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Grand National Information

Welcome to our guide to betting on the king of all horse races, the Grand National.

When picking a winner for the Grand National it's often helpful to turn to history and the plethora of statistics that it throws up. For example finding out that all the successful horses from the past have had something in common can often prove priceless.

For example, did you know that only Red Rum has managed to carry more than 11st 5lbs to victory since 1957? Just as noteworthy is the fact that no seven-year-old has won for 67 years and we have to go back another 26 years to find the last successful six-year-old.

The last teenager to win the race was 84 years ago and, as of 2008, none have made the frame in any of the subsequent Grand Nationals since 1969.

Past Grand National Winners

The Grand National is not only the most famous and prestigious horse race in the world; it is also one of the highlights of the entire sporting calendar.

The race captures the imagination of millions, and consistently produces thrilling finishes and heart-warming stories as horse and rider try to conquer the mighty Aintree fences.

The 2007 Grand National was won by 33/1 shot Silver Birch.

Robbie Power's mount overtook Slim Pickings over the final fence and then resisted a late charge from McKelvey to win by three-quarters of a length.

Power was understandably delighted: "It is an unreal feeling, a dream come true," he said. "The last furlong was the longest I have ever ridden...we'll be celebrating tonight and it might be more a case of pints of champagne rather than bottles!".

The winner was the sixth Irish-trained National winner in the last 9 years.

The First Grand National

The Aintree Grand National was first run in 1839 and the famous four-and-a-half mile marathon now attracts a worldwide television audience of 600 million people.

Bruce Hobbs, aged 17, was the youngest winning jockey in 1938, on Battleship - the smallest horse ever to win.

Dick Saunders, aged 48, was the oldest successful rider on Grittar in 1982, his first and only Grand National ride.

No horse has run in the Grand National more times than Manifesto, who competed in eight renewals of the event between 1895 and 1904.

Manifesto won the race twice, in 1897 and 1899, and finished third on three occasions. Becher's Brook, the sixth fence on the first circuit, was named after Captain Martin Becher.

He was unseated from his mount, Conrad, and fell into the ditch when leading in 1839. The obstacle bore his name from that day onwards.

Grand National Records

The least number of horses to complete was two, in 1928: Tipperary Tim and Billy Barton (who remounted).

In 2001, when Red Marauder beat Smarty, only four horses completed, two of these being remounted.

The biggest field occurred in 1929 when 66 runners faced the starters - a record number for any horse race ever. The smallest field was in 1883 when just 10 faced the starter.

Jenny Pitman is the only woman to have trained a Grand National winner, capturing the race for the first time with Corbiere in 1983.

She succeeded for a second time with Royal Athlete in 1995 and finished second with Garrison Savannah in 1991.