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
Aintree Hurdle meeting, and was traditionally contested on the final day, Saturday. In 2013 it was moved to the opening day of the meeting, Thursday. The Aintree Hurdle often features horses which ran previously over a shorter distance in the Champion Hurdle, and the last to win both events in the same year was Buveur d'Air in 2017. The 2010 running was named in memory of Dick Francis (1920–2010), a former jockey who was closely associated with Aintree. He famously rode Devon Loch in the Grand National, and he was leading the race on the run-in when the horse jumped and was