There may be no Aintree Grand National this year, but fans of horse racing’s biggest event can still tune in.
And you may even be able back a winner this Saturday.
The 2020 race could have been a historic event, with champion of the last two years Tiger Roll going for a record-breaking third consecutive victory.
Organisers called off the event due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The cancellation of the Grand National followed many other sporting postponements this year, such as Euro 2020 and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
But ITV is hosting a virtual Grand National race this Saturday (April 4) at 5pm.
This is the same date and time of what was supposed to be the race meeting this year.
The virtual race will use the latest CGI technology and algorithms to produce a result based on data including the runners’ form and going preferences.
At the moment it is not clear whether or not bookies will be taking bets on the race.
However, The bookmaking industry are close to announcing a plan to bet on Saturday’s Virtual Reality Grand National.
Any profits made will be going to the NHS Charities Group, according to The Daily Mail.
It is understood that agreement has been sought so that all bookmakers offer the same prices and terms, with a maximum bet of £10.
Under the current circumstances and the stress that the NHS are going through financially, this could be a great occasion to get behind.
Tiger Roll was the favourite to go for a third win at Aintree this year – can he succeed in the virtual race?
(Picture by vegaseddie under Creative Media Commons)
