The Grand National 2023: full list of runners, time of the race and recent winners

The Aintree Grand National Festival will got underway on Thursday afternoon as one of the true highlights of the British sporting calendar takes place.

Some of the biggest and best names in the world of horse racing descend on Merseyside looking to write their names in the history books and follow in the footsteps of the likes of Red Rum and Tiger Roll. Of course, the highlight of the three days is the Grand National, as race-goers around the world take in a race that ranks among the very best around the globe.

With just hours to go, LiverpoolWorld gives the lowdown on what many call the greatest horse race of them all.

Where does the Grand National take place?

Liverpool’s Aintree Racecourse is the historic home of the race and over 150,000 racing fans are set to descend on the famous old course over the three days of the festival. The highlight is, of course, Saturday’s Grand National, but there are plenty of eye-catching races for those in attendance to relish in the first two days.

How long is the course for the Grand National?

The Grand National consists of two laps of 16 hurdles, with the first 14 jumped on two occasions. That equates to a total distance of four miles and 514 yards, making the Grand National the longest race in the National Hunt calendar. The course also consists of the longest run-in from the final fence to the finish line, which is a distance of 494 yards.

The 16 fences - which are topped with spruce from the Lake District - contain some of the most famous names in the world of horse racing, with runners and riding taking on the likes of Becher’s Brook, The Chair, Canal Turn and Foinavon - with the latter of that quartet named after the 1967 winner, who was first past the post at odds of 100/1 in 1967.

Who are the recent winners of the Grand National?

Noble Yeats was a surprise winner in last year’s race as he was led home by Sam Waley-Cohen at odds of 50/1 in what became one of the most romantic wins in the history of the Grand National. Just 12 months earlier, history was made when Rachel Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the race when Minella Times saw off stablemate Balko Des Flos by around six and a half lengths.

Speaking after writing her name into the history books, Blackmore told ITV Sport: “This is the Aintree Grand National. I’m completely blown away. I got a fantastic passage the whole way. Minella Times was unbelievable, he jumped fantastic, I don’t think he missed a beat anywhere. He was able to travel into a gap, I seemed to have loads of space everywhere and you couldn’t have wished for a better passage. He was just unbelievable, he really was, his jumping was second to none.

But perhaps the greatest name in the recent history of the Grand National is that of the iconic Tiger Roll. Ridden by Davy Russell and trained by Gordon Elliott, the much-loved horse was a two-time winner in 2018 and 2019 as he became the first since the legendary Red Rum to win consecutive Nationals.

Which horses are running in the 2023 Grand National?

A total of 85 horses were initially entered into this year’s Grand National, although that number has decreased since the end of last month’s Cheltenham Festival. Fifty rides remain just days before the race but that number will be dwindled down to the final 40 and the chosen jockeys should be confirmed on Thursday afternoon, just over 48 hours before the 2023 Grand National gets underway on Saturday afternoon.

A full and up-to-date list can be found below (with latest odds in brackets)

1. Corach Rambler (13/2) 2. Noble Yeats (8/1) 3. Delta Work (10/1) 4. Mr Incredible (14/1) 5. Gaillard Du Mensil (14/1) 6. Longhouse Poet (16/1) 7. Any Second Now (16/1) 8. Le Milos (16/1) 9. Our Power (20/1) 10. Galvin (20/1) 11. Ain’t That A Shame (22/1) 12. Vanillier (22/1) 13. The Big Dog (25/1) 14. Capodanno (25/1) 15. Lifetime Ambition (33/1) 16. The Big Breakaway (33/1) 17. Coko Beach (33/1) 18. Carefully Selected (40/1) 19. Velvet Elvis (40/1) 20. Gabbys Cross (50/1) 21. Roi Mage (50/1) 22. Mister Coffey (50/1) 23. Dunboyne (50/1) 24. Eva’s Oskar (66/1) 25. Back On The Lash (66/1) 26. Fury Road (66/1) 27. Minella Trump (66/1) 28. Fortescue (66/1) 29. Darasso (80/1) 30. Sam Brown (80/1) 31. Diol Ker (80/1) 32. Enjoy D’Allen (80/1) 33. Hill Sixteen (80/1) 34. Cloudy Glen (100/1) 35. Gevrey (100/1) 36. Punitive (100/1) 37. Francky Du Berlais (100/1) 38. Escaria Ten (100/1) 39. Secret Reprieve (100/1) 40. Darrens Hope (100/1) 41. Defi Bleu (100/1) 42. Milan Native (125/1) 43. Fakiera (125/1) 44. Mortal (150/1) 45. Captain Cattistock (150/1) 46. Born By The Sea (150/1) 47. A Wave Of The Sea (150/1) 48. Cape Gentleman (150/1) 49. Fantastikas (150/1) 50. Recite A Prayer (150/1)

All odds are correct at the time of publication.

Where and when can I watch the 2023 Grand National?

Over 150,000 fans will make their way to Aintree over the course of the three-day festival as one of the highlights of the racing calendar takes place. However, for those of us not fortunate enough to have a ticket ITV and Racing TV will be showing all three days live. The festival gets underway on Thursday, April 13, with the Grand National taking place at 5.15pm on Saturday, April 15.