2011 Grand National
The 2011 Grand National (officially known as the John Smith's Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 164th renewal of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England.
| Grand National | |
| Location | Aintree Racecourse |
|---|---|
| Date | 9 April 2011 |
| Winning horse | Ballabriggs |
| Starting price | 14/1 |
| Jockey | Jason Maguire |
| Trainer | Donald McCain Jr. |
| Owner | Trevor Hemmings |
| Conditions | Good (good to soft in places) |
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Full replay of the 2011 Grand National Racing TV, YouTube |
The showpiece steeplechase began at 4:15 pm BST on 9 April 2011, the final day of the three-day annual meeting. The maximum permitted field of forty runners competed for prize money totalling a record £950,000, making it the highest valued National Hunt race in the United Kingdom.
Nineteen of the forty participants completed the 4½-mile course; of the 21 who did not, two suffered fatal falls on the first circuit, reigniting debates over the safety of the event, ultimately leading to changes in the following year's race.
Irish horse Ballabriggs won the race, securing the first-place prize money of £535,135 and a first Grand National win for trainer Donald McCain, Jr., the son of four-time winning trainer Ginger McCain. Owned by Trevor Hemmings, Ballabriggs was ridden by Irish jockey Jason Maguire and was sent off at odds of 14/1. The pairing completed the race in 9 minutes 1.2 seconds, the second-fastest time in Grand National history.