Aintree: The History of the Racecourse

Each year, for a few hours on a Saturday afternoon in April, Aintree Racecourse becomes the focus of the sporting world and the stage of the world's greatest steeplechase, the Grand National. More than 70,000 spectators at the course along with a global live broadcast audience of millions thrill to the spectacle of 40 horses and their riders racing over the world's most famous steeplechase course.There have been many accounts of the Grand National, but this book, Aintree, tells the story of the iconic racecourse from its early days as a flat racing venue, through William Lynn's inspired inauguration of the first Liverpool Grand Steeple-Chase in 1836, the redesign of fences in the 1880s, and subsequently the impact of wartime occupations, followed by dramatic postwar decline to the more recent and welcome renaissance as a three-day festival of jumping. Aintree also reveals previously unexplored aspects of the racecourse's colourful history: its spectators, buildings, animal welfare issues, and some unexpected, remarkable stories such as the early history of women's football and development of powered flight.After years of dedicated research, John Pinfold, a leading historian of the Grand National, exposes some of Aintree's tales as myths, while adding many a new one to the rich tapestry of the annals. Aintree, The History of the Racecourse is lavishly illustrated with numerous pictures never before reproduced. The author draws on previously untapped sources, including the Topham family archives, to weave a fascinating story that spans three centuries.This book will appeal to both the horse racing enthusiast and the general reader.

About the Author :
After more than thirty years working in higher education, first at the London School of Economics and then at Rhodes House, Oxford, John Pinfold is now an independent historian based in Oxford. Brought up in Liverpool, he saw his first Grand National in 1967, and has witnessed at first hand all but two of the subsequent renewals of the world's greatest steeplechase. A recognised authority on the history of the race, he has written widely on the history of horse racing, including contributions to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and the journal of the British Society of Sports History, Sport in History. His previous books include Gallant Sport: the authentic history of Liverpool races (1999) and The Velka Pardubicka and the Grand National (2010).

Review :
"The racing book of the year" John Randall, Racing Post; "John Pinfold's detailed and well-illustrated work will surely become the book of reference on Grand National history." Robin Oakley, The Spectator; www.spectator.co.uk/2016/04/i-managed-to-miss-out-on-the-glory-of-cheltenham-financially-anyway; "In short, it is the only book that you need on this subject on your shelf." Turf Times.