Grand National for spectacle, Peddlers Cross for the dosh

SURELY a case of dropping what you are doing shortly before 4.15pm today, and tuning in to the greatest spectacle in racing, the Aintree Grand National.

It will take between nine and 10 minutes to run and is the only contest for the entire year with the capacity to reach out to those who have little interest in the racing game.

The Melbourne Cup is known as the race which stops a nation and while the National won’t quite manage that, on either side of the Irish Sea, it will have millions glued to the action.