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
Red Rum Handicap Chase Red Rum Handicap Chase The Red Rum Handicap Chase is a Grade 3 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Mildmay course at Aintree over a distance of about 2 miles , and during its running there are twelve fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in early April. The event is named in memory of Red Rum, a three-time winner of the Grand National in the 1970s. It was formerly known as the Aintree