Weights for £1-million Crabbie's Grand National revealed at Abbey Road Studios tomorrow

The weights for The Crabbie's Grand National will be revealed at noon tomorrow, Tuesday, February 11.

Run at Aintree on Saturday, April 5, The Crabbie's Grand National will have, thanks to the new sponsor, a total prize fund of £1 million for the first time in 2014.

 

The 115 entries for The 2014 Crabbie's Grand National were revealed on January 29, 31 more than in 2013.

The weights launch is being held for the first time at Abbey Road Studios in London. Abbey Road Studios has a direct link to Liverpool in that the vast majority of recordings by The Beatles between 1962 and 1970 were made at the venue. The zebra crossing directly in front of the studios is immortalised on the cover of the Fab Four's 1969 album Abbey Road.

Weights for The Crabbie's Grand National are framed by the British Horseracing Authority's Head of Handicapping, Phil Smith. The Crabbie's Grand National is the only handicap of the year where Smith has absolute discretion over the weights and can deviate from the normal handicap ratings.

Lion Na Bearnai won the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse in 2012 and, after a spell in the doldrums, returned to form when taking a chase over an extended two miles and five furlongs at the same course on February 1.

The 12-year-old's trainer Tom Gibney reported today: "Aintree and The Crabbie's Grand National is very much the plan for Lion Na Bearnai. He has been in very good form since his win at Fairyhouse last time out.

"He was entered last year for the Grand National but was sick and had to miss the race. He then went to the Scottish Grand National at the end of last season as the last throw of the dice, but had a bad preparation and wasn't really right.

"He seems well again now and hopefully we can keep him that way."

Lion Na Bearnai was allotted 10st 9lb for the Grand National last year and when questioned about an ideal racing weight this time, Gibney remarked: "As long as he gets in we will be happy! I think he is about 5lb lower this year so we will just have to see."

The Crabbie's Grand National is run over 30 fences and four miles, three and a half furlongs.

The great race, first run at Aintree in 1839, is a global attraction and watched by over 600 million people worldwide.