MEDIA GUIDE APRIL 12-14 CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME FROM ROSE PATERSON 2018 is the second year that Randox Health have generously sponsored the Grand National and, following last year’s hugely successful Festival, we have now built a very strong relationship with them. CONTENTS Chairman’s Welcome 3 Last December, our stable visit broke with tradition. With One For Arthur off the track for the season, we agreed with Lucinda Russell that it would be best if we looked Randox Health’s Welcome 4 elsewhere. This we did and had a great day at Grange Hill Farm near Guiting Power & Sponsorship (home of the famous Hollow Bottom pub). Ambassadors 6 Grand National Thursday – 8 We watched Nigel Twiston-Davies’s impressive string powering up his mountainous A Day for Champions all-weather gallop, including his exciting chaser Blaklion, impressive winner just a few Ladies Day 10 days later of the Randox Health Becher Chase over the big fences. We warmly thank Grand Women’s Summit 12 Nigel and his team for their hospitality and kindness. Randox Health Grand National 13 Last year, we also welcomed a new television partner in ITV Racing, who have Festival Preview impressed so many with their outstanding coverage and excellent understanding of 2 Unique Race & Global Phenomenon 14 horse welfare. You will remember how unusually warm it was last year and the ITV 3 Anniversaries 16 coverage of the action we took and why it was essential was superbly handled by all Gone But Not Forgotten 17 the team. Community Involvement 18 Off the racecourse, we have continued to develop our local community programme. Welfare & Safety 20 This was recognised by the Racecourse Association who elected us the winner of this Racing Explained 22 category at their Annual Showcase Awards for a third consecutive year. Furthermore, Roll of Honour 23 I was delighted for John Baker and his team that Aintree were also voted Racecourse Results & Reviews 26 of the Year; the first time we have won this illustrious award. 2017/2016/2015/2014 2017 was a significant year in the long history of the Grand National. 1967 saw the JOCKEYS extraordinary victory of Foinavon and in 1977 the great Red Rum ran in his fifth 2017 Winning Jockey Derek Fox 32 consecutive National, storming to his record third triumph, while 1997 saw the bomb scare, course evacuation and the only Monday National. Jockey Records 34 Retired Jockeys 36 Not so many anniversaries this year, but we expect the 2018 Festival to be better than TRAINERS ever. We will witness three days of top-class racing and we have invested again to enhance the Festival experience for all our racegoers. Greatest Trainers 38 Irish-Trained Winners 40 Our prize money over the three-day meeting has increased again to more than £3.2 Trainer Facts 41 million and the £1-million Randox Health Grand National will once again be run as the 2017 Winning Trainer Lucinda Russell 42 penultimate race on Saturday’s card at 5.15pm. Trainer Records 44 Finally, I hope you enjoy reading our 2018 Media Guide which is packed with facts and OWNERS figures covering the history of the Grand National Festival. 2017 Winning Owner Two Golf Widows 48 Successful Owners 50 FACTS Facts & Figures 52 Overseas Interest 58 Grand National Timeline 60 Race Conditions 69 Trainers & Jockeys at the Randox 71 Health Grand National Festival Past Results 74 RANDOX HEALTH GRAND NATIONAL FESTIVAL 2018 “IT IS WITH IMMENSE PRIDE THAT WE SPONSOR’S CELEBRATE OUR SECOND YEAR AS SPONSORS OF THE WORLD’S WELCOME GREATEST CHASE. “Just as we shared the exquisite thrill of approaching Aintree to experience the first Randox Health Grand National, we look forward to coming together in 2018 to watch history being written, as 40 of the very best horses and jockeys compete to be crowned champion: the ultimate prize in Jump racing. “This is one of those moments in life we “Randox now operates in 145 countries, RANDOX HEALTH THIS IS live for. in over 20% of the world’s laboratories, and in many of the leading universities. CLINIC LIVERPOOL Our award-winning scientists and “And this is why we do what we do. WHAT Provides the world’s ONE OF Randox Health is the provider of the engineers make up over a quarter of our most advanced health checks most advanced health checks in the workforce and last year, 17% of turnover to the public; coming April world. We are driven by a desire to help was reinvested into R&D. This dedication to innovation has led to partnerships with THOSE people live healthier lives for longer. HOW MUCH From £40 per month internationally renowned organisations for a 12-month programme “With the opening of our flagship clinic including the Dana-Farber Cancer “ Institute and Transgene, in the pursuit in the heart of Liverpool this year, we MOMENTS of creating next-generation therapies LOCATION Exchange Station, are strengthening our commitment to Tithebarn St, Liverpool L2 2QP 4 the city which has welcomed us with that will revolutionise patient care. 5 open arms. Here people can access the IN LIFE WE “This year will also see the second OPENING HOURS OF LIVERPOOL CLINIC world’s most advanced health checks 0730 – 1700 (Mon – Fri); late and specialised testing. We use patented Randox Health Week, providing a stage technologies which enable our scientific upon which we explore advances and evenings & Saturdays on request LIVE FOR” experts and GPs to diagnose pre-illness, trends in global healthcare with those PHONE 0800 2545 130 empowering people to take preventive at the forefront of the industry. 2018 will focus on three distinct themes: Dr Peter FitzGerald action to stay healthy and avoid sickness. MORE INFORMATION randoxhealth.com This is the future of health care. mental health, the work of the Global CBE, FREng, DL Active City initiative and preventive “Our advances in blood science health. We will hear first-hand from technology have been developed the legendary Champion Jockey Sir RANDOX HEALTH WEEK over 35 years through research and Anthony McCoy about how Randox development. In addition to our market- Health was able to diagnose his WHAT A three-day healthcare leading human healthcare, our products prediabetes and help him to reverse it. showcase featuring the UK’s have been used in the veterinary market leading academics and scientists, “We are pleased that this year along for over 30 years. Of note is our equine with personal appearance and panel, which has recently included with our founding partners, Liverpool talk from Sir Anthony McCoy the biomarker adiponectin. This has John Moore University, we will be joined by Liverpool Hope University. been successfully incorporated in the WHEN April 9 - 11 assessment of horses regarding obesity, “I would like to recognise everyone equine metabolic syndrome, and the WHERE It will be held in venues across who made the first Randox Health risk of laminitis. We work with key Liverpool and is open to the public Veterinary Hospitals and laboratories Grand National the success that around the world, who use a range of it was – in particular our partners MORE INFORMATION at The Jockey Club and ITV. Randox clinical products, including Visit randoxhealth.com The Irish Equine Centre in Kildare. “As we prepare to crown our 2018 “By focusing on designing innovative champion, I wish every horse, jockey, diagnostic technologies such as our trainer, owner and groom taking FOLLOW RANDOX HEALTH patented Biochip Array Technology which part the very best and warmly @ THE GRAND NATIONAL allows us to simultaneously carry out thank you for joining us to make many tests from a single sample, we are this the exhilarating spectacle that stops the world in its tracks.” TWITTER & FACEBOOK revolutionising the future of healthcare. @RANDOXHEALTH #RHGN18 DR PETER FITZGERALD FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR, RANDOX HEALTH RANDOX HEALTH GRAND NATIONAL FESTIVAL 2018 RANDOX HEALTH GRAND NATIONAL LAURA WRIGHT Sporting soprano Laura Wright is an ambassador at Aintree FESTIVAL Racecourse for a third year. Laura is the country’s leading figure for connecting music and sport and renowned for her performances at some AMBASSADORS of the world’s biggest sporting events. Beginning her career as the official anthem singer for the England Rugby Team, she has gone onto perform at very prestigious sporting events including the Rugby World Cup, the British Grand Prix, the Ashes, NFL matches, the FA Cup Final and opening ceremonies of the Invictus Games. Her involvement at the Randox Health Grand National Festival spans across the three days including performing at the new Opening Ceremony on Grand National Thursday, being involved in the Style Awards on Ladies Day and introducing the world’s most iconic race by singing the National Anthem before the Randox Health Grand National. Laura will also perform at Alder Hey Hospital during Aintree’s annual jockeys’ visit to the world-renowned children’s facility on the morning of Ladies Day, performing a few Disney classics to the children and parents in the hospital atrium. 6 7 KATIE WALSH The most successful female jockey in Grand National history, Katie Walsh takes up her Aintree ambassadorial role for a fourth year. Daughter of Irish trainer and television pundit, Ted Walsh, and sister to leading European Championships in London the 2017 Women Football European Jump jockey, Ruby Walsh, it is safe SAM QUEK in 2015. Sam notably was named Championships in Holland, Channel 5’s to say the Walsh’s achievements ‘Player of the Match’ in the final versus coverage of the Rugby Premiership and are to be reckoned with. 2016 Rio Olympic Games gold medallist the Netherlands, the World and presented the NFL Show on BBC 1.