We all love a bet on the Grand National

The Grand National is the most famous horserace of them all, watched by over half a billion people around the world. Every year I am proud beyond words that this all happens at my home course, less than four miles from my house.

I love going to the Grand National Festival, as every day is different. Thursday is Opening Day - the (mostly) locals day, with a relaxed atmosphere to match the dress code. Not only is this the cheapest admission day, it invariably has the best-quality racing!

Friday is Ladies Day. The glitz and glamour engulfs the course, as every enclosure and stand is rammed with spectators determined to 'dress and impress'. 

On Day Three, the Festival reaches a crescendo. History in the making. You are a small part of it on course...but so are the millions that place bets on the big race.

I’m proud that my home race is the largest single betting event of the year too.

This a must-bet race for many people up and down the nation, including the once-a-year gamblers who invest a few quid to stake an interest in the world-famous steeplechase. The amateur’s flutter is just as valid as a tipster's selection.

The vast majority of the British public who bet on the Grand National do so safely and responsibly. They simply don't need 'Big Brother' telling them when and how much to bet.

Draconian affordability checks would put the whole of horse racing, the Grand National included, under threat.   

Without betting this great national event wouldn’t happen at all, and that would be a sad day indeed.