Grand National race to be televised in high-definition in the UK. In August 2013 Crabbie's was announced as the new sponsor of the Grand National. The three-year deal between the alcoholic ginger beer producer and Aintree saw the race run for a record purse of £1 million in 2014. In March 2016 it was announced that Randox Health would take over from Crabbie's as official partners of the Grand National festival from 2017, for at least five years. The Grand National is run over the National Course at Aintree and consists of two laps of 16 fences, the first 14 of which
1998 Grand National backed down to joint-favourite until shortly before the start, before being sent off at 8/1. The partnership was a distant last of seven runners still standing four fences from home when he refused. Samlee was a nine-year-old who came to prominence after winning the Becher Chase over one circuit of the Aintree Grand National course in November, having been second in the Scottish Grand National earlier in the year. Another victory in a modest 3 mile 6 furlong chase at Sandown followed in December before finishing third to Earth Summit in the Welsh National and third again in the Eider