Aintree to Conduct Evaluation of Grand National Track

Aintree Holds Inspection for Grand National Course

Aintree racecourse is set to hold an early morning inspection on Friday to determine if the BoyleSports Grand Sefton Handicap Chase can take place on Saturday. While the Mildmay and hurdle courses remain unaffected, parts of the iconic Grand National course are currently waterlogged.

The £100,000 race marks the first time this season that the historic course is scheduled to be in use. Ground staff have been working diligently to address the issue throughout Thursday; however, another heavy rain band is expected Thursday evening.

Clerk of the course Sulekha Varma commented: “We have soft, heavy ground in places on both our Mildmay and hurdle courses. Currently, we are dealing with heavy, soft conditions on the Grand National course with a few areas of concern that we’re actively addressing today.”

Varma further explained that while they hope all remedial work will be completed by day’s end and that racing can proceed as planned, heavy rain overnight poses a challenge. The amount of rainfall predicted varies between 5mm and 10mm or potentially more.

“We’ll evaluate tomorrow morning whether we can go ahead with the Grand Sefton,” Varma added. “Fortunately, it won’t affect other races scheduled for the day.”

Meanwhile, Fontwell’s fixture for Friday has already been abandoned due to unfavorable conditions.