'There is the chance of a shower today but nothing significant' - Grand National meeting set to start on good to soft

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Aintree's three-day Grand National festival will start on good to soft ground, with watering having taken place overnight.

‘Good in places’ was removed on Wednesday from the going descriptions for the Grand National, Mildmay chase and hurdle courses after a cycle of watering, with 6-8mm applied in the last 24 hours.

Confirmed runners and riders for the 2026 Grand National at Aintree

Clerk of the course Sulekha Varma said on Thursday morning: "We are good to soft all over. We finished the cycle of watering on the Grand National course overnight and I am pleased we have kept it as it is because it was warm yesterday and got up to 20.5C.

"There is the chance of a shower today but nothing significant and the overnight forecast is similar. The possible showers won't change the ground a lot but should keep the moisture in. We'll see how we go regarding watering."

Warm weather at the start of the week in Liverpool is set to give way to cooler temperatures, while a more unsettled forecast is expected on Friday and Grand National day on Saturday.

Varma said: "It won’t be the lovely weather we’ve had over the last three days, but that’s better for the horses, even if it’s not quite as enjoyable for racegoers.

"One forecast is suggesting we might get rain through the day on Saturday, but at the moment it's just that one, so we're just keeping an eye on that."

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