What is it?A unique race which compels tens of thousands of people who have absolutely no interest in racing to enter betting offices and ask the same question: "So I just write one euro and the name of the horse on this slip of paper, right?"
And we need to know about it because?Everyone, even your granny, will pick a horse for the 4.15pm race on Saturday. It is the single biggest betting event in Britain and Ireland. It's where great reputations are born, built and cemented forever. Red Rum isn't famous because he won the Scottish Grand National. It's why Mick Fitzgerald, after winning the 1996 Grand National on Rough Quest, declared: "Winning the Grand National is better than sex!"
And the course?It would take an hour for someone to walk the four-mile, four-furlong Grand National Steeplechase course, but the winning horse and jockey on Saturday will have taken around 15 minutes to negotiate the 30 fences and complete the gruelling course.
Despite being one of the lowest on the circuit at (only) 4ft 7in, the first fence has one of the highest fall rates and therefore also one of the highest rates of cursing from the viewing stands and livingrooms around the world.
But it's the four fences from six to nine where the real fun is.
The sixth, Becher's Brooke, has a 6ft 9in drop over a stream with a hard left turn. You can even hear the horses cursing going over it.
Foinavon Fence is so-called because, during the 1967 edition, the leading horses refused, resulting in others slowing up and many jockeys falling. At the back of the field, John Buckingham was trotting along on Foinavon and had plenty of time to guide the 100 to 1 outsider around the chaos, over the fence and on to win. It resulted in great celebrating - by bookmakers.
Not happy with horses jumping fences straight on, the eighth, the Canal Turn, is designed to force horse and jockey to approach at an angle, due to the canal that requires a 90-degree turn at the other side. And then comes Valentine's Brook, which, as you might have guess, has a brook at the far side.
The good news is, if by some miracle the horse you stuck your life-savings on is still running and carrying a human after those four fences, then you are doing much better than many other punters who will have switched back to the London Irish v Perpignan game.
The bad news is, there are two circuits to the National.
... - DAMIAN CULLEN
