Aintree Racecourse is bringing back the total prize money for this year’s Randox Grand National to the pre-pandemic level of £1 million ($1.37 million), signaling racing is on its way to full recovery, the Racing Post reported.
Prize Pool to Lure the Best
Home to the horse racing event in the UK since 1839, Aintree Racecourse is restoring the total prize fund for the event, expecting a full house of 70,000 people as ticket sales for the April 9 event are booming.
This year’s event will be the first in two years that will allow the race to run in front of a crowd after it did not stage in 2020 and took place behind closed doors in 2021. Last year, the event set records in terms of total bets at Scientific Games’ OpenSport platform and single-event betting volume at Smarkets.
Speaking to the media, Jockey Club’s northwest regional director Dickson White outlined the importance of the prize fund as the organizers of the event are looking to attract the best horses to the race. He also underlined the support from the event’s title sponsor, Randox, which made it possible to bring back the prize pool that was £750,000 ($1 million) in 2021 to £1 million.
White also commented on the crowd expectations for this year’s event, outlining the unseen before demand for admission tickets and hospitality. He was weary to confirm the venue will allow a full capacity, though.
“We’re really thrilled with the interest in people coming to attend and we’re planning towards a full crowd but we are in constant discussions with our local authority and our director of public health about the Covid situation in and around Merseyside. We’ll ensure we have the protocols in place to deliver what’s required.”
Dickson White, Regional Manager, North-West, Jockey Club
Official Weight Ceremony Is Back
Randox Grand National is also planning to re-introduce the official weight ceremony, scheduled to take place at The Rum Warehouse in Liverpool on February 15. Last year’s weights from Aintree featured on Racing TV but now White is cautiously optimistic.
“We are planning for an event but are very aware that if the situation changes and additional restrictions are put in place, we will change plans. But the event is incredibly important for the Randox Grand National. It’s been a big part of the promotion of the event.”
Dickson White, Regional Manager, North-West, Jockey Club
The ceremony is an “integral part” of the whole three-day event, while The Rum Warehouse is “one of the great event spaces” in Liverpool, a city that once was the “capital of culture,” White outlined, looking forward to “run an event of a similar size” to the largest in its history, albeit with some health measures in place.