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The fence-building programme at Aintree starts approximately a month before the Grand National meeting is run, with spruce sourced and transported from the Lake District. The total annual cost is about £20,000.

The big race is 4 miles and 4 furlongs -with a 494 yard sprint at the end. The horses jump 30 times during two (uncomplete) circuits of course. Here’s the run-through:

Fence 1 & 17

Thorn fence, 4ft 7in high, 2ft 9in wide – The first often claims many victims as horses tend to travel to it far too keenly.

Fence 2 & 18

Almost the same height as the first but much wider at 3ft 6in.

Fence 3 & 19

Westhead: This is the first big test with a 6ft ditch on the approach guarding a 5ft high fence.

Fence 4 & 20

Plain fence, 4ft 10in high and 3ft wide.

Fence 5 & 21

Spruce dressed fence, 5ft high and 3ft 6in wide.

Fence 6 & 22

Becher’s Brook: Although the fence looks innocuous from the take-off side, the steep drop on the landing side, together with a left-hand turn on landing, combine to make this the most thrilling and famous fence in the horse racing world. The fence actually measures 6 ft 9 in on the landing side, a drop of 2 ft from take off.

Becher’s Brook earned its name when a top jockey, Captain Martin Becher, took shelter in the brook after being unseated. “Water tastes disgusting without the benefits of whisky” he reflected.

Fence 7 & 23

Foinavon Fence: Basically an ‘ordinary’ fence (4ft 6in high and 3ft wide) that was made famous in 1967 when Fionavon was the only horse to scramble over it at the first time of asking, following a mass pile-up. The jump is the smallest on the course, but coming straight after the biggest drop, it can catch horses and riders out.

Fence 8 & 24

Canal Turn: Made of hawthorn stakes covered in Norway spruce, it gets its name from the fact that there is a canal in front of the horses when they land. To avoid it, they must turn a full 90 degrees when they touch down. The race can be won or lost here, with a diagonal leap to the inside of the jump taking the fence at a scary angle, but reducing the turn on landing. With 30 or more horses often still standing when the field reaches this point on the first circuit, not every rider has the option of taking this daring passage.

Fence 9 & 25

Valentine’s Brook: The third of four famous fences to be jumped in succession, it is 5ft high and 3ft 3in wide with a brook on the landing side that’s about 5ft 6in wide.

Fence 10 & 26

Thorn fence, 5ft high and 3ft wide.

Fence 11 & 27

Booth: The main problem with this fence, which is 5ft high and 3ft wide, is the 6ft wide ditch on the take-off side.

Fence 12 & 28

Same size as the two previous fences, but with a ditch on the landing side, which can catch runners out.

Fence 13 & 29

Second-last fence on the final circuit, it is 4ft 7in high and 3ft wide.

Fence 14 & 30

Almost the same height as the previous fence and it is rare for any horse to fall at the final fence in the National.

Fence 15

The Chair: The final two jumps of the first circuit form the only pair negotiated just once - and they could not be more different. The Chair is both the tallest (5ft 3in) and broadest fence on the course, with a 6ft wide ditch on the take-off side.

In addition, the landing side turf is actually raised six inches above the take-off ground. This has the opposite effect on horses and riders to the drop at Becher’s, as having stretched to get over the ditch, horses are surprised to find the ground coming up to meet them. This is spectacular when horses get it right and equally so, for all the wrong reasons, when they don’t.

Fence 16

Water Jump: This 2ft 9in fence brings the first circuit to an end and the sight of the runners jumping it at speed presents a terrific spectacle in front of the grandstands.

The Finish

The 494-yard long run in from the final fence to the finish is the longest in the country and has an acute elbow halfway up it that further drains the then almost empty stamina reserves of both horse and jockey.

For numerous riders over the years, this elongated run-in has proved mental and physical agony when the winning post seems to be retreating with every weary stride.

Don’t count your money until the post is reached as with the rest of the Grand National course, the run-in can - and usually does - change fortunes. Just watch this video of Red Rum pinching the title it at the run-in during 1973.