Grand National 2025: Your guide to three-day festival at Aintree
Getting there
Racegoers heading to the iconic Aintree meeting are advised to plan ahead, use public transport where possible and leave plenty of time.Merseyrail is operating a special service during the festival and said there would be trains running to Aintree station every seven and a half minutes.If travelling by bus, the 300, 310 & 345 services run regularly between Queen Square bus station and the Aintree area.Stagecoach will be operating a regular shuttle bus service from Liverpool city centre to Aintree Racecourse on all three days of the festival.Shuttle buses will depart from Elliot Street [Stop GE] and return shuttles will depart from Park Lane (opposite Aintree rail station) - return trips will be running on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 April only.For those travelling by road to Aintree Racecourse, follow the A59 to Liverpool and the yellow/tourism signs as you approach the racecourse for routes to the car parks - which must be booked in advance.However, Merseyside Police are advising people to use public transport as there are a number of road closures, diversions and traffic management measures in place and heavy traffic is expected on the A59.
Opening Day - Thursday
Gates open at 11:00 BST on Opening Day, which is often thought of as a day for true racing aficionados and can often be the place where new talent in the horse racing world will emerge.This year, the 2023 champion hurdler Constitution Hill, trained by Nicky Henderson, returns to action after falling in the big race at Cheltenham last month when trying to regain his crown.Grey Dawning, trained by Dan Skelton, is likely to go off favourite for the Bowl, with Spillane's Tower and Gaelic Warrior among rivals.Willitgoahead and Lifetime Ambition are among hopefuls in the Foxhunters' Chase over the National fences.The race times are as follows:13:45: EBC Group Manifesto Novices' Chase (Grade 1) 2m 4f14:20: Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 4f14:55: Aintree Bowl Chase (Grade 1) 3m 1f15:30: William Hill Aintree Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 4f16:05: Randox Foxhunters' Open Hunters' Chase 2m 5f16:40: Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase 2m17:15: Goffs Nickel Coin Mares' Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race 2m 1f
Ladies Day - Friday
Ladies Day, the second day of the annual meeting is all about glamour and style, alongside the horseracing on the course. The gates open at 10:30 BST - expect bright outfits and big hats as the crowd goes all out.It will also see the Style Awards, where two best dressed racegoers will be crowned, along with the most sustainably dressed racegoer.Here is the schedule for the second day of the Aintree meeting:13:45: Huyton Asphalt Franny Blennerhassett Memorial Mildmay Novices' Chase (Grade 1) 3m 1f14:20: William Hill Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f14:55: Trustatrader Top Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m15:30: My Pension Expert Melling Chase (Grade 1) 2m 4f16:05: Randox Supporting Prostate Cancer UK Topham Handicap Chase 2m 5f16:40: Sefton Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) 3m ½f17:15: Hallgarten and Novum Wines Handicap Hurdle 2m ½f
Grand National Day - Saturday
Gates open at 10:00 BST on Saturday, but all eyes will be on the 34 runners and riders taking on 30 unique fences for the main event, which takes place at at 16:00.The 2024 winner I Am Maximus, trained by Willie Mullins, is among the leading contenders for owner JP McManus, along with Iroko and Perceval Legallois.The latter is trained by Gavin Cromwell, who also runs 2023 runner-up Vanillier and Stumptown, winner of the Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham in March.Last year's Irish Grand National victor Intense Raffles and bargain buy Hewick, who cost just £800, are among other hopefuls.The schedule for Grand National Day is as follows:13:20: William Hill Top Price Guarantee Handicap Hurdle 3m ½f13:55: Turners Mersey Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 4f14:30: William Hill Freebooter Handicap Chase 3m 1f15:05: Liverpool Hurdle 3m ½f16:00: Randox Grand National 4m 2½f17:00: Maghull Novices' Chase (Grade 1) 2m17:35: Weatherbys NHStallion.co.uk Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race 2m 1f
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Pandemic hangover and 'corporate greed' blamed for Vegas tourism collapse
A Sin City regular has blamed a pandemic hangover and 'corporate greed' for the tourism collapse in Las Vegas. It comes as figures from the city's convention and visitors bureau show tourism is down 11 per cent, while overall visits to the Nevada city are down six per cent this year. Meanwhile, the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino - the oldest gaming hub in the city - has announced it is replacing human dealers with electronic games. The former Vegas regular took to Reddit explaining they believe the tourist boycott is down to two things - 'the pandemic' and 'corporate greed.' 'I booked a trip and was on the strip the day some of the casinos reopened (after the pandemic) and it was dead, of course, but it was on it's way back,' the user wrote. As companies attempted to claw their way back into the green following the Covid-19 shutdown, the user blamed the city's decline on corporations relying on 'the common man' to recoup their losses. After having been a 'Vegas regular for over 20 years', they saw how prices were soaring following the pandemic. 'Resort fees. They started implementing them and every year they go up,' the user wrote. 'Even if you are getting comped rooms, some of these places have nightly resort fees ranging from about 40-80 bucks. 'That gives you access to Wi-Fi and usually the spa. Both things that were previously free.' The user said that food prices also took a noticeable increase, where buffets used to be served at around $20 to $30. 'Now there are fewer buffets to be had and they are all around 50 and up,' they wrote, noting that 'most are brunch only so forget about a full dinner buffet.' The gambling tables also had increased minimum bets if you wanted to sit and play. 'Pre-pandemic you could walk into most strip casinos and find 5-10 dollar tables and most would be full day and night,' they wrote. 'Now you find a rare low minimum table anywhere on the strip and most have jumped to 25-50 minimum.' But the gambling tables came with another issue as staffing numbers were also reduced, according to the user. With fewer staff comes slower service, which they said is a 'huge problem' when gambling. 'Most gamblers like to take advantage of the free drinks, but if they have to wait 20 minutes or more for a waitress to even come by and notice them, then another 20 for her to make it back around, that's a problem,' they wrote. Yet, even if gambling is not your cup of tea, other forms of entertainment have also seen prices 'skyrocket.' 'Shows and events, prices have just skyrocketed for shows,' the user wrote. 'Prices everywhere have gone up but most people can't justify paying 2-300 a ticket for a show per ticket.' They also noted that parking fees can cost a driver around 30 to 50 dollars per day if they wanted to 'park at a hotel where they were actually staying.' After having spent the last 20 years going to Vegas 'four times a year like clockwork', the user has since cut their trips down to two and even considered skipping their second trip for this year. 'People need to just avoid Vegas until they realize they have to adjust prices that reflect what middle America are willing and able to pay,' they said. Another frequent visitor said they had been 'five times since 2012, always for business' but agreed that corporate greed was a major issue. 'The first time I came, I was pleasantly surprised that I could just wander from casino to casino, having a beer here and there and some nice food in between. 'Enjoy the spectacle, hang out with colleagues and watch the crazy people,' they wrote on the Reddit thread. 'And at the end, I wasn't completely broke, or maybe even won a couple $. Now, it seems like the only reason to go to a certain casino is if you have a hankering for a specific restaurant. 'Everything else is generified and looks the same. The prices for food are astronomical... the corps have realized that people will pay anything, because once they are on the Strip for an event, they have no other options.' Another user chimed in and agreed that corporate greed has been one of the biggest factors keeping Vegas from coming back to life. 'I live in Vegas... this is 100 per cent what I've heard the locals say is the problem too,' they said. '[Big companies] talk about how they're optimizing for the high rollers now but [there] just aren't that many. 'And as they lose money they continue to raise prices to make up the difference but that just locks out even more people.' Caesars Entertainment, which runs eight casino resorts and one non-gaming hotel on the Strip, reported a 3.7 per cent year-over-year decline in net revenue in the second quarter of 2025, according to SEC filings. From April to June, the company brought in $1.054 billion in Las Vegas, down from $1.095 billion in the same time period in 2024.
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Daily Mail
$80 bill for six beers lays bare rip-off Vegas prices as Sin City battles to restore tanking tourism sector
A six-pack of beers for nearly $80 has shed a shameful light on the tanking tourism industry in Las Vegas. A horrified visitor posted the staggering $76.99 bill for a bucket of six Coors Light while partying at the Flamingo pool in the middle of the city's famed Strip For 24 cold ones the bill was an extortionate $290.00 - a markup of nearly 15 times its usual $20. 'I can't keep going here,' the partier who filmed his menu said as he listed off the pricey options. Cases of Topo Chico or Truly hard seltzers, which typically cost around $30 to $35, were also sold for almost $300. For drinkers who want a mixed cocktail, a large Bloody Mary would set them back $40 per drink. And six shots, a total of just nine fluid ounces, costs $99.99 in the party hub on the Vegas strip. Food options at the pool weren't any more reasonable, with a chicken tender platter or a cheeseburger slider plate running up to $89.99. 'Get ready to spend if you want to go to the Go Pool,' the shocked partier added. It comes after a new report to Las Vegas's Convention and Visitors Authority warned the number of airline passengers arriving at the city will continue to plummet in the coming months. The tourism body was told in the report by Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting that capacity rates at the gambling hotspot's Harry Reid International Airport are forecast to drop dramatically in the second half of 2025. They warned the number of inbound passengers will plunge to around 95,000 seats per day for the rest of the year - a worrying prediction that represents a 2.3 per cent fall from 2024 numbers. The decline is largely fueled by an 18.5 per cent drop in traffic from Canada, which typically provides the largest share of international visitors to the Nevada city, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal. The loss of Canadian tourists has canceled out gains from other continents, including a 31.7 per cent increase in airline capacity from Asia and a 21.6 per cent increase jump from Europe excluding the United Kingdom. The report cemented a steep decline in tourism to Las Vegas, with previous statistics from April showing it was losing upwards of 300,000 visitors per month since the start of 2025. The number of Canadian passengers flying to Las Vegas fell to an average of 2,412 per day this year, according to the report. This has been blamed by some on the election in January of Donald Trump and his threats to make Canada the 51st state. Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority president and chief executive Steve Hill told the Journal he was hearing from many angry Canadians about the president. 'There's an awful lot of the anecdotal conversation around Canadians being angry and upset about tariffs and talk around annexing the country,' he said. 'We've seen consumer confidence numbers drop pretty significantly over the past couple of months.' In May, the World Travel & Tourism Council reported that the U.S. was set to lose $12.5 billion in international visitor spending this year. 'While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the U.S. government is putting up the "closed" sign,' Julia Simpson, the council's president and chief executive, said in a news release at the time. Another reason for the recent drop in Las Vegas is due to a maintenance issue with Spirit Airlines, the second busiest carrier at Reid International Airport. The maintenance issues have grounded 50 planes in Spirit's fleet, which has significantly reduced its capacity, according to Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting senior director Joel Van Over. 'They have an issue with their (jet) engines,' Van Over said. 'They have to pull that engine off the plane, fix the cracks, put it back on the plane, and that whole process takes about 300 days. 'So obviously they can't just do a plane a year because it would take them 100 years to get that done.'
The Independent
21 hours ago
- The Independent
Overcrowding, earthquakes and extreme heat: The Greek holiday could be changing forever
When Icarus made his escape from the island of Crete with wings made of feathers and wax, he ignored the warning not to fly too close to the sun. Overcome by the thrill of flight, he soared too high, the heat melted the wax, and he fell into the sea and drowned. Icarus's story is a cautionary tale on the dangers of overambition. It also serves as an effective metaphor for the crossroads Greece 's tourism industry finds itself at today. Tourism has long been one of Greece's economic pillars, contributing €21.7bn to the economy in 2024 alone. But after decades of growth, cracks are beginning to show. The country is grappling with overtourism, infrastructure strain, housing shortages, and the escalating impact of the climate crisis – all of which threaten to upend the very charm that draws millions of visitors each year. Last summer, Greece's ombudsman issued a report calling for urgent reform to address these issues. 'Our country's economy relies heavily on tourism, which makes the need to manage it in a sustainable way even more urgent,' the report said. It warned that Greece must not 'exhaust its potential, wasting it and making our tourist destinations unattractive over time'. Santorini's slowdown One of the most iconic victims of this pressure is Santorini. The Cycladic island, famous for its sunsets, whitewashed buildings, and volcanic beaches, has seen a drop in visitor numbers this summer. Airport data from January to May shows arrivals decreased by 24.4 per cent annually, according to reports – a notable shift for an island that has hosted more than 5.5 million annual visitors despite having just 15,550 residents. 'In Santorini, even tourists complain about the great number of tourists,' a 2024 report said. Cruise tourism, although recently capped at 8,000 visitors per day, has brought up to 18,000 passengers to Santorini daily during peak season, straining the island's resources. Rapid growth has led to overcrowding, congestion, and environmental damage, all of which have been noticed by prospective visitors. A widely reported swarm of 1,200 earthquakes between 25 January and 7 February this year also did little to help. While the mass anti-tourist protests seen in Barcelona and elsewhere in Europe have yet to erupt in Greece, frustration is mounting. In Athens, locals are increasingly concerned about the proliferation of Airbnbs and the hollowing out of community life, claiming central neighbourhoods are becoming a 'tourism Disneyland'. Paradise Iost As visitor numbers fall in Santorini, other islands are seeing a surge, forcing local governments to effectively 'spin plates' with tourism management – not ideal for a country more famous for smashing them. Dimitri Vayanos, a professor of finance and member of Greece's influential Pissarides Committee on economic growth, is watching closely from the island of Ios, where he has been involved in local efforts to combat overdevelopment. 'There's been little change since the ombudsman's report,' he says. 'It's more of the same.' Vayanos believes many smaller islands are now repeating the mistakes of Mykonos and Santorini: 'They're being overbuilt, with little concern for protecting their character.' He adds that authenticity, agriculture and local products are at the heart of Greece's tourism product. 'But tourism is draining the resources that sustain them.' Water shortages, exacerbated by climate change, are also a major problem. 'Even where water is scarce, people are building big developments with pools,' he adds. Though Vayanos sees potential for growth in underdeveloped areas, he fears Greece is playing a dangerous game of tourism 'whack-a-mole'. Where one island declines, another rises and sees similar issues. The tide turns Ferry companies are already reporting shifting travel patterns. According to Ferryhopper, routes once centred on Santorini are seeing reduced interest, replaced by island hopping between Ios, Milos and Mykonos. Rival site Ferryscanner reported a 50 per cent drop in bookings to Santorini by American tourists and a 33 per cent drop to Mykonos. In contrast, it claims lesser-known destinations like Aegina and Poros have seen surges of more than fourfold. British tourists are also breaking away from traditional destinations. Lefkada, Sougia, Fournoi and Kastellorizo have all seen interest soar by more than 200 per cent, with Lefkada recording a 1,167 per cent spike in ferry bookings compared to 2024, according to the Ferryscanner data. The Greek National Tourism Organisation welcomes the shift, adding that any drop in Santorini does not reflect waning interest in Greece overall and that the country is encouraging a more diverse spread of destinations. 'This tourism season, Greece is experiencing an overall increase in visitor numbers compared to last year, in general and from the British market specifically, reaffirming its strong position as one of the world's leading destinations,' says Eleni Skarveli, Greece's national tourism director for the UK and Ireland. The tourism board also claim a surge in interest for smaller, lesser-known islands like Naxos, Tinos, Kythnos, Kea, Sifnos, or Kythira. The Greek government has said it is taking steps to future-proof its tourism model. Eleni reports an ambitious €322m (£277m) strategy. The plan includes €160m (£137m) to upgrade tourist ports and €56m (£48m) for developing mountain and winter tourism, including ski resorts. Overcrowded islands On Zante, the alarm bells rang earlier this year when a report by Which? Travel, based on EU data, named the Ionian island Europe's most overcrowded resort. With only 40,000 residents, it recorded six million overnight stays in 2023 – 150 per resident. Locals report roads, sewage systems, and other infrastructure buckling under the pressure. But Bluebell Tuck, a British expat who has lived in Zante for 30 years and owns O'Callaghans Loft bar in Laganas, claims that any suggestion of overtourism hasn't caused friction with the locals: 'They welcome it with open arms, they know that tourism is our industry. We all know there's no way the island can survive on olive oil and farming alone.' She claims Zante is set to be as busy as ever this summer, but the rise in all-inclusive hotels sees less money distributed across the island's other businesses. Despite the continued flow of tourists, she says that those who rely on tourism in Zante are not complacent and have seen cautionary tales from elsewhere in Greece, comparing it to Kavos in Corfu and Faliraki in Rhodes, both of which have seen a reported drop in British tourists in recent years. She says that her bar's DJ has recently left Cavos after 10 years, describing it as 'dead'. Though Tuck believes Zante still has a future – thanks in part to constant reinvestment by local businesses – she, like many others, is critical of a lack of government investment: 'Here people are building really beautiful beach bar venues, they are investing in boats for tourists to rent out, we have nice restaurants and beautiful shops. We are actually investing our money back into the island. The problem is the government doesn't.' She points to issues with waste collection as an example of a lack of investment. Water scarcity is also a long-standing concern. In Zante, many businesses now rely on privately purchased water to keep running, and on nearby Lefkada, residents faced water outages for much of this summer. Wildfires and the climate crisis Earlier this summer, the Acropolis – the nation's ancient iconic attraction – was forced to shut its gates to visitors as temperatures in Athens soared above 40C. Meanwhile, firefighters again battled devastating wildfires across Greece, with Zante burning for much of August. As the Acropolis bakes under the relentless sun, it stands as a stark reminder that even the strongest monuments are vulnerable. Greece's tourism sector, for all its might, is no different. A study by the National Observatory of Athens suggests that the country could see 15 to 20 more 'extreme heat days' per year by 2050. Hotels and resorts are scrambling to respond. Some are redesigning their outdoor spaces to include shaded areas, misting systems, and heat-resistant landscaping. Greek Tourism minister Olga Kefalogianni recently announced plans to promote 'climate-resilient tourism'. The Greek National Tourism Organisation has worked hard to promote the country as a year-round destination, urging travellers to visit in spring or autumn to relieve the peak summer strain. Yet many argue these measures fall short and, without coordinated reforms, fear the country risks repeating Icarus's fatal error: 'Mykonos and Santorini have already been overbuilt. It's irreversible.' Dimitri warns, adding that unless Greece rethinks tourism from the ground up – balancing economic benefits with sustainability – the country could risk losing what makes it special in the first place.
