It attracts over 70,000 fans and has over 500 million TV viewers worldwide from over 140 countries. No wonder the Grand National is the most famous horse race in the world.
The Epsom Derby, the Kentucky Derby, the Melbourne Cup, the Dubai World Cup, the Japan Cup, the Saudi Cup and the Arc de Triomphe Prize are all valuable and prestigious races in horse racing.
But they don't come close to the far-reaching mainstream appeal of the annual four-mile, two-furlong unique hurdle chase. Domestically, the Grand National is the biggest betting event of the year, you can also bet on this event at https://asian-bookies.net/online-betting-philippines/.
Current statistics show that one adult Briton takes three places in the Grand National bet. Only 13 million people.
Even though the 2020s race was canceled due to Covid-19 and the 2021 race was held behind closed doors, even more people are predicted to bet on the Grand National in the coming decade.
Easy puzzle to solve
Theoretically, the changes to the circuit - most recently in 2013 - make the Grand National much less of a mystery than it once was.
An example is Becher's Brook
The obstacle was originally four feet 10 inches high. However, the drop to the boarding side of the fence was almost eight feet, and there was a stream directly below it.
The complex landing side was modified in 1954, 1987 and 2011. In the modern era, the landing side is only a few inches lower than the takeoff side. In addition, the creek was backfilled in 1990.
In the early years of the race, the obstacles were massive and included a rock wall. Not surprisingly, for most of the history of the Grand National, only a third of newcomers completed the course.
Incidentally, the 1839 race is recognized as the first official Grand National. It was won by an aptly named lottery. Read about the best New Zealand rugby players in recent years on this site.
Transcription of history books
“The future is the unknown, but to some extent the predictable unknown. To look to the future, we must first look to the past. It was there that the seeds of the future were planted,” said Albert Einstein.
Has a theoretical physicist ever endorsed a Grand National winner? If he were alive today, how would he approach the race?
No doubt he would have been astonished by the recent outstanding achievements in horses trained by the Irish. Bobbyjo (1999), Hedgehunter (2005), Numbersixvalverde (2006), Silver Birch (2007), Rule The World (2016), Tiger Roll (2018 and 2019) and Minella Times completed training in Ireland in 2021.
2021 has been a big year for Irish horses. In addition to being the first female jockey to win a race aboard the Minella Times, Rachel Blackmore's first five horses at home were trained in Ireland.
Discrimination based on age, weight and gender
Overall, nine years is the most successful age for a Grand National winner. A quarter of all previous winners have been nine-year-olds. Over the past 20 years, there have been five eight-year-old winners. Four of them have been received since 2015.
The last seven-year-old winner - the minimum age for Grand National runners - was in 1940, and since 1995 there has only been one 12-year-old winner. This was Amberleigh House in 2004.
Very few horses have managed to win Grand Nationals with big weights. Since Red Rum in 1977, only two horses have gained 11 stone-six pounds or more.
And while very few mares make it to the Grand National, their overall bite rate is low. Only 13 mares have won races. The last one was in 1951.
Is the price correct?
The starting prices of the recent winners are giving mixed signals. The odds for the 2009 winner Mon Mome in the Grand National were 100/1. In 2013, Auroras Encore scored 66 out of 1.
Neptune Collonges (2012) and Rule The World (2016) were the winners with a score of 33/1. Pino de Re (2014) and Many Clouds (2015) were 25/1 shots. 2017 One For Arthur scorer and 2011 winner Ballabriggs had a starting price of 14/1.
It was easier to find the last three Grand National winners. The two Tiger Roll wins came at odds of 10/1 and 4/1 - the lowest priced winner since 1919. Minella Times scored 11/1 when they scored in 2021.