winner. That is why it is so hard to pick the winner.

Track my horse grand national horse show live feed

If you don’t generally follow racing or you’re one of the 600 million people who will watch the race live on TV, the chances are that you don’t know that much about racing. And that’s ok. Choosing a Grand National Runner because it has a name you like the sound of, is one of the top ways to pick a horse.

In a race that’s open to pretty much any one of the 40 entrants winning, why not just have a go?

Track My Horse Grand National Monument

But, if you look at the stats of previous Grand National winners, you could choose to have a more educated guess when you place your bets.

One example is the average weight carried by the winner. Over the last thirty years, the average winning weight is around 10st 8lbs. Few winners carry over 11st 3lbs.

Another stat to look at is the age of the winning horse. Winners in the last three decades have ranged in age, but 80% of them have been aged between 9 and 11 years.

You can also look at horses’ racing records, too. In recent times, a lot of Grand National winners have done hurdle races in the same season they won the Aintree race. And the ten latest National winners had won races of at least three miles in length.

Looking at each horse with these kinds of stats in mind helps you narrow down your options when it comes to choosing which horse to back.

If you like National Hunt Racing, you are going to love this page. Anyone who follows the sport that features horses jumping over obstacles should already know all about Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool. After all, it is the most significant venue in all of National Hunt Racing.

We wanted to amass the most important facts and data about Aintree and organize them into sections that make reading this guide easy to follow. Jump racing may not be as widely recognizable as when the Thoroughbreds race, but don’t be confused into thinking that the jump races don’t matter.

The most acclaimed jump race of all takes place at Aintree every year. Don’t worry; we are going to dive headfirst into the Grand National. We also want to give you a brief history of how the track got started and discuss some of the unique characteristics of the course. Believe us when we say that there is no racecourse in England quite like Aintree.

Chances are you will want to book a trip to Merseyside soon, so we are going to help you get there and tell you what to expect when you arrive. Before we get into to all this juicy information, check out this “shortish” overview covering some key points about the racecourse.

Overview of Aintree Racecourse

Year Opened
1829
Location
Aintree, Merseyside, England
Owners
Jockey Club Racecourses
Course Type
National Hunt
Notable Races
The Gold Cup, Champion Stakes, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes
Official Website
http://aintree.thejockeyclub.co.uk/

Aintree Racecourse – Some Background History

Aintree Racecourse opened on July 7th, 1829. Many are surprised when they find out that flat racing was the sport of choice at the beginning. It wasn’t until 1836 when steeplechasing first debuted. It didn’t take long for the racecourse in Liverpool, England, to quickly become known as the home for steeplechase racing.

You can’t talk about Aintree Racecourse for but a few minutes without bringing up the infamous Grand National. The most notable race in all of steeplechase racing has been run at Aintree since 1839. We are going to talk at great length about that race in a segment below.

Before we do that, the appropriate thing is to describe the racecourse at Aintree to our valued readers. There are many horse racing facilities that share the same dimensions and measurements and don’t offer any unique challenges.

As you will come to find out, Aintree isn’t one of those places.

The racecourse at Aintree is truly unlike any other horse racing track we know. We are going to call it like it is, folks – this place is dangerous. So dangerous that since 2000 alone, more than 40 horses have been killed in the Grand National.

The major cause of these tragedies is the unbelievably daunting obstacles that the horses must leap over during the races. For those who don’t know, Aintree isn’t your average, oval-shaped dirt track that you find at many other tracks around the globe.

We will examine some of the fences and brooks the horses must jump over later, but you need to have a better idea of what the layout is like first.

Track My Horse Grand National Championship

It must be noted that there are two courses located at Aintree. There is “The Grand National Course,” and there is “The Mildmay Course.” The Mildmay track is certainly the more “mild” of the two and sits within the boundaries of the larger course. The Mildmay course didn’t open until 1953 and was initially designed to be a training/warm-up course of sorts for the Grand National course.

Over the years, it has developed and is now used to host some of the big events in April. The biggest race of all is without a doubt the Grand National.

It started back in 1839, just 10 years after Aintree Racecourse was opened. Seven-year-old horses and up that are willing to take a chance, step right up.

One could say that April is the biggest month of the year at Aintree, and they most certainly would not be wrong. The Grand National Meeting is a three-day stretch of jumping races that takes place from a Thursday-Saturday in mid-April. As important as all the events on the schedule are, the marquee race is without a doubt the Grand National.

Run on the final day of the series, the Grand National is the biggest and most admired race in the entire sport of steeplechase racing. How admired? Well, consider that more than 500 million television viewers from over 140 countries tune it to catch the race every year. The Grand National Course that is used as the site of the event isn’t just regarded as a difficult track that causes problems for the riders and horses.

It is quite literally the most challenging and intimidating racecourse in all of steeplechase racing.

If you are wondering why let’s start by going over some of the details of this treacherous course.

Allow us to first wrap our heads around the length of the Grand National. The course is more than two miles long, and the horses must complete two laps. The total length measures out to a drawn-out 6.907 km, or 4 miles and 514 yards. That’s a whole lot of distance to cover when you think about it.

We already mentioned near the top of the page that more than 40 horses have been killed just since 2000 due to the unbelievably tough demands this course places on the animals. Many of the competing horses may get out of there alive, but they don’t make it out uninjured.

For an event that generally starts with around 40 horses, we are lucky if 10 or more are able to cross the finish line some 4 miles later. It is worth noting that the 1982 Grand National didn’t even have a third-place finisher. After 42 horses began the race, sadly only two were able to finish. If you thought that dangerous wrecks and accidents only occurred on the NASCAR track – boy, are you incorrect.

Finishing the Grand National is an immense accomplishment in itself; winning the event is the ultimate “cloud nine.” We have been scaring you men and women by describing how frightful the course is. It’s time to start uncovering the details why.

What makes the Grand National Course so scary?The daunting obstacles.

The course features 16 fences, each unique in their own right. While each horse must jump over each one on the first lap, the second lap only requires the first 14 obstacles to be cleared. On the final lap, “The Chair” and the “Water Jump” are avoided and the horses sprint down the final leg of the race, lasting nearly 500 yards (452 meters).

While all 16 have their own nuances, there are a couple of incredibly frightening ones that every rider must have nightmares about the night before the race.

For more information on these obstacles and the Grand National in general, please see our page dedicated to this famous race.

Do You Want to Travel to Aintree?

Track My Horse Grand National Casino

If you are thinking about heading to Aintree Racecourse but have no interest in jump racing, all is not lost. There have been plenty of massive-scale events held at Aintree other than steeplechase races. The British Grand Prix was held at Aintree five times in the 1950s and ’60s.

Artists such as Michael Jackson and P!nk have held concerts on site, while McFly was on stage for the 2005 Liverpool Summer Pops festival. And if Formula 1 events and high-profile musicians don’t do it for you, how about a relaxing round of golf at Aintree?

If you like golf, make sure to bring your sticks to Liverpool with you because there is actually a nine-hole golf course fully equipped with a driving range and practice facility on the same property as the racecourse. This course will be unlike any other you have played in the past – we can just about guarantee that.

Unless you have played a golf course that has an eight-foot-wide brook integrated as part of the course, that is. Speaking of “course,” the golf facility must be closed during races because of how the two courses are intertwined. The jockeys and horses have it hard enough; the last thing they need is to have to dodge little white balls flying around.

So yes, there is a golf course, and yes, they use the grounds to host concerts, festivals, and other sporting events. With so much going on at Aintree, it’s time to explain how you get there if you want to take it all in.

Horse Track Grand Prairie Tx

The racecourse is physically located on Ormskirk Road in Liverpool. Obviously, if you are from around the area, you will likely drive your car or hop in an Uber to head to the racecourse. College students at the University of Liverpool know the racecourse all too well, as it’s only a stone’s throw away. The short seven-mile trek from the campus to the racecourse is one that the adolescents are likely familiar with. If you will be traveling via an airplane, two options make the most sense.

The closest place to fly into is the Liverpool John Lennon Airport, located just 20-25 minutes south of Aintree. The problem is that this airport mainly serves planes coming in and out of the northern and western portions of England. Let’s say you are traveling from another country – your cheapest and most efficient route will likely go through Manchester Airport.

The international airport is less than 40 miles away, and you shouldn’t have any issues tracking down a flight that lands at Manchester. Once you land, head over to the track, and let the games begin!

Brief Summary

Just thinking about the obstacles the horses must endure at Grand National Racecourse at Aintree makes our backs and necks cringe. After opening in 1829, it didn’t take long for Aintree to become the face of steeplechase racing. Thanks to the Grand National series events in April, Aintree Racecourse has vaulted itself into the position of the most illustrious course of its kind anywhere in the world.

What makes this racecourse so extraordinary is the difficulty of the obstacles that are set up. You can’t talk about Aintree without entering a conversation about the Grand National and what goes on during the 4+ miles, which is why we devoted part of this page to the famous race.

We also told you about the golf course on site and gave you some tips on planning a trip. Basically, we’ve tried to paint you a complete picture of this racecourse. There’s nothing quite like seeing it for yourself, though, so why not fly into Manchester and spend a couple days in and around Aintree?

We’ll bet our bottom dollar you won’t be disappointed.