Grand National Fence Names & Order

The Grand National fences are the most famous obstacles throughout horse racing.

The combination of the supreme test of stamina and the difficult fences contributes to one of the most difficult races in the racing calendar.

Here is everything you need to know about The Chair, Becher's Brook, Foinavon and more.

How many fences are at the Grand National?

The four-mile, two-and-a-half furlong race consists of 30 fences for horses to navigate, with 16 different fences across Aintree Racecourse.

Some of the obstacles in the Grand National are the minimum height for National Hunt fences in the UK, while The Chair is the biggest Grand National fence at five foot, two inches.

Which Grand National fences are jumped twice?

14 of 16 the Grand National fences are taken twice throughout the race.

The fences that are jumped twice are the first 14 fences on the course.

The likes of Becher’s Brook, Foinavon and Valentine's Brook are jumped twice in the Grand National.

The only two fences that are not jumped twice in the Grand National are The Chair and the Water Jump.

Grand National fences order

• Fence 1 and 17 - Plain Fence
• Fence 2 and 18 - Plain Fence
• Fence 3 and 19 - Westhead
• Fence 4 and 20 - Plain Fence
• Fence 5 and 21 - Plain Fence
• Fence 6 and 22 - Becher's Brook
• Fence 7 and 23 - Foinavon
• Fence 8 and 24 - Canal Turn
• Fence 9 and 25 - Valentine's Brook
• Fence 10 and 26 - Plain Fence
• Fence 11 and 27 - Booth
• Fence 12 and 28 - Plain Fence
• Fence 13 and 29 - Plain Fence
• Fence 14 and 30 - Plain Fence
• Fence 15 - The Chair
• Fence 16 - Water Jump

Famous Grand National fences

Becher's Brook, which is fence six and fence 22 at Aintree, is one of the most famous Grand National fences.

The four foot, 10 inches fence has a drop of 15 centimetres on the landing side, which places the emphasis on jockeys to ensure that their horse doesn't land too steeply.

The fence is named after Captain Becher, who fell at the same fence in his first Grand National and subsequently hid in the water as others jumped over him.

Another of the famous Grand National fences is Foinavon, named after the winner of the 1967 race at odds of 100/1.

The name Foinavon was chosen after a monumental pile-up in the 1967 race which allowed the horse to come from seemingly nowhere to win the race.

The tallest and most daunting of the fences is The Chair, which was named after the judge who determined the distances between Grand National horses and used to sit parallel to the fence.

With a 15 centimetre rise on the landing side and a 1.83 metre ditch in front of The Chair, it provides a difficult test for horses every year.

Other famous fences at the Grand National include the Canal Turn and Valentine's Brook.