There's nothing like the Grand National - but this Aintree aperitif is not to be missed

When you wander through Liverpool this week, it becomes immediately obvious more than one globally cherished big-field event is about to be staged here.

Most immediately, the great city is gearing up to celebrate a sporting monument that is part of this place's DNA. The Grand National is known and loved all around the world but it is Liverpudlians who claim it as their own. They take pride in their ownership of a horserace whose 175th running will once again leave us spellbound on Saturday. It will be filled with unmatched drama, excitement and intrigue. There is nothing like it, nothing to beat it, but this year in Liverpool there is something to follow it.

On May 13, four weeks after the latest chapter in Grand National history has been written, Liverpool will host the Eurovision Song Contest. A field of 37 is set to face the musical starter, with Sweden odds-on to claim a showpiece that has been won on a record seven occasions by Ireland. Sad to report, the entry of a land that brought us Johnny Logan and Dana can this year be backed at 400-1. Thank heavens, then, for Fakir D'Oudairies.