Vincent Hinde Collection

Aintree Racecourse

Aintree racecourse held its inaugural meeting on Tuesday 7th July 1829 in controversial circumstances. William Lynn, landlord of the Waterloo Hotel and mastermind behind the Waterloo Coursing Cup, was at odds with John Formby who had overseen the development of a course a few miles away at Maghull. Maghull was built on marshy ground, while Aintree had firmer foundations and, in the end, Aintree survived when Maghull fell by the wayside. Details of that very first meeting, consisting of 4 races, are shown below courtesy of the Leeds Intelligncer (Thursday 9th July 1829) and the British Library Online. In 1836 the Liverpool Grand Steeplechase was won by The Duke, ridden by Captain Martin Becher, and The Duke repeated the victory in the same race a year later in the hands of Henry Potts. In 1838 the Grand Steeplechase was held at Aintree when Sir William was victorious, while in 1839 the first Grand National took place when won by Lottery. Since then the race has captured the imagination and thoughts of the nation every year. Its greatest hero was Red Rum who contested the race 5 times, winning three times and gaining second place on the other 2 occasions. However, Aintree is no longer a one race wonder, with a great festival of racing built around the feature race.