The Grand National is the centrepiece of the three-day Aintree Festival at the Liverpool course, which starts on Thursday 2 April

The crowds flock to Aintree each year with around 150,000 people attending over the three days of the meeting

Ladies Day on Friday always features a lively mix of contenders and is one of the local social highlights of the year

Coleen Rooney, the wife of Manchester United star Wayne, is a regular at Aintree during the Grand National meeting

There is always a buzz around the course as the riders prepare for the start of the Grand National on Saturday

Becher's Brook is one of the most famous fences on the course and is jumped twice during the Grand National

Standing at 6ft 9in on the landing side, each year Becher's ends the Grand National hopes of some contenders

Champion jockey Tony McCoy takes a fall from Butlers Cabin and is still chasing his first win in the race after 13 attempts

Former winners like Aldaniti (left) with jockey Bob Champion and Red Rum (right) are part of Aintree folklore

The 1997 race was delayed because of a bomb scare, forcing racegoers to evacuate the course

Ginger McCain is the most successful Grand National-winning trainer in recent times with four victories

In last year's race, Timmy Murphy triumphed on the 7-1 favourite Comply or Die with a strong run to the finishing line

Murphy salutes the crowd after his win which was the first Grand National success for trainer David Pipe