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
Grand National counts the number of horse deaths over the three-day meeting from the year 2000 to 2013 at 40. In 2009, the race sponsors John Smith's launched a poll to determine five personalities to be inducted into the inaugural "Grand National Legends" initiative. The winners were announced on the day of the 2010 Grand National and inscribed on commemorative plaques at Aintree. They were: A panel of experts also selected three additional legends: In 2011, nine additional legends were added: John Smith's also added five "people's legends" who were introduced on Liverpool Day, the first day of the Grand National meeting.