Red Rum to return to Aintree in Inspired’s Grand National Race of Champions

Red Rum, the celebrated three times winner of the Grand National, will once again jump Becher’s Brook, The Canal Turn and the other famous Aintree fences in The Grand National Race of Champions, which will see 40 runners and riders from the past compete with their modern-day contemporaries using the latest CGI 3D technology and software.  ‘Rummie’ will take on last year’s winner, One for Arthur, and compete with Richard Pitman’s Crisp in a TV first which will be screened by ITV4 on the eve of the 2018 race. 

In addition, presenter and Racing expert Nick Luck will bring viewers the Virtual Grand National 2018, which, using the same technology, will see the full field of runners and riders for this year’s race compete hours ahead of the ‘off’.  Both the Virtual Grand National and Grand National Race of Champions will form part of an hour long special previewing the 171^st running of the Randox Grand National run over the actual Aintree course. 

‘We used the latest technology and filming techniques to capture the iconic Aintree course in order to deliver the most authentic looking race possible’ said Steve Rogers, Chief Commercial Officer, Digital Games, Inspired Entertainment. ‘The reaction to the 2017 Virtual Grand National was fantastic and we’re delighted to be bringing the Race of Champions, in addition to the 2018 Virtual Grand National predictor race, to screens this year,’ he added.

In 2017 Cause of Causes won the first Virtual Grand National on ITV and performed exactly how the computer predicted, coming from mid-pack towards the end of the race to challenge for victory.

‘The virtual predictor race was incredibly close in 2017’ said Richard Pitman, ‘the technology picked out three of the top six finishers, was accurate about how Cause of Causes would handle the race, and incredibly close on where many others would finish or fall’.  

The programme has been developed by Inspired Entertainment; the world leader in Virtual Sports products, in association with Carm Productions.

The Virtual Grand National and Grand National Race of Champions will be broadcast at 8pm BST on Friday 13^th April 2018 on ITV4. Highlights will also appear in ITV1’s Grand National coverage on 14^th April. View the trailer here