A modern-day record of 144 horses has (0) BEEN entered for the Grand National at Aintree 1 April, when the total prize will be £500,000. This amount is £150,000 2 than that for the season's other prestigious race, the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The previous highest number of entries for the National was 141 in 1984, but while that figure 3 endured for decades, a new record was only a matter of 4 It is not merely the quantity of the contestants 5 has improved in recent years. Changes to the course 6 a number of very public equine fatalities in the late 1980s and early 1990s 7 encouraged owners to participate, and the quality of the field 8 improved significantly. As a result, the Grand National today attracts not only more horses but also some of the finest talent in the sport.