Where does this come from, and can I check it?

It has been staged over the big fences at Aintree ever since. The figure is taken from Aintree Racecourse, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a sports fact?

Yes. It sits on the Sports shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

The Grand National was first run in 1839

It has been staged over the big fences at Aintree ever since The first official running took place at Aintree near Liverpool in 1839 and was won by a horse called Lottery. The race is a handicap chase of about 6.9 kilometres with 30 fences. Since 2013 the field has been limited to 40 runners and the course slightly shortened. It sits in Mondo's sports collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Aintree Racecourse

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

Sports trivia

More facts like this

The Kentucky Derby dates from 1875It is run over a mile and a quarter at Churchill Downs in Louisville The Melbourne Cup is a 3,200-metre handicapIt is run on the first Tuesday of November and stops the state of Victoria The Epsom Derby was first run in 1780It was named after the Earl of Derby at a dinner party coin toss Secretariat won the 1973 Belmont by 31 lengthsHe finished the mile and a half in 2 minutes 24 seconds, still the record Horse races are timed by a photo finish cameraOfficials read times to a hundredth of a second as the field crosses the line The forward pass was legalised in 1906It was brought in to open up a game that had become brutal and static

Tags: horse-racing, aintree, history

The Grand National was first run in 1839: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: It has been staged over the big fences at Aintree ever since. The figure is taken from Aintree Racecourse, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a sports fact?: Yes. It sits on the Sports shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.