A very Scouse spectacle: eight reasons the National is special
The great race has established its own unique place in British life, writes Alan Tyers
Prices that make a win really worth winning
If you do manage to pick the winner, admittedly a big ‘if ’, then you are most likely going to be relieving bookmakers of their money at a decent price. After all, if you are going to have one bet a year, you want it to be a triumph, not a short-price, white-knuckle lump-on. The past five National winners have gone off at between 25/1 and 66/1. You have to go back to 2005 for a clear favourite winning, and even Hedgehunter was 7/1; by comparison the past five Cheltenham Gold Cups have yielded an 11/4 and a 9/4 winner. So if somebody you know does select the ‘good thing’ today, then the Milky Bars are on them.
Everybody has a system
Be it backing horses on their age, rating in the handicap, Aintree form or simply because you like the colours, this is the one day when everybody reckons they have a foolproof plan. Even the experts are admitting that this year is an especially tricky puzzle, so it may well be that pin-stickers, or those who just have a feeling based on the name, are in with a shout. If Cocktails At Dawn, Rogue Angel or Wounded Warrior stir your imagination, then why not?
The people of Liverpool
No sporting city in Britain opens its arms wider for its big day. For examples of the warmth of the people of Merseyside, check out Gabriel Clarke’s excellent ITV feature today before the race. It tells the story of the 1997 bomb scare and how local folk took strangers into their homes ahead of the Monday rerun.
Dreams and dreamers
With the exception of Leicester City, many of our other big sporting occasions are dominated by powerhouse teams, and racing is no different. But the Grand National, with its huge field and in-built chaos, means that even racing’s great horses can be humbled by scrappy outsiders.
The thunderous spectacle
Fifty years ago, Foinavon emerged from the pile-up at the 23rd fence to win at 100/1. David Owen, author of a great book on the story, described it as “a battlefield. A defeated cavalry charge. It was reminiscent of those blood-curdling 19th-century sporting prints. From a mile away it was as though a film had broken down with a temporary cessation of all movement”. Still, there is no other sight like it in sport.
The language of the race
The Grand National has given British sporting life one of its most cherished pieces of shorthand: a Devon Loch moment, used to describe all manner of late catastrophes. Meanwhile, names like Becher’s, The Chair, and The Elbow remain some of the most lyrical and evocative in all of sport.
It spreads a medical message
What is Randox Health, as in The Randox Health Grand National? Its founder Dr Peter FitzGerald explained that the company “tests blood for diseases: cardiac conditions, strokes and some cancers. We can pinpoint cancers earlier. Doctors and hospitals have been slow to take-up our tests, so we are looking to get our message to the public directly. The Grand National is our way to get our name out.”
People dress, and drink, like they mean business
The people of Liverpool know how to throw a party, and ladies dress for Aintree like they are not going to die wondering. The scenes before, during and after the big day provide photographers with iconic images of equine derring-do, and plenty of human do’s and don’ts. “It’s the best weekend of the year,” says Karen behind the bar of the nearby Queens Arms. “The atmosphere is fantastic, the girls look amazing. It’s electric.” Only one thing missing: “I’ve never backed the winner. My husband has. He’s the lucky one.”