185 years of history will be renewed in England's north west on Saturday, April 13, 2024, when the 176th edition of the Grand National horse race gets underway at Aintree Racecourse.
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It is the race for all those who follow the sport on British shores, and following some minor rule changes from last year, the 2024 edition looks set to be better than ever before.
2023's winning horse Corach Rambler and jockey Derek Fox both return 12 months on, and naturally the 10-year-old in purple and yellow is the favourite to collect a second successive Grand National Crown.
After the start of last year's race was delayed by protests from the activist group Animal Rising, the field has seen the number of runners reduced for safety reasons. Instead of the usual 40 horses, 2024 will see just 34 take to the track, lowering the levels of congestion on those fierce jumps and making any accidents safer for runners and riders alike.
The National, a four miles and two-and-a-half furlongs-long handicap steeplechase, involves 30 jumps over the course of its distance and is the jewel in the crown when it comes to horse racing in the UK and Europe. We simply cannot wait for the action to begin, and if you're along for the ride too, The Sporting News has you covered.
When is 2024 Grand National race?
The 2024 Grand National race headlines a three-day event at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, UK, and gets underway this year at 4:00 p.m. BST on Saturday, April 13. Last year's start time of 5:15 p.m. has been brought forward, one of two major changes made to the 2024 edition, as well as the reduction in horses from 40 to 34.
2023 champion Corach Rambler and his rider Derek Fox will be looking to join a select group of runners to have retained the Grand National title, but I Am Maximus, Vanillier and Meetingofthewaters are just some of the fellow favourites backed to put in strong performances at Aintree this weekend.
Grand National 2024 race TV channel, live stream
TV Channel: ITV1, Racing TV
Live Stream: ITVX, Racing TV Online
It's the most-watched race on the equestrian calendar bar none, and as such there are plenty of terrestrial TV and streaming options for you to watch this weekend's Grand National, on both free-to-air and subscription-based networks.
Your best bet to catch all the action is via ITV, who acquired the rights to the bulk of horseracing action in the UK back in 2017. Their coverage of race day begins at 12:55 p.m. local time (BST) on Saturday, April 13, with the race itself set for a start time of 4:00 p.m.
