23.03.10 - THE GRAND NATIONAL

John Smith's Grand National Legends Announced

John Smith’s and Aintree have today announced eight racing greats to be inducted into the inaugural John Smith’s Grand National Legends.  This new initiative celebrates Grand National history and an awards ceremony will be held at Aintree racecourse on John Smith’s Grand National Day – Saturday 10th April.

A shortlist of Grand National Legends was compiled by a selection panel of racing experts were asked to consider the star performers – equine and human – from the 1830s through to the present day. Thousands of racing fans have placed their votes over the last few weeks at www.grandnationallegends.com and the five selected by public vote are joined by three further awards selected by the panel:

Ginger McCain and Red Rum                           Manifesto
John Buckingham and Foinavon                     Jenny Pitman
Sir Peter O’Sullevan                                           Edward Topham
George Stevens                                                  Captain Martin Becher

Julian Thick, Managing Director at Aintree, commented:  “The John Smith’s Grand National always seems to produce a great story and we have been delighted by the public response to this vote. We also felt it was important to recognise the contributions made in the very early days of the race, with Captain Becher and Edward Topham playing a huge part in creating the race we know today and George Stevens’ record as a jockey unlikely to be surpassed. We now look forward to celebrating these first inductees to Aintree on John Smith’s Grand National Day.”

Aintree and John Smith’s are still searching for John Smith’s Grand National ‘People’s Legends’. If you have a story about how the people of Liverpool get involved with the race or if your pub landlord hosts a fantastic Grand National party each year, then they want to hear about it. Nominations can still be submitted at www.grandnationallegends.com and the best five will be invited as a guest to Aintree on Liverpool Day, Thursday 8th April.