There are few bigger sporting events on the calendar in the United Kingdom than the Grand National Meet at Aintree racecourse in the middle of April.
While in the US people are busy betting on the Kentucky Derby, for UK horse racing enthusiasts it’s all about the Grand National. This year’s iconic festival will get underway on Thursday, April 11, with the main event of the three-day meet coming in the form of the Grand National on Saturday, April 13.
The event is one of the most successful for the region of Liverpool, with hundreds of thousands of racing fans travelling to the region to take in the action on track, with a huge number of high-graded races taking place before the world’s richest steeplechase. However, potential visitors to the track have been handed a warning from train operating company Northern.
Train Company Issues Warning
Northern has warned potential visitors to Aintree that they shouldn’t look to travel on public transport without paying for the required tickets to get to and from the course.
The company has doubled down on this, as Mark Powles, the customers director for the company, has revealed that there will be ticketing officers on hand to dish out £100 penalty fines for travellers without a valid ticket.
Customers that are handed this fine can pay half of the total if they pay the fine within 21 days. Powles revealed that the company will be hot on this issue throughout the Aintree festival this year, as the fact that it is a major event doesn’t mean that visitors to the racing will get away with not paying for a ticket to get to their desired location.
Tips To Get To Aintree
The start of the Aintree festival means that travel times can often be greater due to the bigger numbers of travellers looking to get to the racing. Grand National Day will be the busiest of these for those looking to get to the track, while there will also be more congestion on public travel to a number of local football clubs playing at home over the weekend.
Leaving early and making your way to the track with a lot of time to spare is the key tip that all visitors should follow in order to avoid the disappointment of missing any of the racing on track at Aintree.
Getting to the course is easiest on the track, with direct transport taking visitors from Liverpool Central to within a walking distance from the track every 15 minutes. The train journey from the station will take 24 minutes, but seating options could be limited depending on the time of the train that you get.
Alternatively, visitors can opt to get the bus to the racecourse. Busses numbered 310, 300, and 345 all go from Liverpool city centre to Aintree Racecourse. However, this is a slightly longer way to get to the racing, as the bus journey will take 41 minutes. The quickest bus to take can be taken from Queen Square Bus Station, with the 310 to Skelmersdale dropping visitors off at Aintree Station. From here, it is around a seven-minute walk to the racecourse.
Important Times For Visitors
The opening day of the Grand National Festival takes place on Thursday, April 11, with the gates opening for visitors at 11am. The first race on the day isn’t due off until 1:45 PM, with four Grade Ones set to take place on the exciting day of action. Meanwhile, the final race on the opening day comes in the form of the G2 Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat, which is due off at 5:15 PM.
Aintree’s second day is called Ladies’ Day, with seven races on the card on Friday April 12. The gates open slightly earlier on the second day, with visitors able to come into the course from 10:30 AM. Once again, the first race is due off at 1:45 PM. The final race on the card is the Alder Hey Handicap Hurdle, which is due off at 5:15 PM.
Excitement levels will be at a high for the final day of the three-day meet on Saturday, April 13, with the Grand National headlining the card. Gates on the final day open at 10am, with the first race also due off slightly earlier at 1:20 PM. The Grand National has an earlier start time for the first time this year, with the world’s most famous race due off at 4:00 PM. It isn’t the final race on the card, with the G2 Maghull Novices’ Steeple Chase and G2 Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race rounding off the card. The final race on Grand National Day is due off at 5:35 PM.
There will be live music around the course throughout the three-day meet, meaning that visitors will not need to rush back to the train station to get back into the city, and customers could enjoy a bit more time around Aintree before leaving the track.