2011 Grand National 2011 Grand National The 2011 Grand National (known as the John Smith's Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 164th renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race held at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. The showpiece steeplechase began at 4:15 pm BST on 9 April 2011, the final day of the three-day annual meeting. The maximum permitted field of forty runners competed for prize money totalling a record £950,000, making it the highest valued National Hunt race in the United Kingdom. Nineteen of the forty participants completed the 4½-mile course; of the 21 who did not, two suffered fatal
National Steeplechase Association National Steeplechase Association The National Steeplechase Association is the official sanctioning body of American steeplechase horse racing. The National Steeplechase Association was founded on February 15, 1895 by August Belmont, Jr., the first president of The Jockey Club and chairman of the New York State Racing Commission, along with Alexander Cassatt, John G. Follansbee, H. DeCourcy Forbes, Frederick Gebhard, James O. Green, Samuel S. Howland, Foxhall P. Keene, and Frederick H. Prince. The governing authority for the sport of steeplechase racing, their National Steeplechase Association held, promoted, and documented steeplechase races and events throughout the United States and granted licenses