Opening Day kicks off the festival, setting the stage for the spectacle. Of course, it's not just about the racing – with live entertainment & music too.
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00:00In an iconic city with the eyes of the world, watch horses create history. Opening day at
00:07the Grand National is the starting chapter of sports greatest story. It is a bit more
00:12of a chilled day here at Aintree, making it perfect for those who want to ease themselves
00:18in as well as those who are more well seasoned race goers. We have been speaking to the race
00:23goers here at Aintree to find out what their favourite thing about the day is.
00:27Having some fun and just enjoying the atmosphere for me, I get a look, right, it's a bonus.
00:34The style, the clothes, everyone makes an effort and I've never been on a Thursday before
00:39so Fridays and Saturdays we go, but this is our first time on a Thursday so we thought
00:44let's give it a go and I love the fact that everyone's casual, people are dressed up,
00:48there's trainers, there's heels, it's gorgeous.
00:50We love it here, we come every year, you've got to come to Grand National, you've got
00:57to do at least one day, haven't you. We've been coming here for about, oh maybe 30 years
01:02I suppose, we never miss it and we love the people in Liverpool, we're always very welcome,
01:08love the atmosphere and sure it's great racing. I've never been to races before, I've been
01:12to Chester before, I had a good time there so I'm hoping for more and the same, the weather's
01:17amazing so enjoying it and hopefully some winds. I think just the dressing up, getting
01:22an outfit together, seeing everyone else's outfits, more for the fashion than the racing
01:27I think sometimes but I love it. Dancing, being with the girls. It's always better when
01:31the sun's out, always better, everyone's happy, everyone always looks gorgeous, makes all
01:37the effort so we're going to have a good day. I think the atmosphere is going to be incredible,
01:43I mean loads of people coming together, racing on, having fun, getting married and the weather
01:48is insane. I'd say off work, sunny, managed to get like decent tickets so I thought literally
01:54as of last week I was like, let's go, why not. Only yesterday before we left, I said
01:59to you, I'll wear this because it's, you know, if the weather is bad or it's good, it's kind
02:03of in between kind of outfit. The hat, it's like the tall chips, I hope the wind won't
02:08take it. The event draws in large crowds of people enjoying not just the races but
02:14also the festive atmosphere, the fashion and also the good fun that's become synonymous
02:20with the event. Over three days a total of 21 races are taking place with appearances
02:26from some of the best racehorses from across the UK and Ireland. Our highlight in the UK's
02:33sporting calendar, the Grand National has seen significant disruption over the years,
02:38most recently in 2024, animal rights group Animal Rising orchestrated coordinated protests
02:44aiming to halt the race and draw attention to concerns over horse welfare. However, Merseyside
02:50Police say there is no intelligence to suggest that similar disruptions will be taking place
02:56at this year's event.