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The Big Race: The BBC JOHN SMITH’S GRAND NATIONAL (Grade 3) (GNC) will take place on Saturday 4th April 2009 at 4.15pm and will be broadcast live on the BBC, BBC Five Live and BBC Radio Merseyside.

The 161st running of the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree will be from Thursday 3rd – Saturday 5th April 2008. Ladies Day is on the Friday with the famous Steeplechase taking place on Saturday afternoon. The John Smith’s Grand National prize for the big race worth an extra £100,000 at £800,000. The total prize money for the meeting has risen by £240,000 this year, with £2,285,000 to be won over the course of the three days.

The race has been run since 1839 with the only interruptions for the Second World War. Winning a Grand National is the dream of every jump jockey. The Grand National Handicap Steeplechase (the big race) is run on the Saturday afternoon with the horses carrying extra weight according to their ability. Often, horses fall or refuse at the fences and so betting on the national has become notoriously unpredictable. The idea of handicapping is that all the horses will finish together, but there has always been a clear winner.

Favourite Grand National stories include Red Rum and Devon Loch. Red Rum overcame illness to beat the favourite, Crisp, at the very last moment in 1973. He went on to be the only three times winner. So loved was Red Rum, that after he died at the grand old age of 30, he was buried at the winning post. Devon Loch was famous for all the wrong reasons. After being in the lead at the 1956 Grand National, he jumped for no reason and spread-eagled himself on the final sprint.

The course itself is nearly two and a quarter miles in length and has 16 unique fences including the famous Bechers Brook. The fences have an added problem for horses – some have a landing side that is lower than the take-off, this means the horse approaching the fence is unaware of the drop until in the air.

At The Chair Fence the reverse of this occurs. It is the biggest fence on the course and the landing side is higher than the take off. In the National the horses have to complete almost two circuits of the course and jump 30 fences and then complete a long 494 yard run in which has been the downfall of many in the past. The race is four miles and four furlongs in total.

There are two fences that are jumped only once – on the first circuit – they are: the Chair and the water jump. The race is a grade 3 handicap with the best rated horse given more extra weight than the lowest rated. Only six-year old horses and older are permitted.

• Learn more about the fences here
• Read about Grand National Statistics here
• Get your free Grand National sweepstake kit here
• Find out about the legends of Red Rum and Devon Loch