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The three-day Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse kicks off on Thursday 8th April 2021, with a tribute to the Merseyside city that is home to the world’s most iconic steeplechase.
The modern Aintree is a testament to a resurgent city of Liverpool, the regeneration of the famous dockland hub going hand-in-hand with Aintree’s rebirth as one of the finest racecourses in Britain and a fitting home to the Grand National Festival.
The opening day features the Grade 1 Aintree Bowl and Aintree Hurdle as well as top-level novices’ events over hurdles and fences.
You can watch all the Day 1 action from Aintree via live streaming when logged into MansionBet.
Betting Tips and Predictions
*Check back here closer to the race date for the latest Grand National Day 1 betting tips and predictions.
Grand National Festival Day 1: Liverpool’s Day Racecard April 8th 2021
The opening afternoon from Aintree features a quartet of Grade 1 races to satisfy any jumps racing fan, with the highlights being the Aintree Bowl and Aintree Hurdle. The opening day programme in full is below.
| TIME | RACE | DISTANCE | PRIZE MONEY |
| 1.45pm | Manifesto Novices’ Steeple Chase (Grade 1) | 2m4f | £100,000 |
| 2.20pm | Anniversary 4YO Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 1) | 2m1f | £100,000 |
| 2.50pm | Aintree Bowl Steeple Chase (Grade 1) | 3m1f | £150,000 |
| 3.25pm | Aintree Hurdle (Grade 1) | 2m4f | £200,000 |
| 4.05pm | Foxhunters’ Steeple Chase (Class 2) | 2m5f | £40,000 |
| 4.40pm | Red Rum Handicap Steeple Chase (Grade 3) | 2m | £90,000 |
| 5.15pm | Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat (Grade 2) | 2m1f | £45,000 |
Race 1 – 1.45pm Manifesto Novices’ Steeple Chase (Grade 1)
The opening contest is fittingly a Grade 1 chase for rising stars. This race can throw together horses that have done well at the Cheltenham Festival in races such as The Arkle, RSA Chase or the Marsh Novices’ Chase.
| YEAR | WINNER | TRAINER | JOCKEY | ODDS |
| 2017 | Flying Angel | Nigel Twiston-Davies | Noel Fehily | 5/1 |
| 2018 | Finian’s Oscar | Colin Tizzard | Robbie Power | 5/2 |
| 2019 | Kalashnikov | Amy Murphy | Jack Quinlan | 4/1 |
Race 2 – 2.20pm Anniversary 4YO Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 1)
The Grade 1 four-year-old hurdle is run over two-miles and a furlong and can reunite protagonists from the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham on this flatter circuit. In 2019, Pentland Hills became the latest horse to win both races at the UKs major spring festivals for trainer Nicky Henderson.
| YEAR | WINNER | TRAINER | JOCKEY | ODDS |
| 2017 | Defi Du Seuil | Philip Hobbs | Barry Geraghty | 4/11fav |
| 2018 | We Have A Dream | Nicky Henderson | Daryl Jacob | 2/1 |
| 2019 | Pentland Hills | Nicky Henderson | Nico de Boinville | 11/4 |
Race 3 – 2.50pm Aintree Bowl Steeple Chase (Grade 1)
The feature staying chase at the Aintree Festival, the Bowl was originally intended as a consolation for horses beaten in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham but is now a major Grade 1 in its own right. Paul Nicholls has won the race a record four times.
| YEAR | WINNER | TRAINER | JOCKEY | ODDS |
| 2017 | Tea For Two | Nick Williams | Lizzie Kelly | 10/1 |
| 2018 | Might Bite | Nicky Henderson | Nico de Boinville | 4/5fav |
| 2019 | Kemboy | Willie Mullins | Ruby Walsh | 9/4fav |
Race 4 – 3.25pm Aintree Hurdle (Grade 1)
Run over 2m4f, Aintree’s Grade 1 hurdle for older horses is less of a speed test than it’s Cheltenham counterpart but no less demanding. Buveur d’Air, in 2017, was the last horse to complete the major double.
| YEAR | WINNER | TRAINER | JOCKEY | ODDS |
| 2017 | Buveur d’Air | Nicky Henderson | Barry Geraghty | 4/9fav |
| 2018 | L’Ami Serge | Nicky Henderson | Daryl Jacob | 5/1 |
| 2019 | Supasundae | Jessica Harrington | Robbie Power | 15/2 |
Race 5 – 4.05pm Foxhunters’ Steeple Chase (Class 2)
The Foxhunters’ is the key race on the Aintree programme for amateur riders and produces a fitting test of their credentials over some of the toughest jumps in Britain.
| YEAR | WINNER | TRAINER | JOCKEY | ODDS |
| 2017 | Dineur | Micky Bowen | James King | 16/1 |
| 2018 | Balnaslow | Graham McKeever | Derek O’Connor | 11/2 |
| 2019 | Top Wood | Kelly Morgan | Tabitha Worsley | 14/1 |
Race 6 – 4.40pm Red Rum Handicap Steeple Chase (Grade 3)
A competitive handicap chase over two-miles named in honour of one of the Grand National greats, this fiercely run contest isn’t one for the faint of heart.
| YEAR | WINNER | TRAINER | JOCKEY | ODDS |
| 2017 | Double W’s | Malcolm Jefferson | Brian Hughes | 8/1 |
| 2018 | Bentelimar | Charlie Longsdon | Jonathan Burke | 10/1 |
| 2019 | Moon Over Germany | Henry De Bromhead | Rachel Blackmore | 11/2 |
Race 7 – 5.15pm Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat (Grade 2)
A concluding Grade 2 Mares’ bumper to complete the day one programme at Aintree, the race is run in memory of Nickel Coin, the winner of the 1951 Grand National.
| YEAR | WINNER | TRAINER | JOCKEY | ODDS |
| 2017 | Dame Rose | Richard Hobson | Alain Cawley | 14/1 |
| 2018 | Getaway Katie Mai | John Queally | Jamie Codd | 15/8fav |
| 2019 | The Glancing Queen | Alan King | Wayne Hutchinson | 5/1 |
Betting Promotions for Grand National Festival Day 1
You can watch every race from Aintree on day one of the Grand National Festival via live streaming when logged into MansionBet. We’ll have the latest odds in the lead-up to Aintree and special offers and promotions across the three days of the Festival itself; including – extra-place races, best odds guaranteed and new customer offers.
Also be sure to check out the horse racing section of our blog for daily tipping advice from our racing experts on all three days of the Grand National Festival.