The John Smith's Aintree Grand National, which takes place this year at 4.15pm, Aintree, Saturday, April 4, 2009, is a class 1, Grade 3 race, which this year has a prize fund pot worth ?900,000.



There are a number of criteria, which must be met, by trainers and owners before a horse can be considered for eligibility. Horses must be at least six-year-old or older and must be allotted a rating of 110 or more by the BHA Head of Handicapping.

This ranking comes after a review of the horses entered and after taking account of races run up to and including February 8, 2009. A horse entered in January that subsequently does not obtain a ranking high enough for qualification will be scratched from the entrants list on the first forfeit date, which, in the case of this year, was February 24th, 2009.

It should also be noted that horses, which are not qualified for a rating in Great Britain or Ireland at January 27, 2009, may also be entered. Horses in this position may be eligible for a weight providing the Handicapper is satisfied that the horse's racecourse performances to February 8, 2009, would merit a minimum rating of 110.

There are also other stipulations that trainers and owners of these horses need to consider when entering a potential Grand National runner. Their horse must have run at least three times in Steeple Chases run under the Rules of Racing of the same Recognised Turf Authority up to and including February 8, 2009. At the Handicapper's discretion such horses may be allocated a rating.

From this point, the decision of the BHA Head of Handicapping is final. Entries closed January 27 and on were revealed on January 28. There were 123 entrants in total, of which 35 were Irish-trained, six of whom are renewals from last year.

Shortly after the announcement was made, three horses, Denman, Joe Lively and Leading Attraction were scratched by their trainers, leaving 120 horses in contention for the 40 places up for grabs.

The next stage of the process is the declaration of the weights, which took place on February 10th; the highest weight issued to a horse was Exotic Dancer at 11st 10lb. Simply put, it means that based on his past performances, he is seen as the biggest potential threat on the day and to even out the playing field, other horses are given less weight to carry, thereby increasing their chances of winning.

The first forfeit stage took place on February 24, where a further 14 horses were scratched from the list, 17 including the previous three horses who were withdrawn earlier in the process. That now leaves 106 horses in the running.

With Cheltenham taking place on March 10th ? 14th, it gives trainers and owners another opportunity to assess their horse's chances in the Grand National. So following this major event in the horse-racing calendar a second forfeit stage will take place on March 17th. Horses withdrawn at this point will be announced on March 18th.

It is not anticipated that the final runners list will be complete so a further forfeit stage will take place on March 30th, just four days before the big race. With the possibility that there will still be too many horses remaining for the 40 available spots, the final declaration stage will take place at 10.00am, April 2.

At this point the form figures supplied will be completely up to date and the race card will be complete. And that is how the 40 horses that race in the John Smith's Aintree Grand National 2009 will be chosen.