In an uncertain world, don’t miss the three days of the Grand National Festival from Thursday 2nd to Saturday 4th April 2020. The iconic Grand National will be held at Aintree Racecourse on Saturday, April 4th at 5:15pm. For your safety and convenience and on how to watch the “National”, watch online using this link for Grand National live streaming. Please know that the BHA announced that all race meetings in Britain from Tuesday until at least the end of March will take place behind closed doors.
The prize fund for the Grand National is £1,000,000 which makes it the most valuable jump race in Europe. 600 million people will watch the race in over 140 countries.
Sponsored by Randox Health, the Grand National UK handicap steeplechase is over 4 miles 514 yards with horses jumping 30 fences over two laps. Enjoy a relaxed raceday experience with a mix of high-quality racing and easy-going entertainment.
The Grand National Day is the most iconic of all handicapped horseracing events in the world. 40 horses and their jockeys will present in the ultimate test in British horse racing. The Grand National course has much larger fences than normal. The Chair, Valentine’s Brook, Foinavon, Becher’s Brook, and the Canal Turn are just some of the famous fences that runners and rider need to navigate in the race.
Even after Tiger Roll’s recent second place at Cheltenham in the March 11th Glenfarclas Cross Country race, this traditional prep run moved him from 5-1 to 8-1 betting odds. Tiger Roll is still heading the market for the big race. Even though he has been purposely trained for this race, check out the rest of the race contenders to see what value is elsewhere.
Kimberlite Candy won the McCoy Contractors Classic Chase by 10 lengths which makes him a leading Randox Health Grand National contender. He traveled well and jumped the National fences very nicely. He is sure to be a popular horse on the big day.
Magic of Light nearly spoiled the Tiger Roll party in 2019 but had to settle for second place at massive odds of 66-1. At her current 2020 rating of 16-1, she was the only mare to run in the 2019 race at odds of 125-1. She is already on back-to-back wins this season.
Burrows Saint at 12-1 is another class runner who gave trainer Willie Mullins his first Irish Grand National win in 2019. He also had a recent win at Punchestown which increased his outlook, but he will only be 7 years old for the 2020 Grand National, so he may still be too young.
Any Second Now won the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival. He fell in the 2019 Irish National but he was running well at the time. He is rated at 12-1.
Definitely Red at 14-1 has a good overall record at the track, and with his proven ability to handle the fences, looks an interesting runner.
As for little Tiger Roll, it would be gutting if he loses his chance to make racing history.
The 172nd Grand National will go down in Aintree folklore as the one when Tiger Roll, racing’s rockstar, was admitted to one of the most exclusive clubs in sport: a two-time winner of the world’s greatest race.
He warmed up with a solid second at Cheltenham 2020 and Gordon Elliott wants decent ground for him at Aintree — if it’s on.
Tiger is owned by Gigginstown stud and boss Eddie O’Leary is appealing for common sense about the National. He wants the great race to be run behind closed doors if necessary.
As the weights for the 2020 Randox Health Grand National are set to be revealed on Tuesday afternoon, victory at Aintree on the first Saturday in April would see Tiger Roll emulate Red Rum in becoming only the second horse to win three Grand Nationals. He would become the first to win three in a row.
Owners Michael and Eddie O’Leary of Gigginstown House Stud will reconsider running the ten-year-old Tiger Roll if the rating he is allowed to run off by the BHA handicapper is not compressed to what they believe is an acceptable level. They’ve compressed the race by 8lb on average for the past ten years.
On the Thursday before the Grand National – April 2 – the final 40-runner field (plus four reserves) will be confirmed.
British Racing is in close communication with the Government about current public health matters in the UK and the advice is to continue the business of the country as usual, while adhering to the latest public health advice.