The Grand
National has been something of a grand occasion for over 200 years.
With its roots in the early 1800’s, the Grand National has
transformed into the spectacle that it is today. In its humble
beginnings, the horses had to jump over a stone wall, cross a stretch
of ploughed land and finish over two hurdles. Today betting
on the Grand National is a spectacular event, being watched this
year by over 600 million spectators worldwide in 30 countries.
The
Beginning
The first
Grand National race was won by Lottery in 1839. The current Grand
National course was first opened during a period of economic
difficulty for Aintree in the post-war years. These difficulties led
to the sale of the Grand National grounds to a property developer.
Thus striking concerns around the future of the Grand National.
In 2014, for
the first time, the Grand National boasted a 7 figure prize which was
brought back in 2015.
The Spectators
As always the spectators
thronged to the Grand National from the outset. Men donning their
three piece suits and women tottering around in their heels. Pictured below are spectators at the 1922 and 1925 races
respectively.
From the
overflowing Georgian styled gowns of the 1800’s to the fitted
cocktail dresses of today, fashion has always been in focus at the
Grand National. Ladies attending the event have been carefully
putting together their outfits for over 200 years.
Spectators at
the 1931 races.
A women horse
racing spectator of the 1950’s.
Tipsters
have also always been a common occurrence on the race grounds, as
depicted by the below image of a tipster in a fortune teller inspired
costume at the 1948 Grand National races.
The Grand National has also seen some famous faces, the highlight of which being Queen Elizabeth II and her mother at the 1957 races (pictured below).
The Track
and Stands
Shortly after
this picture of a crowded grand stand was taken at the 1956 races,
the Tattersalls Grandstand was opened in 1960 to deal with the
growing crowds attending the event. This meant that the jockeys
racing on the first day of the 1960 festival (pictured below) had
more eyes on their racing efforts than those racing in the 1956 races
(far below).
The
Horses
There is no
doubt that the Grand National would be nothing without the amazing
horses that have won every year. Since its inception, spectators of
the Grand National have witnessed some of the best race horses in
history race.
Golden Miller
was the Grand National winner of 1934.
In 1965 the
great Arkle took the cup before an accident that took him out of
racing.
Red Rum took
the cup in 1973.
Shortly
after, L’Escargot took the winning cup in 1975 with Dawn Run
winning in 1986 (pictured below).