The Grand National Festival has a long history going as far back as the early 1800s. Lottery bagged the first Grand Liverpool Steeplechase in February 1839. This is the race that later picked the name The Grand National. Horses were required to leap over a stone wall, then cross a field, and complete by jumping two hurdles.
After four years of being a weight-for-age competition, renowned handicapper Mr. Edward William Topham, a respected handicapper, changed the Grand National to a handicap race in 1843. The Topham family held large land areas in Aintree. In 1949 they purchased the racecourse wholly from Lord Sefton, who had leased the land since the course's inception in 1829.
Today, Jockey Club Racecourses owns and manages Aintree, one of 15 racecourses run by The Jockey Club subsidiary. The 2014 Grand National featured a seven-figure prize pool for the first time. The Grand National is wholly unscripted and completely enthralling, with a history of unexpected wins and fantastic stories. There is a large prize in contention by the jockeys. But the prize is not fixed; it changes every time. A prize pool of £1 million ($ 1,311,800) in the 2017 edition is Europe's most valuable jump race up to date.
