The Grand National course is heavy in places - what happened the last four times the famous race took place on soft or heavy?

The first going information has been published for Aintree's Grand National meeting next week, and the National course is soft, heavy in places with further rain in the forecast. Conditions could be testing when 34 runners line up on Saturday, April 13, so here is a reminder of what happened the last four times the Grand National was run on soft or heavy going.

2018 (heavy): Tiger Roll

The diminutive Tiger Roll was all heart when he landed the first Grand National to be run on heavy ground for 17 years. Gigginstown’s eight-year-old cruised into contention and appeared to be going far the best landing after the last, but conditions seemed to take their toll going around the Elbow and in the end he only held on by a head from the rallying Pleasant Company. Twelve horses finished, with 13 of the remaining runners pulled up.

2016 (soft): Rule The World

Gigginstown’s maroon silks were also in the winner’s enclosure after the soft-ground National in 2016. The nine-year-old was a maiden over fences heading into Aintree, albeit with classy enough form in the book, but gave David Mullins a great spin to win by six lengths. Sixteen runners completed the course, but this was the first National to break a 15-year run of the stamina-sapping contest being run on good to soft or good going.

Rule The World: won the soft-ground Grand National in 2016Credit: Edward Whitaker

2001 (heavy): Red Marauder

A famous National owing to its particularly atrocious conditions. Racing had already taken a battering that spring due to the foot and mouth outbreak that forced the abandonment of the Cheltenham Festival and other key meetings, and Aintree’s Grand National course took its own pummelling from monsoon-like conditions on the big day. Almost a quarter of the field failed to get beyond the third fence, and further mayhem resulted in only four runners completing, including the 33-1 winner. Two of the four, Blowing Wind and Papillon, were remounted to complete. It was the slowest winning time for more than a century.

1998 (soft): Earth Summit

A similarly gruelling National came just three years before Red Marauder’s when Earth Summit, sent off the 7-1 favourite, led home just six runners, most of whom were well beaten. Twelve runners were pulled up and two refused, but Carl Llewellyn always had Earth Summit well positioned and he battled through the ground to win by 11 lengths, ridden out.

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