The 2024 Grand National is just around the corner as Aintree will once again host Britain’s longest show jumping race.
This year, however, major changes have been made to the world’s largest show jumping race.
Several changes have been agreed for this year’s race to put animal welfare and the safety of the horses first.
Some of the changes viewers can expect include field size (which has been reduced to 34), a standing start with a shorter run to the first fence, and both fences 11 and 27 have been reduced in size.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2024 Aintree Grand National race.
The 2024 Grand National will take place on Saturday April 13
Last year’s winner, Corach Rambler, will be on display again this year
A number of changes have been made to the race this year to improve the welfare and safety of horses
When is the 2024 Grand National?
The National is the centerpiece of Aintree’s three-day Grand National, which this year takes place from Thursday April 11 to Saturday April 13.
The Grand National race itself will be held on the last day of the festival, Saturday April 13.
What time is the Grand National?
This year’s Grand National Race will start earlier than in previous years.
At the start of this year’s race, runners will be sent out at 4 p.m.
This is almost an hour and a half earlier than the previous favorite time of 5:15 PM.
The race was brought forward due to the controversy surrounding last year’s Grand National, in the hope that the earlier start would increase the chances of hitting good ground.
Where is the Grand National?
Since the very first edition of the Grand National in 1839, the three-day racing festival has been held at Aintree Racecourse, just on the outskirts of Liverpool.
How to follow the 2024 Grand National
You can follow Mail Sport’s live blog of the race as we bring you the latest news and action before, during and after the race.
The race will also be shown live on free-to-air television. ITV has the broadcast rights to show the Grand National in Britain.
The Sky and Virgin Media channel for ITV is 103.
Racing TV will also show the race live and will be on Sky channel 424 and Virgin Media channel 536.
How many horses will participate in the race?
The number of entries for the Grand National changes every year as once the final field is confirmed, some horses are forced to withdraw for many reasons.
However, for 2024, the total number of numbers allowed to participate in this year’s race has been reduced from 40 to 34.
This decision was made to improve the safety of the race and ensure the welfare of horses.
This year the number of horses allowed in the race has been reduced from 40 to 34
When will the final field of participants be announced?
The final 34 horses for this year’s race will be confirmed on Thursday, April 11. Only 48 hours before the race will take place.
A new rule introduced in the 2023 edition of the race states that if a horse is withdrawn after the 48-hour declaration, it will not be replaced.
Horses participating in the race must also meet certain criteria and fall into a certain class.
The entry requirements for The Grand National are as follows:
- Have an official rating (OR) of 130 or more
- Be seven years or older
- Have completed three or more tower chases
- Completed one steep chase in the current season
- Finished between 1st and 4th in a steep chase over 2 miles, 7 1/2 furlongs and beyond
What is the race distance?
For years, to the naked eye, the Grand National was seen as a 4 1/2 mile race.
However, the official distance of the track is four miles, two furlongs and 240 feet.
The distance is measured at two meters inside the inner rail.
The length of the race is four miles, two furlongs and 74 yards, there are 16 fences in total, 14 of which are jumped twice during the nine-minute race
How long is the race?
The total time of the race from start to finish is approximately nine minutes.
The fastest time the race was run was in 1990 when Mr Frisk, ridden by Marcus Armytage, crossed the finish line first with a time of eight minutes and 47.8 seconds.
How many fences do they jump in the Grand National?
During the two and a half mile race, the field will jump a total of 30 fences.
There are 16 individual obstacles in the race, 14 of which are jumped twice.
The fences are made from Sitka or Norway Spruce, which is supplied to Aintree from the Lake District.
It takes about three weeks to get all the gates ready for the race.
What changes have been made to the race this year?
Significant changes have been made to this year’s Grand National following last year’s controversial race, which saw a 15-minute delay due to an ambush by animal rights protesters.
Last year’s race was postponed by 15 minutes after animal protesters stormed the track
These are the main changes made:
- The field has been reduced from 40 horses to 34 because there is evidence showing a direct correlation between the size of the field and a horse falling.
- The first fence has been moved forward 60 meters towards the starting line to reduce the speed at which the horses make their first jump
- The start of the race will now feature a standing start at the tape, rather than the traditional rolling start – this change is also aimed at reducing the speed of horses on the first jump
- Every horse must now have an official rating of 130 instead of the old 125
- Fence 11 has been shortened by five centimeters and the drop on the landing has also been reduced
- Horses are no longer led onto the course, but are released to gallop in front of the stands
- The start time for the race has been moved to 4:00 PM, up from the traditional start time of 5:15 PM.