Aintree embrace Merseyside derby

Aintree’s executive insist the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Everton will not have a negative impact upon this year’s John Smith’s Grand National - despite being staged on the same day.

Although National day on April 14 is already a sell-out, up to 80,000 football supporters from Merseyside will be heading south to Wembley.

But Julian Thick, Aintree managing director, is adamant the game will not reduce the local significance of the highlight of the jumps calendar.

He told the Daily Mail: “We sold out for National day ahead of last year’s schedule when we had a capacity crowd of 70,300.

“From a commercial point of view, we are confident the semi-final will have no significant impact, while from a customer experience perspective we are waiting to see what time the match kicks off to see whether it is possible for us to incorporate coverage of the match into the raceday entertainment.”