Grand National 2024: Everything you need to know

The Grand National is one of the most famous and unpredictable horse races in the world - and this year it takes place on Saturday 13 April.

It's a hugely popular event and about 800 million people around the world watch it on TV.

Lots of people follow it at home, and you and your family might even pick your own favourite horse - often based on its name and colours.

The race is part of a three-day race meeting held in Liverpool, with more than 150,000 people attending.

Read our guide to find everything you need to know about the Grand National...

When did the Grand National begin?

Aintree Racecourse, in Merseyside, has been the home of the famous Grand National since its first running in 1839.

A version of the race took place before this, but 1839 is accepted as the official start of the race as we know it today.

In this photo, riders are taking on the famous Water Jump back in 1954

The race has changed a lot since it began.

The courses and fences have been tweaked over the years - not least to make them safer for the horses and jockeys. The starting line has also moved further away from the main stand to help the horses remain calmer at the beginning.

But throughout the years, it has always been one of the biggest jump races for horses and riders in the world - and it is currently the longest race in the UK.

Where is the Grand National held?

The Grand National is held at Aintree Racecourse in Merseyside.

During the three-day event, more than 20 different races will take place.

In the biggest race - the Grand National - horses have to complete two laps of the course, covering four-and-a-half miles and jumping 30 fences.

How many fences are there in the Grand National?

There are 16 different jumps, known as fences, on the National Course.

All 16 are jumped during the first lap but on the second lap of the circuit the horses only jump 14 of them - so that makes 30 fences in total for the race.

The fences are different widths and heights, and some of them have different names.

Horses and riders jump Canal Turn during the 2018 Grand National at Aintree Racecourse

One of the most famous fences is called The Chair, which is the tallest on the course, now standing at five foot two inches.

The ground on the landing side is higher than the side the horses take off from, and there's also a six-foot ditch that horses have to jump over before the fence.

Fortunately, The Chair is one of the two fences that riders only have to go over once, rather than twice like most of the others.

Canal Turn and Becher's Brook are two other extremely difficult fences.

Children measure themselves against the fence The Chair at Aintree

Why is the Grand National controversial?

Campaigners and animal rights charities have often complained that the Grand National isn't safe for the horses involved and that the race is too dangerous.

Last year's National was delayed by 14 minutes after protesters from the Animal Rising group entered the track.

The group says it isn't planning to disrupt the race again this year because it said its actions had started a national conversation about racehorse welfare.

"This year we want to let Aintree know - we don't need to be there to affect change," read a statement from the group.

Three horses died at the Grand National after being injured during the race in 2023.

For the last 30 years, the RSPCA has been involved with discussions, research and reviews that have helped change racing there.

Softer plastic centres were added to fences to make them safer

Organisers of the race have made the fences lower and drops shorter to reduce the danger of the race.

For instance, the first fence at Aintree's Grand National has been widened, so the horses are less likely to bunch together and fall in the rush to get ahead.

Fences used to have deep drops immediately afterward so the horse landed on a surface lower than where they took off. Many of those have been removed, reducing the risk of horses falling, although Becher's Brook still has a deep drop.

Since 2013, fences have also had softer plastic centres to make them safer.

At Becher's Brook, the landing side of the fence is 10 inches lower than the take-off side

This year's National will be reduced to a maximum of 34 runners from 40 as part of more measures designed to improve safety.

Organisers have brought the race forward an hour and 15 minutes to 4pm, to provide safer ground for runners, and there will be a shorter run to the first fence to slow horses down early on.

Who are famous winners of the Grand National?

A horse called Red Rum is the only horse to have won the Grand National three times - in 1973, 1974 and 1977. He also came second in 1975 and 1976.

Red Rum died in 1995 at the age of 30 and was buried near the winning post at Aintree.

Here is Red Rum being led past spectators in 1992

In 1993, no one won because there was a false start - some riders didn't realise and carried on so the race had to be cancelled!

George Stevens is the most successful jockey in Grand National history.

He has won the Grand National five times, but given that his final victory came back in 1870, you probably weren't around to remember this!

Ambush II, who won in 1900, was owned by Prince Edward VII who became King of England less than a year later

The fastest time ever the course has ever been completed in was by Mr Frisk in 1990, who covered the four miles and 514 yards of the race in just 8 mins 47.8 secs.

Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the National in 2021 with Minella Times.

Blackmore will compete again this year, riding Minella Indo.

Last year's race was won by Corach Rambler, ridden by Irish jockey Derek Fox, who had both previously won the Grand National in 2017 with One For Arthur.

Derek Fox on Corach Rambler will be racing again in this year.