Better late than never: Grand National a gem in a city that revels in jump racing's romanticism

If it feels like it has taken Aintree forever to come around this year, it’s because it has. April 15 will be the latest the Grand National has been held in its near 200-year history.

It means the epic Merseyside meeting runs to within ten days of the Punchestown festival, which is inevitably going to have an impact on the British challenge at the Irish finale. That’s unfortunate because the overseas contingent lends so much to the carnival atmosphere that prevails at the season-ending bash, but it is what it is.

With Easter dictating Fairyhouse’s dates, there is always a bit of fluidity about the spring jumps calendar. The alternative for Aintree would have been to go for the first weekend in April, which would have reduced the gap between the Cheltenham Festival finishing and Aintree starting to just 13 days.