Event of the Day: The Grand National
Our event of the day is the Grand National at Aintree Racecourse. The race is one of the biggest in British horse racing and never fails to excite. 2018 winner Tiger Roll will be looking to win back to back races, the first horse to do so in over forty years. However, the forty-horse field is full of talent and it is a race you won’t want to miss. Forty horses will line up today for the one of the biggest races on the British racing calendar. The Grand National holds a special place in the culture of the country and always draws a crowd to Aintree. All eyes will be on Tiger Roll, jockeyed by Davy Russell. Tiger Roll won the 2018 Grand National in a thrilling picture finish against Pleasant Company. The nine-year-old Irish-bred gelding is small for a racehorse at only 15.2 hands but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming a household name in the sport. He began his career with a win at the 2014 Cheltenham Festival’s Triumph Hurdle. Tiger Roll would win three more races at Cheltenham over the next five years. With his Grand National win last year, Tiger Roll is in a position to become the first horse to win multiple Grand Nationals since Red Rum did so in 1973 and 1974.
However, he faces tough competition this year. Pleasant Company, will look to come back from the picture finish loss last season. However, the eleven-year-old is an outside shot at 20-1. One of the more popular pre-race favourites is 12-1 Vintage Clouds. Vintage Clouds is trained by Grand National-winning trainer Sue Smith, who famously trained 2013 66-1 winner Auroras Encore, and her husband Harvey, a former champion show jumper. The 2019 Grand National could finally be the breakout race for the nine-year-old horse. An outside favourite is 20-1 Jury Duty. Jury Duty comes into the race with back to back wins on their record and will be jockeyed by 2007 Grand National winner Robbie Power. Another outside favourite is the 20-1 Rock the Kasbah. One of the lighter horses in the race, he will be jockeyed by Richard Johnson, who appears in his twenty-first Grand National. The pundits also like 10-1 Rathvinden, the 2018 National Chase Winner who is jockeyed by two-time champion Ruby Walsh. With so many talented horses and the race holding a penchant for a surprise, be sure you don’t miss this race.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, which has reached the Final Four. At Minneapolis’ U.S. Bank Stadium, Virginia faces Auburn. Virginia is the remaining 1st seed and appear in their first Final Four since 1984. Their opponents, 5th seed Auburn, compete in their first Final Four in school history and will look for their second win over a 1st seed, after upsetting regional 1st seed North Carolina. In the other match, 2nd seed Michigan State, appearing in their tenth Final Four, will face 3rd seed Texas Tech, another first time Final Four team. Both Michigan State and Texas Tech come into this match having beaten their regional 1st seeds, making for a thrilling showdown. Be sure you don’t miss any of the action tonight. Elsewhere, in the FA Cup, Manchester City face Brighton and Hove Albion at Wembley Stadium for the first semi-final as Manchester City continue their hunt to complete the quadruple. On the LPGA Tour, the ANA Inspiration continues at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage. The NHL season comes to an end, with the second Eastern Conference wildcard still to be decided with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montréal Canadiens still in the mix. Various group quarterfinals of the Davis Cup continue at venues around the world. In Major League Rugby, the Glendale Raptors host the Houston SaberCats at Infinity Park.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by Aintree Race Course