Is an All Weather Track in Aintree’s Future?

Aintree Racecourse is the home of the Grand National, which is often referred to as the ‘World’s Greatest Steeplechase’. It is where some of the finest jump racing in the United Kingdom takes place, with only really Cheltenham Racecourse coming ahead of it in the pecking order.

Owned and operated by the Jockey Club, it offers a couple of courses that are used during the course of the year, but in the eyes of some remains underused.

As a result, the question about whether or not it is ever likely to get an all weather course continues to persist, with some believing that it would offer the course a chance to be used more often.

Why All Weather?

The most obvious question to ask is why, exactly, some people think Aintree would benefit from having an all weather course added to it. In truth, horse racing is one of the most weather-resistant sports out there, with nothing but frozen ground or a complete flooding likely to stop racing from taking place.

The problem is, jump racing is one of the ones most likely to fall foul of poor weather on account of the fact that it takes place during the autumn and winter months, when rain, sleet and snow is most likely to be encountered. The more knowledgeable amongst you will have immediately spotted a problem with an all weather track.

A brilliant afternoon at @AintreeRaces with some magnificent racing, and made even better by the decision to open the QM Roof to all racegoers after the third race. The roof was dead, then suddenly it was buzzing with happy racegoers. Gold stars, a brilliant day at Northern HQ!! pic.twitter.com/UW8M9NFiWr

— Mike Parcej (@MikeParcej) November 9, 2024

The problem comes in the form of the fact that jump racing can’t take place on an all weather track. Given the fact that Aintree Racecourse is best-known for jump racing, it would be entirely pointless to open a track at the course that wouldn’t allow for the type of racing it is known for to take place on it anyway.

With two courses on offer already in the form of the Grand National Course and the Mildmay Course, both of which are used for jump racing. There also used to be flat racing course at Aintree, but this was turned into the Hurdles Course and there has been no flat racing at the venue since the last flat race took place in 1976.

Aintree Would be Used More Often

The main reason behind calls for Aintree to introduce an all weather course is that it would allow the venue to be used more often. At the moment, the racecourse hosts meetings in April, October, November and December. Given the popularity of horse racing with the locals, it is seen as likely that races would sell out if an all weather course was introduced.

The problem is that flat racing isn’t necessarily what people like to watch, with the course being inextricably linked with jump racing events. The Jockey Club has invested as much as £1.5 million into the turf at Aintree to ensure that it is safe for all of the jumpers that run there.

This is the case almost irrespective of the weather that is seen in Liverpool, albeit with any major weather conditions causing issues. One of the arguments against an all weather course being installed is that it would cost a lot of money for very little benefit. After all, if the weather is freezing or there is so much rain that ground gets flooded, racing is unlikely to be able to take place on the all weather course either.

There is a reason that Aintree Racecourse has not reintroduced flat racing over the years, in spite of the fact that there is an audience that would happily watch some, and an all weather course is unlikely to change much.

Other Courses Have Attention-Grabbing Races

Part of the reason why Aintree Racecourse isn’t used more than it currently is is that other courses have attention-grabbing races that are run during the time of year when Aintree is quiet. The Betfair Chase, for example, takes place at nearby Haydock Park in November.

December sees some big races run at Kempton Park, such as the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase and the King George VI Chase. Aintree is already competing with that with its December schedule, so try to then go up against races such as the Clarence House Chase at Ascot or all of the races that are run during the week of the Cheltenham Festival would be pointless.

@raceday.rtv What a view of Aintree and the Grand National course! 🤩 (Note the crowd to the left too! 🎉) #Raceday #GrandNational #AintreeRaces ♬ original sound – Raceday.RTV

The reality is that all weather racing is as loved by the horse racing industry as flat racing or jump racing is, so the expense of building an all weather course instead of just using what’s on offer at the racecourse already.

There is little chance that Aintree would be able to compete with the other courses that already offer racing when Aintree doesn’t, even without the difficulty of an all weather course being what is available for the events to be run on. Once the jump racing calendar reaches its zenith in April, attention turns to flat racing and Aintree Racecourse isn’t a place that anyone in the industry thinks of for that discipline.