The Grand National is a highlight of the British sporting calendar, with 40 horses lining up to take the iconic Aintree fences before a winner is crowned.
It is a magnificent spectacle, with the Norway spruce fences being an iconic image in the sport. There is also the small matter of a £1m prize fund up for grabs, with £500,000 on offer for the winner, making it a potentially lucrative day out for owners and trainers.
Winning is not an easy task, however, and there is lots of competition for the crown of Grand National winner. Having won last year from odds of 50/1, Noble Yeats is far better fancied this year and has odds of 9/1 to win.
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The defending champion is not the favourite, however, and will face stern competition from the expected favourite Ain’t That A Shame - Rachael Blackmore's mount who has been heavily backed in recent days. Corach Rambler and Delta Work are next in the betting, who are both 8/1 to secure a win.
If you work your way down the list of declared runners, which was released on Thursday, there are several big names who will all be fancied for success this year. Names like Back on the Lash (25/1), part-owned by Harry Redknapp, are likely to be a hit with punters.
There are more sentimental stories in the field as well, with Mister Coffey currently a 50/1 outsider to end trainer Nicky Henderson’s 44 year wait for a Grand National winner.
There are stories throughout the field and it is sure to be a fascinating race around the 16 fences at Aintree on Saturday evening.
What distance is the Grand National?
The Grand National race is run over a distance of about four miles and two and half furlongs. (4 miles 514 yards.) The 40 confirmed runners race over two laps, with the course featuring much larger fences than normal races.
There are 16 fences on the Grand National course, 14 of which are jumped twice, bringing the number to 30 in total.
How long does the Grand National take to run?
The race will begin at 5.15pm. The race will take approximately 10 minutes to finish, with the fastest Grand National time being recorded by Mr Frisk in 1990 who finished the course in just under nine minutes.
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