2010 Grand National

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2010 Grand National

The 2010 Grand National, the 163rd running of the famous race, was held at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool on 10 April. The winner was Don't Push It, ridden by Tony McCoy and trained by Jonjo O’Neill for owner J. P. McManus. Don’t Push It started as a 10/1 joint-favourite and won by five lengths from Black Apalachi, with State of Play third. This was McCoy’s first Grand National win after 15 attempts, a record he had been close to for years.

Attendance was strong, with 70,341 watching the race on the day and 150,426 over the three-day meeting—the biggest crowd at Aintree since 2005.

There were a few changes to the lineup: Royal Rosa ran in the National as a replacement after Abbeybraney withdrew; Silver Birch, originally a reserve, did not run in the National but competed in the Topham Chase. There were no equine fatalities in the main race.

Coral bookmakers refunded bets on King John’s Castle as a goodwill gesture after the grey refused to run in the race.

Notable jockeys included Sam Twiston-Davies, who finished fifth on his Grand National debut, one of the few debutants to complete the course. Nina Carberry attempted to become the first female winner of the National.

The race was broadcast on BBC One, with high-definition coverage on BBC HD. The commentary team consisted of Ian Bartlett, Darren Owen and Jim McGrath, with Clare Balding as anchor presenter and reporters including Rishi Persad and Mick Fitzgerald. BBC radio also carried live coverage.