2012 Grand National 2012 Grand National The 2012 Grand National (known as the John Smith's Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 165th annual renewal of the Grand National horse race at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. The showpiece steeplechase, which concluded a three-day meeting which is one of only four held at Aintree throughout the year, took place on 14 April 2012. The maximum permitted field of 40 runners ran the last-ever of Aintree's National Course featuring 30 fences, competing for record prize money of £975,000, making it the highest-valued National Hunt race in the United Kingdom. Aintree had made a number
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