Aintree Grand National Festival

The Aintree Grand National race meeting is one of the most exciting race events in the history of horse racing. Few other meetings have the variety of races, the quality of horses and the spectacle of the Grand National, the world’s oldest, most testing and most exciting Steeple Chase.

The meeting starts with Grand Opening Day which is Thursday 4th of April, the first race is at 2pm, the 3 mile 1/2 furlong Liverpool Hurdle, from then on in the races come thick and fast with lots of betting opportunities, there are seven races altogether culminating in the Silver Cross Handicap Hurdle at 5.25pm.

The following day, Friday the 5th of April is for many race goers one of the best days of the Grand National Meeting, the ladies of Liverpool and beyond, come out in all their finery for Ladies Day. Another great day’s racing is on the cards with some top class horses entered into the day’s seven races, once again starting at 2pm, the John Smith’s Top Novices Hurdle is followed by three Steeple Chase events and finishes at 5.25pm, appropriately enough with the John Smith’s Mares only Standard NH Flat.

Saturday 6th April, the Big One! it’s Grand National Day, the excitement is mounting and starting at 1.45 the first race of the day is the John Smith’s Mersey Novices Hurdle, followed by three more races. At 4.15pm the starters gun will signal the start of the ‘John Smith’s Grand National Steeple Chase’, horses and riders will pit themselves against those famous fences to win the most popular and prestigious steeplechase in the world, just in case that’s not enough excitement for the day, two more races follow to finish the meeting off.

This is one of the greatest racing events of the year and you can bet on all the top horses with Paddy Power Bookmakers.