Free To Air Grand National Replays & Videos Archive

Caricature of horses jumping huge grand national fence

🏳 Grand National Replays & Information Archives


🕮 Aintree Grand National Historical Data Search

#continuing the search for Grand National race records dating back to 1839, when the aptly named "Lottery" [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] won the 1st National, or what was known as the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase, where the horses jumped over a stone wall, hurdles and ran through a ploughed field..

Historical Context for Pre-1990 Replays 📽


#1839–1890s⏵ No video recordings exist. I might find historical accounts, newspaper reports, or artistic depictions (e.g., paintings, sketches) in archives like the British Library, Aintree Racecourse records [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ], or The Jockey Club’s archives. These won’t be videos but could uncover text or image based records.


#1890s–1920s⏵ Early film technology existed (e.g., silent films), but horse racing footage from Aintree is rare. I might find grainy newsreels or documentaries on platforms like the British Pathe Grand National archive. Some great old vids are available on YouTube ~ #vintage grand national video search) or the Imperial War Museums, but full Grand National replays are unlikely and some will be set to non embeddable.


#1930s–1950s⏵ Television and film became more common, but Grand National replays are sporadic. BBC archives and ITV archives might have snippets or highlights, though full races are rare. I shall check the BBC Sport or ITV Racing archives, or platforms like the British Film Institute (BFI).


#1960s–1980s⏵ More reliable footage exists, but full replays on YouTube, Vimeo, or similar are still limited. Racing TV, The Jockey Club, or user-uploaded channels might have some, but many could be restricted (like the unsharable versions I have frequently encountered, but I can still link to them). I’ll need to dig into archival footage from broadcasters or racecourse libraries.

🎬 Where to Dig For National Historical Videos Beyond YouTube/Vimeo?

Well Known Grand National History


Broadcast Archives

  • BBC iPlayer/Sport: Search for archived Grand National coverage (1960s onward).
  • ITV Hub/Racing: Similar to BBC, I shall check for historical broadcasts.
  • British Pathe Horse Racing: Offers free historical footage, including some racing clips. Find them on YouTube or the Pathe site.
  • BFI National Archive: Holds early film and TV, including potential racing footage. Requires requests or visits.

Racing Organizations


Specialized Platforms


Physical Archives


Challenges

  • Copyright/Restrictions: Pre-1990 footage could be under strict copyright, especially if held by broadcasters or racecourses
  • May well need permissions or licenses to embed or share.
  • Quality and Availability: Older footage may be low-quality, incomplete, or not digitized.
  • Embedding Issues: Like the unsharable versions: some videos might be restricted from embedding on YouTube/Vimeo. I may need to host clips myself (with permission) or link to external archives.