Grand National in front of the stands. The majority of the race therefore took place not on the actual Aintree Racecourse but instead in the adjoining countryside. That countryside was incorporated into the modern course but commentators still often refer to it as "the country". There are 16 fences on the National Course topped with spruce from the Lake District. The cores of 12 fences were rebuilt in 2012 and they are now made of a flexible plastic material which is more forgiving compared to the traditional wooden core fences. They are still topped with at least of spruce for the horses
1988 Grand National 1988 Grand National The 1988 Grand National (known as the Seagram Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 142nd renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 9 April 1988. The race was won by Rhyme 'n' Reason, in a time of nine minutes and 53.5 seconds and by a distance of four lengths. Durham Edition was second, and Monamore third. West Tip finished fourth. 17/2 favourite Sacred Path fell at the first fence. Nine of the 40 runners completed the course, however one horse, Smith's Man broke down during the