Aintree on course for biggest Grand National day attendance since 2015 with main enclosures sold out

Aintree could be heading towards its biggest crowd on Grand National day since 2015 having sold all tickets for its main enclosures.

The only tickets left for the showpiece on April 15 are on The Embankment, an area lining the first few fences away from the main course.

A crowd of 64,902 witnessed Noble Yeats win the Randox-sponsored National last year when spectators made their full return to Aintree following the Covid-19 pandemic, a rise on the 63,473 who attended in 2019. 

The highest attendance in the last ten years on National day came in 2015 when 68,103 watched Many Clouds win and Charles Barnett, Aintree's managing director from 1993 until 2007, said the huge numbers expected on Merseyside this year showed how the race had the power to override wider issues that have led to falling crowds across the sport.

Barnett said: "The biggest events always attract the biggest crowds and the National is the National. It's part of Liverpool's culture and a massive national and international event for British racing. The television coverage has been huge in that regard, and it always attracts a huge audience.

"It's a one-off event and one that transcends racing. It has a cultural significance. It is more than just a race. In the old days it used to be the most watched annual sports event there was and the British people still have a great affection for it."

The meeting kicks off in blockbuster style with four Grade 1 contests on Thursday, April 13. Superstar Constitution Hill runs in the Aintree Hurdle, while Shishkin, Ahoy Senor, A Plus Tard, Conflated and Bravemansgame could all clash in the Bowl. Tickets are available in the main enclosures for both the Thursday and Friday, which is Ladies' Day. 

Clerk of the course Sulekha Varma said: "The Grand National itself is always exciting, but I'm particularly looking forward to the Thursday with some fantastic horses on show. 

"All the structures are up and it's all going smoothly. It's great so many people are wanting to come to Aintree and I'm excited for all three days."

Noble Yeats: won the National on good to soft ground last yearCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Aintree will monitor the Grand National track daily to determine if watering is needed after a deluge of rain in March improved the course's condition following the challenging winter weather in Britain.

Tracks across the country were affected by cold and unseasonably dry weather for around six weeks from mid-January, reflected in Cheltenham needing to water in the build-up to the festival to promote grass growth.

But 92mm of rain at Aintree in March, well above the monthly average, aided the condition of the Grand National and Mildmay courses.

Varma said: "We're in a really good place at the moment. We had 92mm of rainfall in March and it's left us around the good to soft mark at the moment. 

"It was more than you could have expected, but it was really helpful for us in terms of the ground and the grass."

An unsettled forecast in the run-up to the Grand National meeting means the need to water will be assessed continually. Last year's meeting took place on good to soft ground, which Varma is aiming for again.

"We have some rain forecast through this week on Wednesday and Thursday but it's dry apart from that, while at this stage there could be some rain around early next week too," she said.

"The rain in March did prove incredibly helpful, given what it had been like previously in the winter, but we'll monitor it on a day-by-day basis over how we maintain the track."

Randox Grand National (5.15 Aintree, Saturday, April 15)

William Hill: 11-2 Corach Rambler, 8 Noble Yeats, 9 Delta Work, 14 Mr Incredible, Gaillard Du Mesnil, 16 Any Second Now, 20 bar

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