I Am Maximus can go down in Grand National folklore

How do you determine a must-see event? Sport has its fair share of matches and occasions that the general public deem unacceptable to miss, but they can range from the bombastic heights of a World Cup final to the quiet whispers around the Augusta National greens at the Masters.

- MICHAEL JONES

Support and dedication to a particular sport naturally play a role, but what people really tune in for is drama. This is evident away from sport by the flood of social media reactions to the latest hot TV show or the enthusiastically contrasting opinions to Donald Trump’s ongoing tariff trade war.

Drama sells, and in the world of horse racing, nothing is as dramatic as the Grand National. Stretching back almost two centuries, the Grand National is the biggest horse race in the world. It draws in an audience of millions across the globe and provides thrills, surprises and unpredictability for 10 glorious minutes on a Saturday afternoon in April.

In February 1839, Lottery became the first winner of the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase, the race that would eventually become known as the Grand National. Through economic uncertainty, several changes to the societal landscape and two world wars, the Grand National has run at Aintree, delighting its fans and appalling its detractors in equal measure.