All 34 runners have cleared the first fence.

Image source, Getty Images

The 177th Grand National is go!

No false start, a very smooth start in fact.

Iroko trainers Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero talking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "He's in good form. We're very lucky to rain him. He's never been over this distance so it will be a test, but he seems to do all his work at the end. He often looks like he is beat three out and puts his head down and grinds it out. We really hope the distance will play to his strengths.

"A year ago or so we thought he might be suited for this race so we've jumped through a few hoops to get here. He ran 35 days ago so from there you don't really change much, you just keep him fit.

"He's lacks a bit of experience which is a bit of a doubt."

Iroko has gone favourite just before the off. He's 13-2 now.

You can hear the buzz around Aintree starting to lift as the 34 runners turn again.

Bravemansgame is a little late to join the rest of the field, so we may not be off bang on 16:00 BST.

Will Chappers be talking to Hewick trainer Shark Hanlon after the race? Remember, you can listen to the big race on 5 Live or at the top of this page.

Image source, BBC Sport

Barry Geraghty
2003 Grand National winning jockey on BBC Radio 5 Live

You don't take a Grand National win for granted. I was 23 when I won it and it felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders. That is the magic of the race, the people and Liverpool - everything just builds up. It is one of a kind.

Winning the Grand National was the biggest life-changing win of my career. We were on holiday in Thailand a couple of years later and there was Australian people there and they asked what I do and I said I'm a jockey and they asked if I'd ever rode in the Grand National. They hadn't heard of Cheltenham and the Gold Cup.

The Grand National touches every corner of the world.

Frank Keogh
BBC Sport at Aintree

1 Senior Chief; 2 Hewick; 3 Stumptown; 4 Iroko

Lots with chances but Senior Chief could still be improving, while Hewick looks primed to run well.

Tom Scudamore
Jockey on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

The one I have a slight soft spot for is Beauport.

I love the way he has been campaigned this season and I've seen him schooled over National fences and he was very impressive.

He would probably like slightly more cut in the ground but I think he'll stay and I think he'll give Sam Twiston-Davies a great spin.

Frank Keogh
BBC Sport at Aintree

Former Liverpool and England defender Stephen Warnock is alongside presenter Mark Chapman at Aintree for coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live. He told me about what the Grand National means to him and the city.

"I grew up in Ormskirk. I’ve played golf on the course here and my aunt and uncle live round the corner. Yesterday my youngest daughter went for the first time and had such a buzz. The atmosphere around the city is incredible. It’s just bonkers for a few days," he said."I’m not a big racing fan normally and today is the only time I’ll have a bet. I’ve got Minella Indo in the sweepstake so will probably go with that."

Andrew Thornton
Former jockey on BBC Radio 5 Live

It is a really good renewal.

All the horses are now in the handicap so nobody is carrying more weight than they should be. You literally cannot rule anyone out of it. Reducing the field to 34 from 40 has made a big difference as well.

Gary O'Brien
BBC Radio 5 Live horse racing commentator

1 Perceval Legallois; 2 I Am Maximus; 3 Iroko; 4 Beauport

Perceval Legallois can crown a wonderful season for trainer Gavin Cromwell. An easy winner of the valuable Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown's Christmas festival, returned to the Dublin venue to land another nice prize over hurdles and looks on a nice mark in this sphere.

Image source, Getty Images

The Grand National is a unique challenge. It is four and a half miles - the longest race in the British jump calendar - and has some of the most challenging jumps too.

But what does it to take win the race that officially started in 1839?

Rachael Blackmore, who won the race in 2021 on board Minella Times, has been speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It’s a little bit different to riding in races at Cheltenham or so on where you feel a lot of pressure -jockeys don’t feel the same pressure going into the Grand National," said Blackmore.

"It is really exciting - if you’re down at the start and you’re lined up you’re in with as good a chance as anyone. Everyone is trying to achieve the same thing.

"You need a lot of things to go your way if you’re going to win the National, there’s a lot of different things involved.

"Some horses take to the race and you’re just hoping you’re on one of those."

Barry Geraghty
2003 Grand National winning jockey on BBC Radio 5 Live

My main fancy would be Iroko, I think he's got a great chance.

He was second to the Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin here last season.

He is the best handicapped horse in the race but Lady Luck plays a part in the race.

I think it is a deeper race than last year, it is really interesting.

Frank Keogh
BBC Sport at Aintree

From Red Rum to Rachael Blackmore, the Grand National regularly throws up emotive stories.

Who will grace the winners’ enclosure later? There’s plenty of potential headline makers today...

• JP McManus: Seeking a record fourth win in the race as an owner – he has last year’s winner I Am Maximus as well as Iroko, Perceval Legallois, Meetingofthewaters and Chantry House.
• Hewick: The popualr horse who cost just £800, looking to end a nightmare year for trainer John ‘Shark’ Hanlon. His father Billy died in September and he is back training after a six-month ban for transporting a dead horse in public view in an open trailer.
• Nick Rockett: Owner Stewart Andrew's wife Sadie died in December 2022, five days after watching Nick Rockett in his first race. The horse will be ridden by amateur jockey Patrick Mullins for his trainer father Willie.
• Rachael Blackmore: The only female jockey to win the National – on Minella Times in 2021, She would love to do it again, this time in front of a crowd, aboard Minella Indo.
• Nicky Henderson: The six-time champion trainer has won nearly everything in the sport but has yet to savour Grand National success, despite trying since 1979.

Image source, Getty Images

The Grand National is the most valuable contest in jump racing with a total prize fund of £1m.

Racehorse owners receive about 80% of the prize money with the remainder mainly split between trainers, jockeys and stable staff.

• First place - £500,000
• Second place – £200,000
• Third place – £100,000
• Fourth place – £65,000
• Fifth place – £40,000
• Sixth place – £30,000
• Seventh place – £20,000
• Eight place – £ 15,000
• Ninth place – £10,000
• Tenth place – £5,000

Image source, Getty Images

The 34 runners have to complete two laps of the Aintree track, covering four-and-a-quarter miles and jumping 30 fences.

The Chair is the tallest of the 16 fences at 5ft 2in but along with the Water Jump only features on the first lap.

The 14 other fences, which include Becher's Brook, Canal Turn and Valentine's Brook, are jumped twice.

The course takes roughly between nine and 11 minutes to complete, depending on conditions on the day.

John Hunt
Horse racing commentator on BBC Radio 5 Live

1 Perceval Legallois; 2 Iroko; 3 Hewick; 4 Threeunderthrufive

Gavin Cromwell attempts to become one of only a handful of trainers to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National in the same season. He also has Stumptown and Vanillier, but Perceval Legallois comes here a fresh horse and has all the talent required to win a National.

Image source, Getty Images

If I gave you £800, how would you spend it?

Maybe a last-minute holiday? A shopping spree on some new clothes? Put it towards a new car?

How about a racehorse? That's how much Hewick, who is horse number five, cost. He won the American Grand National in 2022 and the King George at Kempton in 2023.

He won a hurdle race on his last start and trainer Shark Hanlon says the 10-year-old "has a chance" on the forecasted ground.

"The most important thing for Hewick is getting him home safe and sound because he’s not the biggest but he’s a good jumper," Hanlon told BBC Sport.

"It would be a miracle if he won the National but miracles happen. He does have a chance on the ground, but to win a National you need a lot of look. Hopefully he can jump the first three or four and then get into a rhythm.

"It would be great. It is amazing that people are coming up and wishing me luck that I’ve never met or seen in my life. It is amazing the way people follow his little horse - they have followed him from the start. It would be an amazing story - every test we’ve put him on he’s been up to winning."