Grand National Meeting Raises Prize Money By 7% To $4.8M

The prize money at this year’s new-look Grand National meeting "will rise by more than 7% to a record level approaching £3M ($4.8M), but that the big race itself will again be worth just short of a magical seven-figure sum," according to Andy Stephens of the LONDON TIMES. When the 40 runners "are dispatched for the National on April 6, a total of £975,000 ($1.56M) will be up for grabs for the second year running." The long-term intention of John Smith’s, the race sponsor, "had been to help stage a £1M ($1.6M) National." However, that plan "has been shelved because it is ending its nine-year association with the race after the next renewal." Total prize money at the three-day festival "will be a record £2,7M ($4.3M), which represents an increase of £185,000 ($297,000)." Thirteen of the 21 races at the meeting "have been given a monetary boost, with the Aintree Hurdle chief among them." It "has been given a £40,000 ($64,000) injection, raising its value to £200,000 ($321,000)" (LONDON TIMES, 1/8).