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The Grand National Horse race is an annual event held in the UK. Since the first ever National in 1839, the race has been held in Aintree racecourse, in the city of Liverpool in England. Since its inception it has grown from a local race started by its founder William Lynn- the owner of a hotel known as the Waterloo- on leased land. Today it is an admired event worldwide. The Grand National is simply known as the National and is quite popular even among people who would otherwise not watch horse racing or bet on it. It is estimated that through national broadcasts, the National is viewed in 140 countries across the globe with over 400 million pairs of eyes witnessing the event.
The National is run over a course of 7,242 m or 4 miles 856 yards, in a triangle-shaped circuit. The final run-in is quite long at 451m, which is regarded as one of the longest run-ins in any racecourse. The horses endure a course of thirty fences in this popular steeple chase race. This year, 2012, the Grand National will take place on the 4th of April. The prize money up for grabs is £975,000. The current sponsors are Scottish & Newcastle, brewers of the UK's popular ale, John Smith. This sponsorship deal is set to run until 2013.
The race is renowned for its intensity. It is regarded as a great test in the stamina for jockeys and horses. It is not uncommon for starters to be unable to endure the two laps in the circuit. There has also been a recorded fatality. The course consists of sixteen fences. The fences have varied height, with the lowest ranging two feet and the highest standing at five feet. Each fence is given a name derived from the history of the Grand National. For example, there is "Becher's Brook" "the Chair" and so on. The horses are ridden over the fences twice during the course of the race, except the "Chair" and the "Water Jump."
The 1981 race was won by Bob Champion, who had previously been diagnosed with cancer and given just a few days to live. He however went on to beat the race favorites, this while using a horse which was considered a non-performer. This is known as "Champion's National". This emotive story has been the inspiration several behind films and books.
The Race That Never was occurred in 1991 when a false start occurred but the communication did not reach the starters and some went on to complete the entire circuit. Despite frantic waving of ribbons and flags, most of the jockeys did not stop their horses. The entire event was nullified for that year.
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