The 2020 running of the Randox Health Grand National may have been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but ITV has announced that it will broadcast the Virtual Grand National in its place on Saturday, 4 April.
The TV special, which will premiere on the ITV main channel for the first time this year, will feature the 40 horses and riders who were most likely to run in the Aintree spectacular.
These will include Tiger Roll, who had been due to go for an unprecedented third consecutive win in the big race before it was called off.
In addition, the half-hour programme will also feature the ‘Grand National Race of Champions’, which will pit Tiger Roll against legendary horses such as Red Rum, as well as 38 other champions, who will race over the virtual Aintree course.
The ITV event will serve to raise funds for the NHS, with bookmakers confirming that all profits will be donated to NHS Charities Together, a body which contributes up to £1 million a day in supporting the health service, comprising of more than 140 NHS charities.
Using complex CGI and sophisticated algorithms, the Virtual Grand National programme, produced by Carm Productions, has been a feature of ITV’s coverage since it started covering the Aintree showpiece in 2017, broadcast on the eve of the big race on ITV4, with a repeat showing prior to Saturday’s live coverage on ITV.
The 2020 edition of the virtual Grand National will be first time the programme has premiered on ITV’s main channel, and will be broadcast in the time slot in which the real version of the race would have been run.
Acclaimed horse racing broadcaster Nick Luck will front the programme, alongside former Grand National jockey Richard Pitman and ITV Racing reporter Alice Plunkett.
Commenting on the 2020 version of the virtual race, Rob McLoughlin, executive producer for Carm Productions, said:
“Its very sad not to have the real race but Inspired’s virtual race is fascinating and fun and has proven since 2017 to be incredibly accurate.
“We use the latest CGI technology and algorithms and we’re ready for Tiger Roll to be a forerunner but now we want to cheer the nation up and we’ll ask the computer if history could have been made.”
The virtual simulation is produced by Inspired Entertainment, who have a track record of virtually recreating the action and settings of some of the world’s most famous sporting events for over 15 years.
The Virtual Grand National forms part of a special raft of programming and content that will come from ITV Racing over the next few weeks, as it looks to fill the void left by the suspension of British horse racing until at least the end of April.
This includes ‘ITV Racing’s Classic Races’, featuring classic action from the ITV archives that will be selected by social media users, as well as the best of its features content from the last four years, and a special video podcast reviewing the jumps season, as well as discussing the status of racing during the coronavirus outbreak.
The full list of the 40 runners, riders and latest odds can be found via the Racing Post website.
Watch the 2020 Virtual Grand National on ITV – Saturday 4th April at 5pm
