Last week, the 2021 Grand National Festival took place at Aintree Racecourse without the usual crowds to cheer the horses on, but the event did feature a new-look trophy.
Unusually, the Grand National trophy changes regularly as each new sponsor commissions a new design to reflect their business or ethics. This year is no exception, and current sponsor Randox created a trophy designed to pay tribute to key workers who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic.
Randox’s Managing Director, Dr Peter FitzGerald, explained in a statement:
“It is only fitting that the trophy for the 2021 Randox Grand National recognises the momentous impact COVID-19 has had on all of our lives.”
Revealed on April 3rd for this year’s race, the striking silver and gold trophy features the double helix DNA strand that scientists used in the research and the development of a vaccine for COVID-19. This makes up the stem, upon which sits a sphere to represent a blood droplet. The whole trophy is mounted on a black plinth, with the sponsor’s name, along with the words “2021 Grand National”, engraved on it.
In addition to the main trophy, individual engraved awards were presented to the other team members in recognition of the combined effort it takes to win this most formidable of races. The three-day festival ended on April 10th with a gruelling four miles and two-and-a-half-furlong dash to the winning line, with the victorious horse, owner and jockey walking away with a prize fund of one million pounds and the much-coveted trophy.
