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The 2024 Grand National is just around the corner as Aintree will once again host the UK’s longest jumps race.
This year, however, major changes have been made to the world’s largest jumps race.
Several changes have been agreed for this year’s race to prioritize animal welfare and horse safety.
Some of the changes spectators can expect include the course size, which has been reduced to 34, a standing start with a shorter run to the first fence and 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 appear once again in this year’s edition.
A number of changes have been made to this year’s race to improve the welfare and safety of the equines.
When is the 2024 Grand National?
The National is the centerpiece of Aintree’s three-day Grand National which this year will take place from Thursday 11 April to Saturday 13 April.
The Grand National race itself will take place on the final day of the festival, Saturday April 13.
What time is the Grand National?
This year’s Grand National Race will begin earlier than in previous years.
The start time for this year’s race will be for runners to depart at 4 p.m.
This is almost an hour and a half earlier than the previous favorite time of 5:15 p.m.
The race was brought forward due to the controversy of last year’s 2023 Grand National, with the hope that an earlier start would improve chances on good ground.
Where is the Grand National?
Since the first running of the Grand National in 1839, the three-day racing festival has been held at Aintree Racecourse, located on the outskirts of Liverpool.
How to follow the Grand National 2024
You can follow Mail Sport’s race live blog as we bring you the latest news and action before, during and after the race.
The race will also be broadcast live on free-to-air television. ITV has the broadcast rights to show the Grand National in the UK.
The Sky and Virgin Media channel for ITV is 103.
Racing TV will also broadcast the race live and will be broadcast on Sky channel 424 and Virgin Media channel 536.
How many horses will run in the race?
The number of entries for the Grand National changes each 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 run in this year’s race has been reduced from 40 to 34.
This decision was made to improve race safety and ensure equine welfare.
This year the number of horses allowed in the race has been reduced from 40 to 34
When will the final field of horses be announced?
The final 34 horses for this year’s race will be confirmed on Thursday, April 11, just 48 hours before the race is scheduled to 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 entered in the race must also follow certain criteria and belong to a certain class.
Entry requirements for The Grand National are as follows:
- Have an official score (OR) of 130 or more
- Be seven years old or older
- Have completed three or more obstacle courses.
- Have completed an obstacle course in the current season.
- Have finished between 1st and 4th in an obstacle course of more than 2 miles, 7 1/2 furlongs and more.
What is the race distance?
At first glance and for years, the Grand National has been viewed as a 4 1/2 mile race.
However, the official distance of the course is four miles, two furlongs and 74 yards.
Distance is measured two yards inside the innermost rail.
The length of the race is four miles, two furlongs and 74 yards, there are a total of 16 hurdles, 14 of which are jumped twice during the nine-minute race.
How long is the race?
The total race time from start to finish is about nine minutes.
The fastest time in the race was in 1990, when Mr Frisk, ridden by Marcus Armytage, crossed the finish line first in a time of eight minutes and 47.8 seconds.
How many hurdles do they jump in the Grand National?
Over the course of the two and a half mile race, the field will jump more than 30 hurdles in total.
There are 16 individual hurdles in the race, 14 of which are jumped twice.
The fences are made from Sitka spruce or Norway spruce, which is delivered to Aintree from the Lake District.
It takes about three weeks to prepare all the fences for the race.
What changes have been made to this year’s race?
Significant modifications have been made to this year’s Grand National following last year’s controversial race, which suffered a 15-minute delay due to an ambush by animal rights protesters.
Last year’s race was delayed 15 minutes after animal protesters stormed the track.
These are the main changes that have been made:
- The field has been reduced from 40 horses to 34 as evidence shows a direct correlation between field size and a horse dropping.
- 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 be done from standing on the treadmill, instead of the traditional rolling start; This change is also intended to reduce the speed of the horses in the first jump.
- Each horse must now have an official rating of 130 instead of the old 125.
- Fence 11 has been shortened by two inches and the gap on the landing has also been reduced.
- The horses will no longer be led onto the field, but will be allowed to gallop in front of the stands.
- The race start time has been moved to 4:00 pm from the traditional start time of 5:15.