Grand National prize money set to £1million

The Grand National is a hugely popular National Hunt horse race that takes place every year at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool. Known for its handicap steeplechase that runs a distance of 4 miles and 2 ½ furlongs, the race brings people together from across the country to see the big event.

This year, the event will be held on Saturday the 9th of April in which the prize money has been raised to an eye watering £1million. Let’s take a look at how the Grand National become such a popular race that’s well known all over the world and see what’s in store for this year’s event.

The international popularity of the Grand National

Dating back to around 1829, the Grand National is one of the oldest and most historical National Hunt races to take place in the world. Since being broadcast by the BBC on free-to-air television in 1960, the race has become accessible to watch for people not only across the UK but across the continent and further afield too.

In 2017, the television rights were transferred to ITV, where it’s now estimated that around 500 to 600 million people now watch the event in over 140 countries. While the event has evolved over the years with the addition of Ladies Day on the Grand Opening Day, it’s the same year after year traditions that have brought international fans back to see every race.

The Grand National race is also popular amongst punters, with many people placing bets on the Grand National months in advance, right up until the race begins. The race is known as anyone’s race with any horse having the chance to win.

What can we expect for the Grand National 2022?

The Grand National 2022 has an exciting 40 horse lineup in which one of the most interesting obstacles is the Fionavon Jump, which is one of 30 obstacles that the horses must navigate in the four-mile race.

The latest news suggests that tickets to the 3-day event have been selling much more quickly this year than in previous years, meaning those who have left it to the last minute to purchase their tickets could be rather disappointed. The grandstand seats for the main event are already sold out and there’s only a limited number of terrace seats still available.

The timing of events across the 3 days will be as follows:

Grand Opening Day:

13.40	Aintree Manifesto Novices Chase	Grade1
14.15	Anniversary 4YO Juvenile Hurdle	Grade 1
14:50	Betfred Bowl	Grade 1
15.25	Aintree Hurdle	Grade 1
16.05	Foxhunters Chase	Grade 3
16.40	Red Rum Handicap Chase	Grade 2
17.15	Aintree Mares Flat Race

Ladies Day:

13.40	Aintree Manifesto Novices Chase	Grade1
14.15	Anniversary 4YO Juvenile Hurdle	Grade 1
14:50	Betfred Bowl	Grade 1
15.25	Aintree Hurdle	Grade 1
16.05	Foxhunters Chase	Grade 3
16.40	Red Rum Handicap Chase	Grade 2
17.15	Aintree Mares Flat Race

Grand National Day:

13:45	The JLT Novices’ Chase	Grade 3
14:25	The Pertemps Network Final (A Handicap Hurdle Race)	Grade 1
15:00	The Ryanair Steeple Chase	Grade 1
15:40	The Ryanair World Hurdle	Grade 1
16:20	The Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate (A Handicap Steeple Chase)	Listed
17:15	The Trull House Stud Mares Novices’ Hurdle	Grade 2
18:10	The Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeple Chase (0-145)

This year’s prize money is set to a huge £1million which makes it an incredibly high value race and in fact, one of the richest horse races in the world. The prize money is further broken down with £500,000 as the first prize, £200,000 as the second and still a life changing £100,000 as the third grand prize.

Over the years, the race has attracted many sponsors, including the likes of Randox Health, Seagram Distillers, Crabbie’s ginger ale and John Smiths. This year, Randox Health will again be sponsoring the world’s greatest steeplechase.

What makes this race so different from other horse racing events like the Cheltenham Gold Cup or Champion Hurdle is that while those events are more exclusive to elite and wealthier racing horse owners, the Grand National gives everyday racehorse owners a chance to win big.