1839 Grand National is not supported by any press reports from the time. There was also much criticism in the press over the severity of the event, especially the conduct of Robert Carlin in remounting Dictator when witnesses described the horse as distressed. His cause of death was recorded as a burst blood vessel. Irish Newsletter 1839 Liverpool Mercury 1839 The Times 1839 1839 Grand National The 1839 Grand Liverpool Steeplechase was the first official annual running of a steeplechase which later became known as the Grand National. It was held at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on Tuesday 26 February 1839 and
Grand National are jumped twice. Horses completing the race cover a distance of , the longest of any National Hunt race in Britain. As part of a review of safety following the 2012 running of the event, from 2013 to 2015 the start was moved forward away from the crowds and grandstands, reducing the race distance by from the historical . The course has one of the longest run-ins from the final fence of any steeplechase, at . The Grand National was designed as a cross-country steeplechase when it was first officially run in 1839. The runners started at a lane on