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On what is the final day of the Grand National Festival, Saturday April 15 will see National Hunt racing fans treated to a blockbuster seven-race card that includes the feature fixture of the meeting – the Grand National.
Couple that with four graded races taking place across the rest of the day – and day three of the Aintree Festival will once again be a must-see event for avid and casual followers of the sport alike.
With that in mind, read on as we take a look at each race on the third and final day of the 2023 Grand National Festival.
Maghull Novices’s Chase
In what is the opening race of the day, the Maghull Novices’ Chase is a two-mile affair open to horses aged five years or older. The Grade 1 fixture is made up of a field of novice chasers and oftentimes features horses who previously ran in the Arkle Challenge Trophy.
We have seen some high-profile thoroughbreds win the Maghull Novices’ Chase in recent years, with Betfair Ascot Chase victor Shishkin and Dublin Chase champion Gentleman De Mee reigning supreme in the Aintree fixture in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Premier Handicap Hurdle
The second fixture of the day is the Premier Handicap Hurdle – a three-mile and half-a-furlong contest that consists of 13 hurdles to be jumped during its running. It is open to horses four years of age or older, with the victor providing their connections with the majority share of the £75,000 prize pool.
Mersey Novices’ Hurdle
The second Grade 1 race of the day is two-mile and four-furlong Mersey Novices’ Hurdle. The fixture is open to entrants four years or older and regularly features former Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle runners, with Yorkhill the last horse to achieve victory in both races in 2016.
Liverpool Hurdle
One of the most highly anticipated races on the Festival’s schedule is the Liverpool Hurdle, a three-mile and half-a-furlong contest with 13 fences to be jumped. 2023’s renewal is shaping up to be a barnburner, with a number of talented thoroughbreds tipped to line up in the 3:35pm fixture.
It is Maries Rock who is the favourite at the time of writing, with the Nicky Henderson-trained horse garnering odds of 3/1. Teahupoo and former Stayers’ Hurdle champion Flooring Porter round out the top three favourites, with both paying 9/2 and 6/1 respectively.
Handicap Chase
The Handicap Chase is a 3m1f contest consisting of 19 fences and is open to thoroughbreds five years or older. It was Sam Brown who finished first past the post at last year’s renewal, defeating the next best placed Shan Blue by an emphatic 15 lengths.
Grand National
Taking place at 5:15pm, the penultimate race on day three of the Festival is the big one – the Grand National. Otherwise known as the ‘race the world stops to watch’, the four-mile and two-and-a-half-furlong marathon fixture is a pick em’ type contest seemingly every year. That is evidenced by 2022’s renewal, with the Emmet Mullins-trained Noble Yeats storming home to reign supreme as a 50/1 shot.
Could an upset of that magnitude happen again this year? Or, will we see one of the favourites justify their short price and secure their connections with more than £560,000 in prize money? For those who are leaning towards the favourites, it is Corach Rambler who is garnering the shortest price in the Grand national betting at 6/1, while the aforementioned Noble Yeats and Delta Work are the second and third favourites at 8/1 and 10/1 respectively.
Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race
The final race of the Festival is the Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race – a Grade 2 fixture run over two miles and one furlong that is open to horses between the ages of four and six. It was Lookaway who took home the spoils in 2022, upsetting the field to best Hullnback by two lengths.
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