2016 Grand National

A total of 126 entries were received for consideration in the 2016 Grand National, of which 96 remained after the second of two scratching deadlines, and 87 then advanced to the final confirmation stage. On 7 April the final field of 40 horses was announced as starters for the showpiece race. Four reserves were on standby, but there were no withdrawals before the deadline on 8 April.

O'Faolains Boy was subsequently a non-runner, being declared lame in the morning of the race, reducing the field to 39 from the maximum of 40. A notable absentee was the 2014 winner Pineau de Re, who was rated 46th in the handicap and thus did not qualify for the final field. The joint-favourites with bookmakers were the 2015 winner and top-weight Many Clouds and The Last Samuri.{{Cite web | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/35987334| title = Grand National 2016: Aintree field headed by Many Clouds | first =Frank | last = Keogh | publisher = BBC Sport | date = 7 April 2016 | access-date = 9 April 2016}}

• Great Britain unless stated.
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The outsider Aachen led the field on the first circuit with Double Ross very prominent and The Last Samuri and Many Clouds close behind the leaders. The most notable early faller was the third-favourite Holywell at the second fence. The Romford Pele was in a handy position until falling at the Canal Turn. Silviniaco Conti was pulled up at the 14th whilst On His Own and Sir Des Champs, both trained by Willie Mullins, fell at The Chair.

As the horses set out on the second circuit some of the early leaders began to fade and the 2015 runner-up Saint Are led the field, with The Last Samuri and Many Clouds disputing second. In the heavy conditions, several riders decided to pull their horses up rather than face Becher's a second time. Many Clouds went to the front at the 19th fence and raced alongside The Last Samuri for several fences before making a bad mistake at the 26th, after which he began to struggle under the top weight.{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/horse-racing/35721629|title=Relive the drama of the Grand National|date=9 April 2016|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=5 May 2016}}

The Last Samuri led the field into the final turn ahead of Morning Assembly and the 100/1 outsider Vics Canvas, who had made a remarkable recovery after almost falling at Becher's Brook on the first circuit. Rule The World was beginning to make steady progress. The Last Samuri cleared the final fence just ahead of Vics Canvas, with Rule The World a length behind in third place. The three leaders were virtually level at the elbow with Vics Canvas on the rail, Rule The World on the outside and The Last Samuri in between them. In the final furlong Rule The World drew ahead and won by six lengths from The Last Samuri, with eight lengths back to Vics Canvas in third. Gilgamboa finished another two lengths behind in fourth, ahead of Goonyella, Ucello Conti, Vieux Lion Rouge, Morning Assembly and Shutthefrontdoor. Many Clouds was the last of the 16 finishers.{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/results/32/aintree/2016-04-09/642825|title=2016 Grand National result |publisher=Racing Post|date=9 April 2016}}

All 39 runners returned to the stables with no major concerns.{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/apr/09/wins-grand-national-aintree|title=Rule The World wins the Grand National with 19-year-old David Mullins|date=9 April 2016|work=The Guardian|access-date=5 May 2016}} However, over the three days of the Grand National Festival a total of five horses died from injuries sustained during racing.Kathryn Snowdon, [http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/grand-national-2016-aintree-racecourse-five-horses-die-kings-palace_uk_570b7adde4b07a35187c3a58 Grand National Festival 2016 At Aintree Racecourse Sees Five Horses Die After Kings Palace Is Pulled Up And Destroyed], Huffington Post, 11 April 2016

{{multiple image | width = 75 | header = Placed horses| direction = vertical| caption_align = center

|image1=Owner_Gigginstown_House_Stud.svg |alt1= |caption1=1: Rule The World

|image2=Owner_Mr_and_Mrs_Paul_Rooney.svg |alt2=|caption2=2: The Last Samuri

|image3=Owner_Bodeen_Bandits_Partnership.svg |alt3= |caption3=3: Vics Canvas

|image4=Owner Mr John P McManus.svg|alt4= |caption4=4: Gilgamboa

}}

The sixteen horses to complete the course finished as follows:

The runners who failed to complete were as follow:

{{Quote box

|quote = The Last Samuri just leads the way in the National, but here comes Rule The World charging on the outside, then Vics Canvas, and Rule The World is beginning to get up on the nearside now, charging on in the hands of David Mullins. And racing up towards the line, Rule The World rules at Aintree and wins the Crabbie's Grand National!

|source = Channel 4 lead commentator Simon Holt describes the climax of the race.

|width = 35%

|quoted = 1

|align = right

}}

As the Grand National is accorded the status of an event of national interest in the United Kingdom and is listed on the Ofcom Code on Sports and Other Listed and Designated Events, it must be shown on free-to-air terrestrial television in the UK. The race was broadcast live on TV by Channel 4, as part of their four-year deal for the race secured back in 2012. This was the final year that Channel 4 broadcast the race live, after ITV secured the rights from 2017 onwards.{{cite web|url=http://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/british-horseracing-announces-exclusive-domestic-tv-rights-deal-itv|title=British horseracing announces exclusive domestic TV rights deal with ITV|date=2 January 2016|publisher=ITV Press Centre|access-date = 10 April 2016}}

The coverage was led by Clare Balding and Nick Luck, supported by Emma Spencer, Jim McGrath and Graham Cunningham in the trackside studio. Retired champion jockey Sir Anthony McCoy provided expert opinions throughout the coverage, with reports from Mick Fitzgerald and Alice Plunkett and betting updates by Tanya Stevenson and Brian Gleeson. The commentary team was by Richard Hoiles, Ian Bartlett and Simon Holt, who called the winner home for the final time. After the race, Luck, Fitzgerald and McCoy provided viewers with a fence-by-fence analysis of the race. Channel 4 ran all-day coverage from Aintree on the day of the race, with extended editions of The Morning Line and Weekend Brunch airing prior to the main broadcast.[http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/channel-4-to-provide-nearly-10-hours-dedicated-to-the-grand-national Channel 4 To Provide Nearly 10 Hours Dedicated to the Grand National ] The coverage of the race was watched by 10 million viewers, an increase of 1.1 million on the previous year, and attracted a 59% share of the television audience.{{cite web|url=http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse-racing/big-boost-to-grand-national-audience-as-10m-tune-in/2061435/#newsArchiveTabs=last7DaysNews|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423164201/http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse-racing/big-boost-to-grand-national-audience-as-10m-tune-in/2061435/#newsArchiveTabs=last7DaysNews|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 April 2016|title=Big boost to National audience as 10m tune in|first=Andrew|last= Dietz|date=10 April 2016|work=Racing Post}}

• Horse racing in Great Britain
• List of British National Hunt races

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2016

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