Grand National-winning trainer Donald McCain believes horses have been the forgotten factor in the decision to put back the start of the world’s greatest steeplechase to 5.15pm.

Draco can land the Bumper at Punchestown this afternoon for Aidan O’Brien and his daughter, Sarah.

Grand National day at Aintree ended in revolt as 39 of the 40 jockeys took the decision not to re-enter the stewards’ room for an enquiry into the false start that the delayed the beginning of the race and saw assistant starter Simon McNeill knocked down by a horse.

Gambling has received the makeover of the century.

Attempting to understand just what the stewards in this country might do has become virtually impossible.

Peter Toole and his family received a piece of tremendous news after the jockey was allowed to return home permanently.

Peter Toole and Richard Hawkins, the two jockeys injured in falls in April, are both reported to be well on the road to recovery.

An Irish jockey who was seriously injured in a fall at Aintree last month has been flown home.

Peter Toole is reportedly making good progress as he continues to recover from his fall at Aintree on Grand National day.

Peter Toole has left intensive care as he continues to recover from his fall at Aintree on Grand National day.

Barry Geraghty started Grand National day on a high with victory on Spirit Son in the John Smith’s Mersey Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.

Quevega has a world of options next season after the star mare got every inch of the three-mile trip in the Ladbrokes.com World Series Hurdle at Punchestown.

IT’S Grand National Day again and last year proved, with a 100-1 winner, that the National is the National whatever way you look at it. You can take form, ground, jockeys, trainers and whatever else you like but, at the end of the day, it’s the National and anything can win it.

Party Politics, winner of the Grand National in the British general election year of 1992, has died at the age of 25.

Pearl King continued on the upgrade with a comfortable win in the John Smith’s Extra Smooth Handicap Hurdle, the opening race on Grand National day.

YOU would have to say Monday’s Irish Grand National meeting at Fairyhouse was a bit disappointing.

CARE And Share, a horse who has shown in the past that he goes well fresh, is the nap choice to take the Tool And Plant Hire Maiden Hurdle at Ballinrobe tonight.

LIGHTLY-raced Miss Dela rates a solid proposition to win the Western People Maiden at the first meeting of the year at Ballinrobe this evening.

ON Grand National day, this was supposed to be Arsenal’s Devon Loch moment.

Lady luck was smiling on a fortunate Cork punter who won a staggering €500,000 for a €20 bet on racing yesterday.

The 33-1 success of Silver Birch in the John Smith's Grand National had the major bookmakers declaring the biggest betting day of the year a "bookies' benefit".

"Mind-blowing" is how Bournemouth pawnbroker Kevin Old described winning the John Smith’s People’s Race on Grand National day in front of a massive crowd at Aintree.

Ten members of the public will be trained to race at this year’s Grand National Festival, it was announced today.

Postman Mark Wylie from Glasgow is in line to complete a monster pay out of nearly a quarter of a million pounds if he can find the winner of the 2.55 race at Haydock on Saturday.

Ruby Walsh has described the prospect of a clean sweep in the season’s four major Nationals as “unbelievable” just 24 hours before partnering leading chance Cornish Rebel at Ayr.

Irish raiders got off to a great start on Grand National day at Aintree as Definate Spectacle (11-1) landed the opening John Smith’s Extra Smooth Handicap Hurdle.

Young amateur Sam Waley-Cohen, who rode his first Cheltenham Festival winner last month, completed a famous double when guiding Katarino to victory over the Grand National fences in the John Smith’s Fox Hunters’ Chase at Aintree today.

Weatherman John Kettley predicts that the ground at Aintree on John Smith’s Grand National day will have softened up and he expects the venue to see around 20 millimetres of rain before Saturday.

Accordion Etoile will make his third trip to British shores this season, with trainer Paul Nolan aiming him for the John Smith’s Aintree Hurdle on Grand National day.

The man accused of a gangland style murder in a pub in Inchicore, Dublin, claimed in an interview shortly after the shooting that he was in Tallaght eating steak at the time.

A witness at the Central Criminal Court today described the chaos which ensued after a shooting in an Inchicore pub packed with families on Grand National day last year.

Puck Out (10-1) got the Irish off to a great start on Grand National day as he ran out a comfortable winner of the Martell Cordon Bleu Handicap Hurdle.

Martell Cognac Grand National day dawned with overcast skies and high hopes - some of which will be realised but most will come a cropper over the famous and fearsome fences.

It’s 31 years since Red Rum’s first Grand National victory, but trainer Ginger McCainis still as twitchy about his latest charge at Aintree today. He spoke to Ray Gilpin.

Ruby Walsh started Grand National day in the best possible fashion when he gave Risky Reef (20-1) a lovely ride to take the opening Cordon Bleu Handicap Hurdle at Aintree.

It's Grand National day today at Fairyhouse racecourse with a field of 21 horses due to set off at 4pm, despite the lack of any challengers from England because of the foot-and-mouth crisis.