The cancellation of Saturday’s Randox Health Grand National will cost almost half a billion pounds in lost revenue, Sportsmail can reveal.
The bookmaking industry will be the hardest hit with the three-day festival at Aintree — which was due to start on Thursday — usually generating a betting turnover of £400million. It is the biggest horse race of the year, and the most lucrative racing event, which attracts a huge worldwide TV audience.
But the impact of not staging the Grand National for the first time since 1945 will also have an enormous effect on the city of Liverpool, Aintree racecourse and The Jockey Club, with £60m lost in projected takings.