Editing Grand National (section)

===Recent history (2004–present)===
[[File:Ballabriggs cropped.jpg|thumb|right|[[Ballabriggs]], the winner of the [[2011 Grand National]].]]
Red Rum's trainer [[Ginger McCain]] returned to the Grand National in [[2004 Grand National|2004]], 31 years after Red Rum's epic run-in defeat of Crisp to secure his first of three wins. McCain's [[Amberleigh House]] came home first, ridden by [[Graham Lee (jockey)|Graham Lee]], overtaking Clan Royal on the final straight. [[Hedgehunter]], who would go on to win in [[2005 Grand National|2005]], fell at the last while leading. McCain had equalled George Dockeray and [[Fred Rimell]]'s record feat of training four Grand National winners.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/3594651.stm BBC Sport | Other Sport | Horse Racing | Amberleigh wins National] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090404000801/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/3594651.stm |date=4 April 2009 }}. BBC News (3 April 2004). Retrieved on 11 March 2011.</ref>

In 2005 [[John Smith's Brewery|John Smith's]] took over from Martell as main sponsors of the Grand National and many of the other races at the three-day Aintree meeting for the first time.<ref name=aintreehistory/>  In 2006 John Smith's launched the [[John Smith's People's Race]] which gave ten members of the public the chance to ride in a flat race at Aintree on Grand National day.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Alan |title=Thousands in running for People's Race |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=18 June 2009 |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/racing/article2733207.ece |access-date=8 April 2010| location=London}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> In total, thirty members of the public took part in the event before it was discontinued in 2010.

In [[2009 Grand National|2009]], [[Mon Mome]] became the longest-priced winner of the National for 42 years when he defied outside odds of 100/1 to win by 12 lengths. The victory was also the first for trainer [[Venetia Williams]], the first female trainer to triumph since [[Jenny Pitman]] in [[1995 Grand National|1995]]. The race was also the first National ride for [[Liam Treadwell]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/7982075.stm BBC Sport – Horse Racing – Mon Mome seals shock National win] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408012018/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/7982075.stm |date=8 April 2009 }}. BBC News (4 April 2009). Retrieved on 11 March 2011.</ref>

In [[2010 Grand National|2010]] the National became the first horse race to be televised in [[High-definition television|high-definition]] in the UK.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/03_march/29/grand.shtml Press Office – 2010 Grand National in HD – a first for UK horse racing] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100411005129/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/03_march/29/grand.shtml |date=11 April 2010 }}. BBC (29 March 2010). Retrieved on 11 March 2011.</ref>

In August 2013 [[Crabbie's]] was announced as the new sponsor of the Grand National. The three-year deal between the alcoholic ginger beer producer and Aintree saw the race run for a record purse of £1 million in [[2014 Grand National|2014]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23852597 |title=Grand National to be sponsored by Crabbie's ginger beer |date=28 August 2013 |work=BBC News |access-date=15 November 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131123022737/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23852597 |archive-date=23 November 2013 }}</ref>

In March 2016 it was announced that [[Randox Health]] would take over from Crabbie's as official partners of the Grand National festival from [[2017 Grand National|2017]], for at least five years.
<ref>{{cite web |title=Cheltenham Festival: Morris keen to take on Thistlecrack again |url=http://horseexchangebettingtips.com/cheltenham-festival-morris-keen-to-take-on-thistlecrack-again/  |website=www./horseexchangebettingtips.com |access-date=5 August 2018 |date=8 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805083203/http://horseexchangebettingtips.com/cheltenham-festival-morris-keen-to-take-on-thistlecrack-again/ |archive-date=5 August 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The sponsorship award was controversial as Aintree's chairwoman, [[Rose Paterson]], was married to [[Owen Paterson]], a [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) who also earns a £50,000 annual fee as a consultant for Randox.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=21 April 2017 |title=Revolving doors |magazine=[[Private Eye]] |location=London |publisher=Pressdram Ltd <!--|access-date=7 May 2017-->}}</ref>

{{anchor|2020}}
The 2020 race was not run owing to the [[COVID-19 pandemic|coronavirus pandemic]]; in its place, a virtual race was produced using [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] technology and based on algorithms of the 40 horses most likely to have competed. The virtual race was won by Potters Corner, winner of the 2019 [[Welsh Grand National]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/horse-racing/52159819|work=[[BBC Sport]]|title=Virtual Grand National 2020: Potters Corner wins televised race|first=Frank|last=Keogh|date=4 April 2020|access-date=4 April 2020}}</ref> (Another computer-generated virtual race was made also, whose runners were many horses who had won the Grand National in past years, each shown with its performance as at its racing prime. Its winner was [[Red Rum]] by less than a length, having just passed [[Manifesto (horse)|Manifesto]].)

In December 2020 Randox Health announced they had extended their sponsorship for a further 5 years which will make them sponsors to 2026.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.randoxhealth.com/randox-extend-grand-national-festival-sponsorship-five-years/|work=[[Randox Health]]|title=Randox Extends Grand National Festival Sponsorship for a Further Five Years|date=22 December 2020|access-date=13 April 2021}}</ref>

In 2021, [[Rachael Blackmore]] became the first female jockey to win the race, on the horse [[Minella Times]].

In 2023, the race was disrupted by the [[Animal Rising]] protests, the first such disruptions since the cancellation of the [[1993 Grand National]] due to a series of false starts and the [[1997 Grand National]] due to the IRA bomb threat.