The Randox Grand National festival is about to begin at Aintree racecourse. More than 150,000 racegoers are expected at the three-day event on Merseyside.
Aintree racecourse, in Sefton, has hosted the festival since 1839.
Getting to Aintree
Racegoers heading to the Aintree meeting are advised to plan ahead and use public transport where possible. They should also leave plenty of time to get to the course.
Stagecoach Manchester and Merseyside will be running a dedicated shuttle bus service from Liverpool city centre to Aintree Racecourse across all three days of the Randox Grand National Festival. Passengers can board the shuttle from Elliot Street in the city centre for a direct journey to Park Lane (Aintree Station), located just a short walk from the racecourse entrance.
Buses will run frequently throughout the day, helping visitors avoid the hassle of traffic and parking while travelling comfortably to and from the festival. Tickets are priced at £5 for an adult single and £6 for an adult return.
During the festival, Merseyrail will operate a seven-and-a-half-minute frequency service between Liverpool city centre and Aintree stations on the Merseyrail Northern Line before and after the races. The seven-and-a-half-minute service will run between Aintree and Liverpool Central/Moorfields stations from about 10:00 BST to 13:00 and 16:30 to 20:00.
To accommodate the more frequent services between Liverpool city centre and Aintree there will be reduced services to some stations on the Ormskirk branch of the Northern Line and a slightly amended 15-minute timetable on the Southport branch of the Northern Line.
On the Headbolt Lane branch of the Northern Line, a reduced 30 minute service will operate all-day for all three days of the festival. The Wirral Line will operate an amended timetable from 07:00 to 19:00 during the festival.
Customers travelling to the festival from any Wirral line stations are advised to change at Moorfields for an Aintree-bound train.
Limited on-course parking is available for the Grand National meeting. This can be booked by calling the booking line on 0844 579 3001.
Aintree’s Style Code
Ladies Day at the Grand National Festival is one of the biggest fashion days of the year.
Some spectators get dressed to the nines, wearing their best outfits to Aintree. There is actually no official style code for the Aintree Grand National.
The Main Event
The Grand National is the biggest day of the racing calendar for racegoers. Thousands of people will pack the Aintree grandstands to watch the iconic contest unfold.
Gates open at 11:00 BST on Opening Day.
Red Rum is the most successful horse in Grand National history having won the steeplechase race three times. Jockey Patrick Mullins won the Grand National on Nick Rockett last year.