The Chair (Aintree Racecourse) The Chair (Aintree Racecourse) The Chair is a fence on Aintree Racecourse's National Course and thus is one of 30 that are jumped during the Grand National steeplechase which is held annually at the racecourse near Liverpool, England. It is the 15th fence that the runners jump and is one of only two (the other being the 16th, the Water Jump) in the race to be negotiated only once. Positioned in front of the grandstand, it is the tallest fence on the course, at , preceded by a open ditch on the takeoff side. The Chair is also comfortably the
Steeplechase (horse racing) on the mile long course, and the race was run in three heats. The first recognised English National Steeplechase took place on Monday 8 March 1830. The race, organised by Thomas Coleman of St Albans, was run from Bury Orchard, Harlington in Bedfordshire to the Obelisk in Wrest Park, Bedfordshire. The winner was Captain Macdowall on "The Wonder", owned by Lord Ranelagh, who won in a time of 16 minutes 25 seconds. Report of the event appeared in the May and July editions of "Sporting Magazine" in 1830. In Great Britain and Ireland, "steeplechase" only refers to one branch of