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The 2020 Grand National, as all horse racing and sports in Great Britain, was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead last weekend a Virtual Grand National race took place. Bookmakers offered odds, and according to the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) the event raised over £2.6m in donations for NHS Charities
A spokesperson for Carm Productions, which was behind the idea, said: “Let’s hope it has entertained racegoers and the wider public. We also hope it has been able to help raise funds to support the NHS at this important time.”
The event was a success since a reported 4.8 million viewers tune-in to ITV Racing’s Saturday afternoon broadcast of the virtual race. Potters Corner has won the televised Virtual Grand National after the big race was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The televised Virtual Grand National was won by Potters Corner. The 18-1 shot beat in the computer-simulated race runner-up Walk In The Mill (16-1), with Any Second Now (10-1) third. Potters Corner won the real-life Welsh Grand National in December under teenage jockey Jack Tudor.
BGC CEO Michael Dugher said: “I am proud that so many BGC members, up and down the country, are supporting in so many different ways the national effort to combat COVID-19, including here by contributing all of their race profits to NHS Charities Together. NHS Charities Together thanked the BGC yesterday but I’d like to thank them for the amazing work that they do in support of the NHS all year round. When the nation was in much need of some light relief, millions joined in the fun in honour of one of Britain’s greatest sporting events and helped raise a fantastic amount for our brave heroes in the NHS”.
