The date most horse racing fans mark first in their calendars is almost here: Grand National day.
As the most famous steeplechase in the world, the Grand National features 40 horses and riders racing two laps of Liverpool’s Aintree racecourse, which has a total distance of 4 miles and 2.5 furlongs with 30 fences en route.
After one cancelled event and another behind closed doors due to the pandemic, a bumper crowd is expected. But if you can’t be there, tuning in live from home is the next best thing.
Here’s everything you need to know about watching the Grand National, wherever you’re based.
When is the Grand National 2023?
The Grand National itself takes place at the end of a three-day festival on 13-15 April.
But the main event begins at 5.15pm UK time (9.15am PT, 12.15pm ET, 6.15pm CEST), on 15 April 2023. That timing means it doesn’t clash with the Premier League or most other British football.
How to watch the Grand National 2023 in the UK
In the UK, the Grand National will be broadcast on ITV and RacingTV. The latter costs £24.98 per month, but gets you access to a wide range of horse racing events throughout the year.
But if you just want to watch the Grand National, ITV is free in the UK – provided you have a TV licence.
It’s available via Sky, BT, Virgin, Freeview, Freesat or almost any other UK provider, and should be one of the default channels. But you can also watch live via ITVX on a wide range of different devices, including most smartphones, tablets, laptops and streaming sticks.
You’ll just need to create an account or sign in to start watching. Up to four different devices can be used to watch live at the same time on each account.
How to watch the Grand National 2023 outside the UK
If you’re based outside the UK, your first option is to watch via your local broadcaster. That’s TVG and NYRA in the US, Sky Racing World in Australia and Equidia in France.
However, if you’re just visiting another country, using your ITVX account makes most sense.
We’re using NordVPN for the purposes of this tutorial. It tops our best VPN round-up, but there are plenty of great alternatives. Just make sure the one you choose can unblock Sky Sports, Now, BT Sport or Amazon Prime Video.
To get started, just open the NordVPN app and connect to any server in the UK. You can do this by selecting it on a map, or just clicking the UK flag below the ‘Quick Connect’ button.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Once connected, just navigate to the ITVX website or open the app and start watching like you normally would.
Learn more in our separate article on how to watch ITVX from abroad.
Which horses are running in the Grand National 2023?
A total of 50 horses are still in with a chance of running, with the final field of 40 published on 13 April:
Corach RamblerNoble YeatsDelta WorkMr IncredibleGaillard Du MesnilLonghouse PoetAny Second NowLe MiliosOur PowerGalvinAin’t That A ShameVanillierThe Big DogCapodannoLifetime AmbitionThe Big BreakawayCoko BeachCarefully SelectedVelvet ElvisGabbys CrossRoi MageMister CoffeyDunboyneEva’s OskarBack On The LashFury RoadMinella TrumpFortescueDarassoSam BrownDiol KerEnjoy D’AllenHill SixteenCloudy GlenGevreyPunitiveFrancky Du BerlaisEscaria TenSecret ReprieveDarrens HopeDefi BleuMilan NativeFakieraMortalCaptain CattistockBorn By The SeaA Wave Of The SeaCape GentlemanFantastikasRecite A Prayer
What is the history of the Grand National?
The Grand National has been an annual event at Aintree since 1839, save for a brief hiatus between 1916 and 1918 during World War 1, and between 1941 and 1945 during World War 2.
To this day Red Rum is the only horse to have won the Grand National three times, in 1973, 1974 and 1977, with trainer Ginger McCain also going on to successfully lead Amberleigh House to victory in 2004. His son Donald then brought in a fifth win with Ballabriggs in 2011.
Here are the horses who won in the 21st century:
2022: Noble Yeats2021: Minella Times2019: Tiger Roll2018: Tiger Roll2017: One For Arthur2016: Rule The World2015: Many Clouds2014: Pineau De Re2013: Auroras Encore2012: Neptune Collonges2011: Ballabriggs2010: Don’t Push It2009: Mon Mome2008: Comply or Die2007: Silver Birch2006: Numbersixvalverde2005: Hedgehunter2004: Amberleigh House2003: Monty’s Pass2002: Bindaree2001: Red Marauder2000: Papillon
