SOUL OF SPORT: Crowds flock to Aintree to enjoy a Grand National Festival of fashion, frivolity and racing which culminated in Saturday’s epic… with ANDY HOOPER capturing all the emotion
- Racegoers were pictured enjoying the festivities at Aintree as crowds flocked to Liverpool
- Punters dressed to be impressed, enjoyed drinks and were seen dancing at this weekend’s races
- Willie Mullins claimed his second Grand National victory as I Am Maximus cruised to victory on Saturday
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Welcome back to the Soul of Sport. For the latest installment of the series, ANDY HOOPER traveled to Aintree, Liverpool to capture all the sights of the Grand National Festival in Aintree.
Huge crowds flocked to the iconic early-weekend race meeting on Thursday, with fans spotted enjoying all the frivolities this historic race has to offer.
Next came Ladies Day, and there was plenty of fashion on display, as punters dressed up to impress on Friday, with big hats, suave suits and high heels spotted around the race track as Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon returned to top form and took victory claimed in the My Pension Melling Chase.
The weekend was highlighted by Willie Mullins’ second Grand National victory as I Am Maximus stormed to a stunning seven and a half length victory over runner-up Delta Work in what was a thrilling race.
Our cameraman captured the action with Nikon Z8 and Z9 cameras with 24-70mm and 70-200 lenses.
It was a bit soft underfoot this weekend as we saw a jockey returning to the paddock with mud splattered all over his face
The riders set off on Thursday, jumping several fences dotted around Aintree’s lush green race track.
A jockey sits on the ground after falling from his horse while the rest of the field continues the race
Aintree has a capacity of 75,000 fans, with hundreds of punters lining the gantries, walkways and stands around the track
Some spectators in the crowd jumped on each other’s shoulders to get a better view of the track
The tension was palpable as some punters shouted, shouted and danced in an attempt to lead their horses to victory.
A jockey and horse jump a fence at Aintree. There are 16 individual obstacles spread across the Grand National course
Aintree is all about fashion, but when it rains, style sometimes has to take a backseat to staying dry!
The party starts! Patrons enjoy the festivities in Aintree, and some enjoy a few drinks and a dance
The grave of three-time Grand National winner and legendary Irish Red Rum champion lies at the winning post in Aintree
There were some stunning hats worn this year, but the windy conditions left some struggling to keep them on
A seasoned racegoer shows off his colorful collection of passes and badges at locations across the country
The festival hosted 21 races over a three-day festival, culminating on Saturday at the historic Grand Naitonal
The grounds crew takes the time to ensure the track fences are in pristine condition prior to each race
But their work is soon undone, with some of the fences around the course being battered by the horses as they jump over them
Even some younger fans were engrossed in the action, biting their knuckles as the tension mounted
It was a busy racing weekend and amid all the action we saw some punters taking a break against the fences