The Irish Grand National is one of the great National Hunt chases in the racing calendar. Held annually on Easter Monday at the Fairytown racecourse, in County Meath, Republic of Ireland, it was first run in 1870 when inaugural winner, Sir Robert Peel, picked up the grand prize of 167 guineas. Last year’s winner, by comparison, took home prize money of over £120,000.

Since 1870, the race has been staged over the marathon distance of 3 miles and 5 furlongs (3 miles and 4 furlongs prior to 1991), or 5,834 meters, with only two exceptions. The 23-fence race was cancelled in 1919 and 1941 due to the small matter of the two World Wars.

The race is open only to horses aged five years or older, but the majority of winners have been aged between 7 and 11. Prior to Organisedconfusions win in the 2011 race, at 6 years old, the last winner who was under seven years old was back in 1985, when legendary chaser Rhyme ‘n’ Reason romped home. Last year’s winner also made history for being ridden by Nina Carberry, the first female jockey to take the title, and only second in the race’s history, since Ann Ferris in 1984. Her winning ride made such an impact that she went on to claim the Irish Times/Irish Sports Council Sportswoman of the Year title off the back of her victory.

Carberry’s name was added to an impressive roll of honour. As well as Rhyme ‘n’ Reason, such legendary horses as Arkle and Desert Orchid, in 1964 and 1990 respectively, have won at Fairytown. Also, while Red Rum was winning the English Grand National three times in the mid-to-late 1970s, it was Brown Lad making history in County Meath. This record-breaking ride picked up three wins in 1975, 1976 and 1978. The race’s leading jockey is Pat Taaffe, who won six times in the 1950s and 1960s. In addition, the all-time leading trainer is Tom Dreaper, whose ten wins from 1942 to 1966 included a spectacular seven-in-a-row in the early 1960s – with Taaffe in the saddle for three of those seven! The winning blood is obviously strong in the Dreaper family, with Tom’s son Jim training four winners himself in the 1970s, including all of Brown Lad’s victories. Two of those historic victories saw Nina Carberry’s father Tommy riding the winner.

It is still a rare achievement for an Irish Grand National winner to go on to achieve victory in the Aintree Grand National. The feat has still never been achieved in the same racing year. The first to complete the double was the 1904 Irish winner, Ascetic’s Silver, who won the English National in 1906. The achievement has since been completed just other three times in the 140 runnings of the race, by Rhyme ‘n’ Reason, Bobbyjo and Numbersixvalverde.

For some people April may seem months away but for others it is just right around the corner. That is right. It is time to get ready for the 2012 Grand National. This horse race is a most exciting time for horse lovers and race fans both. There are three days of fun and exciting things to do. From women and children to the racers themselves there is something for everyone. It holds appeal too many people and now is the time to purchase your tickets for the anticipated three day event in April.

The first Grand National Championship was held in 1839. It was one by a horse named Lottery. It is now a three day event starting with Liverpool Day on April 12, Ladies Day on April 13, and Grand National Day on April 14. These three days are full of music, fashion, racing, and fun. The race itself is the highest quality of jump racing in the UK. Forty horses will line up and jump 30 fences in four and a half miles. This is a test of the toughest horses and jockeys in the world. You will find many people betting on their horses each year, whether they study the horses and jockeys and their abilities or whether they just pick names and place bets. It is a great tradition and race to watch and will leave you wanting more.

Liverpool Day is in its third year and provides entertainment off the track for this wonderful event. There are concerts held on this day, parades, and sporting legends have also been known to make an appearance. This year on April 12, 2012, Liverpool Day is supposed to be bigger and better than ever.

For the ladies of the races, Ladies Day will be held on April 13. This second day of the three day entertainment package is going to be more stylish than ever. A flourish of fashion shows, make up samplings and giveaways, and grab bag giveaways are going to make up the best Ladies Day ever held. There will be splashes of color in the Red Rum Garden that will be sure to spice up the excitement.

Last, but certainly not least, there is Grand National Day. It only happens once a year and only lasts approximately fifteen minutes. It is that fifteen minutes that will leave you coming back year after year. If you are simply watching the race on television with millions of other people, or if you are one of the lucky ones that can actually be at the Aintree Racecourse in person, it is an experience you are not likely to forget.

So, everyone mark your calendars. April is not too far away. The three day event is quickly approaching and it is time to prepare. The festivities, the entertainment, and the racing are definitely not something that you want to miss. Tickets for this festive three days went on sale in August. It will be a rush of fun and flash for these memorable few days. It is not something that you are going to want to miss.

L’Escargot was twelve years old when he won the Grand National he was owned by R.R. Guest and trained by Dan Moore. L’Escargot made four Grand National appearances, his first in 1972 when he unfortunately fell. The next few years saw him improve his finishing position in the race and in 1973 he was placed 3rd, in 1974 2nd, culminating in his win in 1975, ridden by Tommy Carberry.

1975 was not the most exciting year to achieve your goal of winning the Grand National as that year would see the smallest crowd of spectators in living memory, this was attributed to the new owner of Aintree tripling the admission prices. This was the year that the legendary Red Rum was looking for his third consecutive win however, he was beaten into second place by L’Escargot who was priced at 13/2. It would be another two years before Red Rum would achieve his record three wins and become an Aintree legend.

Tommy Carberry who was five times Champion National Hunt jockey and twice overall Champion Irish jockey had previously ridden L’Escargot to victory twice in The Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1970/71. Carberry retired from racing in 1982 and began training and in 1998 with his son Paul riding he won the Irish Grand National. In !999 twenty four years after his winning ride on L’Escargot his horse Bobby Jo won the Aintree Grand National.

However, the biggest race of them all, the Aintree Grand National, takes place in April and the popularity of the event eclipses even the Cheltenham meeting.

The Grand National juggernaut began in earnest with the official declaration of the weights last week, with Don’t Push It and Neptune Collonges both carrying the most at 11st 10lbs, and moved into top gear with the Grand National Trial at Haydock over the weekend.

The shrewd money always keeps a very close eye on the trials and the increased competitiveness of the Grand National has only served to bring this into even sharper focus.

With this in mind it was no surprise to to see the victor at Haydock, Silver By Nature, move into the favouritism as far as the Grand National betting ante-post markets.

The performance by the big grey was brilliant. Ridden smoothly by Peter Buchanan, Nature By Silver was able to driven through the field to capture back-to-back victories in the race despite carrying top weight.

Owner Geoff Brown, chairman of Scottish Premier League football team St Johnston, is known to be keen for a crack at the Scottish Grand National but trainer Lucinda Russell has other ideas.

She feels that the potentially heavy Ayr ground would not suit and is very tempted by the Aintree event. If the trainer gets her way it will certainly be a horse that will be worth following and we would expect a strong challenge from the tidy jumper. This is definitely one to keep an eye on for future honours.

The Welsh National is the first of major National steeplechase of the year. Held annually at Chepstow race course, the first running of the race was in 1895. This year the race was re-arranged due to very bad weather in December. The race is now set to go ahead on the 8th of January 2011.

You can view all the latest odds for this years race below.

The Grand National 2011 is already generating interest in the ante post betting market. Once again we’re being teased with the prospect of the mighty Denman running in the 2011 race. It was the same story last year (he didn’t run in the end ~ what a surprise!), if Denman is ever to feature in a National line-up then this year is likely to be the one.

Other notable names appearing in the Grand National Antepost odds are ‘Don’t Push It’ the 2010 winner and ‘Big Fella Thanks’.

You can check out the current best odds in the Ante Post market below. Please remember that Ante-Post rules apply to all bets made on the Grand National usually up to and including the day before the race. (check with your bookmaker for rules)

A Standard Example Of Ante Post Rules: All racing ante-post bets are accepted and settled on a Rules of Racing basis only. Ante-post bets are accepted at quoted prices, up to and including the day prior to the event, on the basis of all in, run or not, entered or not . Therefore selections not taking part in the race/event concerned are losers. Ante-post bets are those placed at our quoted prices on horses and prior to the race becoming classed as ‘Day of Event’ (Day of event is a term used to describe the time at which overnight declarations are made, usually 10am on the day preceding the race (or two days for certain Group 1 races) for horse racing and the day of the race for greyhounds). All bets placed after the overnight declaration stage are settled in accordance with our Early Prices/Day of Race Rules.

Please check before you bet ante post with your bookmaker regarding the ‘rules & clauses’ all bookmakers are different.

As a jockey, Irishman Dessie Hughes scaled the heights, winning the 1977 Cheltenham Gold Cup on Davy Lad and the Champion Hurdle two years later when partnering Monksfield to a famous success over Sea Pigeon. Now, more than 30 years on, Hughes has his best chance of winning the John Smith’s Grand National as the trainer of both Vic Venturi and Black Apalachi, writes Elliot Slater.

Already seen as serious contenders for honours at Aintree this year, Hughes did nothing to lessen the excitement emanating from his yard when sending out Vic Venturi to win the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse last month, with Black Apalachi also running a cracker to come second.

Vic Venturi, a best priced 20/1, has already proven his ability to handle the daunting Aintree fences in winning the Becher Chase over one circuit of the National course back in November. He stays well and handles the soft ground that is now anticipated for the world’s greatest steeplechase, although the final going will depend on the Grand National weather.

For his part, Black Apalachi has also won the Becher Chase but is probably best known to the betting public for his heroics in last year’s Grand National where he put up a tremendous display of bold front-running and was still going strongly in the lead when blundering and unseating Denis O’Regan at Becher’s on the second circuit. It was still too early to be sure, but there is no doubt that Hughes’ charge was revelling in the experience and might well have finished in the first four had he put in a clean round.

Bookmakers are taking few chances this time around and Black Apalachi who is currently quoted at a best priced 14/1. It would be no surprise to see those odds shorten considerably in the 48 hours before the race as the betting public are shown video reminders of his big run 12 months ago. Those who want to place a Grand National bet on the 11-year-old might be best advised to take a price sooner rather than later.

Way back in 1982 Grittar became the first hunter chaser of the modern era to win the Grand National when partnered by 48-year-old amateur rider Dick Saunders to a famous Aintree success. This year Trust Fund, a very smart hunter chaser himself, may attempt to be the first this millennium to repeat the feat, writes Elliot Slater.

Many Grand National Betting punters fail to take seriously the prospects of a hunter chaser winning the world’s greatest steeplechase, but when you get a very high class hunter chaser, they can be well worth a place in the line-up. Richard Barber’s Trust Fund has little to prove having won the Fox Hunters’ Trophy at Aintree last year, jumping brilliantly before holding on gamely to outpoint course specialist Christie Beamish by four lengths, under Tom Greenall.

Trust Fund, a 12-year-old, has run well throughout his career over distances beyond four miles, jumps very soundly and prefers a decent surface; he would be an unlikely starter in the case of very soft ground. Having beaten 19 rivals at Chepstow prior to his Aintree victory where 29 others were left toiling in his wake, Trust Fund then went to Cheltenham where he justified odds-on with a never-say-die effort to win on the nod from former classy staying chaser Take The Stand.

Not seen out yet this term, Trust Fund is a horse who can run very well after an extended break and seems to get on particularly well with Tom Greenall, whose father Lord Daresbury owns the near veteran, who although knocking on a bit has actually only raced twenty times during his seven season career.

Available at a best priced 100/1 with Grand National Odds, Trust Fund might well give those interested in backing a long shot a seriously good run for their money and could go close to reviving memories of 1982 in attempting to put the hunter chase fraternity back in the Grand National spotlight.

In 171 years of Grand National history only one horse has managed to win the toughest steeple chase three times ~ the legendary, famed and infamous Red Rum. This remarkable jumper became an instant celebrity in horse racing circles after winning the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977. The 2010 Aintree Grand National might just lay the foundation for a second triple winner, considering that the field will include three previous Grand National champions.

Silver Birch (2007 winner), Comply Or Die (2008 winner) and Mon Mome (2009 winner) are all planning to return to the site of their former glory on April 19th in an attempt to claim the second victory that would set them on the path to share Red Rum’s thus untouched achievement.

As the Aintree Festival and with it the anticipated Grand National draws nearer, it may be a good idea to take a closer look at these three interesting contenders.

Silver Birch – Foaled April 6th 1997 Silver Birch is by far the oldest of the three contenders for the coveted dual win. However, age does not need to be a drawback; after all Peter Simple, the oldest horse to win the Grand National, was 15 years old when he was the first across the line. Out of his 28 career starts the gelding has won seven races, placed second five times and recorded two third places; leaving him at a 25% winning rate. However, since his win in the 2007 Grand National, Silver Birch has not recorded a win. Nonetheless, the Elliott trained contender placed an impressive second place in the Glenfarclas P.P. Hogan Memorial Cross Country Chase at Punchestown on January 31st this year. This hints that the thirteen-year-old is in better shape than he has been in years; which is necessary as Silver Birch is unlikely to have many more active seasons left to race. If Elliott couples his charge once more with regular jockey Robbie Power, who rode Silver Birch to his previous Grand National victory, the veteran will be an interesting candidate to watch over the next weeks.

Comply Or Die – Out of the three returning champions Comply Or Die is the one who has already narrowly scraped by a second win, leaving him with business to settle with rival Mon Mome. After winning the Grand National in 2008, the David Pipe-trained gelding was beaten by 100-1 outsider Mon Mome. Since this defeat the eleven-year-old has not recorded any outstanding successes. His most recent race, the William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival 2010, saw Comply Or Die starting out well but faltering to the point of reaching only a disappointing 13th place. However, it was the first race he had to face without regular jockey Tommy Murphy since December 2007. Although Comply Or Die seems to be in a slight funk, it is not out of the question that the experienced team of Pipe and Murphy will pull out enough stops to give their charge another shot at multiple Grand National Glory.

Mon Mome – When Mon Mome raced to victory in last year’s Grand National at Aintree, it was one of the rare triumphs of the underdog that make a race day truly memorable. Rated with 100-1 odds the French-trained gelding became the first French horse to win the Grand National in exactly one century; since the 1909 victory of Lutteur III. However, as it seems to be the curse of the recent Grand National champions since his success at Aintree Mom Mome has yet to record another win; although he has been racing consistently and never with truly shameful consequences. Out of his 38 career runs Mon Mome has won six races, and placed second and third eight and four times respectively; leaving him at a 15.7% winning rate. The ten-year-old is the youngest of the returning champions, which gives him the edge in this unusually tough and competitive race, although the experience of his rivals must not be underestimated.

The Aintree Grand National is always an occasion it is after all the craziest steeple chase staged all year whether or not it produces a double winner. Still, a double win would up the ante for the 2011 Grand National and the connections of the three candidates are working and planning around the clock in order to get their charges in the best possible shape for the looming event.

For more news about upcoming horse race meetings (including, obviously, the Grand National) check out Horse Racing UK for regular news, previews and reviews.

Big Fella Thanks was always an ante-post favourite with the bookies for the 2010 Grand National but after his winning performance today at Newbury, in the Raymond Mould Supporting Greatwood Gold Cup Handicap Chase, where he romped home, he has now trumped Tricky Trickster with Paddy Power to become the 8/1 horse to beat on April 10th.

Speculation has been rife as to whether or not Paul Nicholls can finally win a Grand National and his hopes seem to have originally been pinned on Tricky Trickster but this afternoon, stable mate Big Fella Thanks proved his weight in gold when he pipped another stable mate, Pasco with Ruby Walsh, to the winning post with Barry Geraghty on board.

Walsh had looked very comfortable and confident on Pasco but not as much as Geraghty on Big Fella Thanks, who started the race 8/1 odds, as he shot passed and took a narrow lead after Pasco pecked on landing after the third last.

This win was considered a warm-up for Big Fella Thanks and even Nicholls was surprised that he had won having admitted after the race that he had expected Pasco to bring home the win. He has since confirmed that both horses will be going to Aintree – BFT in the National and Pasco in the Topham.

With Nicholls now sitting on the first and second ante-post favourites for the Grand National it would appear that almost nothing can stop his current winning streak but the Grand National is a notoriously difficult race and anything can, and usually does, happen on the day!