Grand National by Numbers: B&M's Guide to the World's Most Famous Race
28 March 2019
It’s almost that time of year, where the racing world descends on Aintree, Liverpool to witness the greatest steeplechase in horse racing.
Tiger Roll famously won last year’s event and is in even better form in 2019, making him one of the favourites to "rein" victorious again.
As the Grand National is the biggest event in the horse racing calendar, here at B&M HQ we've delved into some of the numbers behind Aintree’s big day (and were surprised to unearth some interestings facts!)
1839
The first ever Grand National was held in 1839. A total of 17 runners started the race, but it was a horse named Lottery that won with odds of 5-1. Jem Mason was the jockey, but he was never able to repeat his success.
3 Victories
Even if you're not interested in horse racing you'll almost certainly have heard of Red Rum, the most famous racehorse to ever live. The treasured horse won the Grand National three times, in 1973, 1974 and 1977, with two second-placed finishes in ’75 and ’76.
He was buried at the winning post at Aintree Racecourse following his death in 1995.
100-1
In 1967, the 100-1 outsider, Foinavon, managed to defy the odds to win the famous race.
At the 23rd hurdle, the rest of the field either fell, refused or were brought down in a mass melee, allowing Foinavon to pass them and stroll to victory.
The fence is now named after the Irish racehorse.
£300 million
It is estimated that an astonishing £300m was spent on bets for the Grand National in 2017. We suspect there weren't quite the same amount of winners!
66 Down to 40
In 1929, a mammoth 66 horses started the famous race at Aintree. It caused all sorts of overcrowding issues on the track for both horse and jockey.
This lead to the number of entrants being capped to 40, which still remains to this day.
60%
No one likes to see horses fall at fences, but it happens a lot. In fact, an average of 60% of racehorses do not finish the race each year, leaving around 16 left to fight it out for the big prize.
£1 million
Talking of prizes… the prize fund for winning the race is a whopping £1 million, which is awarded to the trainer of the victorious horse.
And if they've placed a rather large bet on their horse to win too, they’re likely to be quids in!
600 Million
In one of the most-watched sporting events of the year, the Grand National attracts many millions of spectators, both at home and at the racecourse.
In total, it is estimated that 600 million people around the world are all watching the event, which is more than the Cricket World Cup (400 million)!
172
Finally, this year’s race is the 172nd to be held. Whether you've studied the form book, have picked your horse at random, or have simply punted for a colourful jersey that's caught your eye, we hope you've picked a winner. Good luck!
B&M Top Tip: The races can be a really fun day out. But gambling can be an addictive pasttime, so remember to bet responsibly. When the fun stops, STOP! You can get advice on addiction and how to stop gambling here.
What are your favourite Grand National memories? Join in the fun with B&M over on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
