The 2025 Grand National 2025 now just days away.
No other race captures the imagination quite like it and this year promises to be no different with a maximum of 34 horses bound for the start line at Aintree.
For a rundown of the top contenders for this years race – click here
When is the 2025 Grand National? Date and time
The Grand National takes place on Saturday April 5, 2025 and is the biggest race of the three-day Grand National meeting at Aintree racecourse, starting on Thursday, April 3.
The tapes will go and the runners will be off at 4pm on April 5.
When are the horses announced
We will not know the confirmed field until 48 hours before the race but there are several hoops to jump through until we reach that point. Click here for a full list of entries for the race.
- April 3 – 48-hour declarations and final field confirmed
Where is the Grand National held?
The Grand National, as well as the three-day meeting bearing its name, take place at Aintree Racecourse, just outside of Liverpool.
The vast majority of races held at Aintree are run over the Mildmay course, which features normal hurdle and chase tracks.
The Grand National is a triangular-shaped course, just over 2m2f long. All races on this course, including the Grand National itself, are run over the famous fences.
How many horses run in the Grand National?
Until 2023, the maximum field size for the race was 40 but that has since been reduced to 34 as part of wider efforts to make the race safer of jockeys and horses.
The deadline for entries for the race has passed and the handicap weights have been published. Click here for a full list of entries.
What is the race distance?
One of the longest races of the entire season, the Grand National is run over 4m2f – just under two circuits of the Grand Nations course at Aintree.
How long does the Grand National last?
This is very dependent on conditions. The fastest time ever was recorded by Mr Frisk in 1990, who remains the only horse in history to compete the course in under nine minutes. For what it’s worth the slowest time is still the first ever running of the race in 1839, when Lottery took 14m53s to win the race.
The average winning time all time is 9m10s.
