Thousands of glamorous punters will descend on Aintree today for the 175th running of the Grand National.
Regarded as one of the world's most famous steeplechases, the Grand National is also one of the most unpredictable events in the sporting calendar. The race is part of a three-day meeting, with more than 150,000 people expected to attend.
There are 59 racecourses in Britain, from Perth in Scotland to Newton Abbot in Devon, and one course was once the venue for a Liverpool transfer to be thrashed out.
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David James was considered one of England's best and brightest goalkeepers when he arrived at Liverpool at the age of 21. The then England under-21 international joined the Reds from Watford.
However, his first season at Anfield did not go fully according to plan. While he did start the campaign as first choice, a difficult game against Chesterfield in the League Cup cost him his place in the side.
James would go on to start just one league match between September 1992 and January 1993. Mike Hooper was preferred to him when Bruce Grobbelaar was unavailable.
However, there were better times ahead for James. After Grobbelaar got injured during the 1993/94 season, the former England international returned to his side’s starting line-up and went on to make 213 consecutive appearances for the Reds.
But the arrival of Brad Friedel in 1997 meant James was again relegated to the bench. And although he managed to get back into the side during the 1998/99 season, the campaign turned out to be his last at Liverpool.
And recalling his Anfield exit to the Liverpool ECHO, James revealed how it all started with a trip to Uttoxeter races, where he bumped into former Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis, who was on the lookout for a new goalkeeper after selling Mark Bosnich to Chelsea.
"Funny enough at a race meeting at Uttoxeter, I bumped into Doug Ellis," he said laughing when asked to recall his Liverpool exit. "No way did I ask to leave the football club.
"A few more drinks. Come on, let's go say hello to Doug. So we went and sat down next to him and said, 'How are you doing?' Doug's gone: 'It's not good, we've lost the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, Bosnich, who is going to Manchester United'.
"I said, 'Second best.' He's gone: 'Who's the best then?' I'm drunk, so I've gone [points to himself]. I suggested he was wrong and said I was. I signed for Villa a week later. It was a comical conversation.
"I never wanted to leave Liverpool. It was just about him referring to Mark Bosnich as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League.
"At the time, Brad Friedel had just signed and I had a year left on my contract. I wasn’t wanting to do a Bosman and get paid up; I wanted to play first-team football.
"Because of what happened with Brad, and rightly so, my form wasn’t what it should have been, and I didn’t see myself as being Liverpool’s No. 1 at that time.
"Doug and Aston Villa came in and made an offer, which Liverpool accepted, and that was that."
During a career spanning 25 years, James also played for West Ham, Manchester City, and Portsmouth. He made his England debut in a friendly against Mexico in 1997 and won a total of 53 caps for his country.
A Premier League record-breaker, having made the most appearances as a goalkeeper since the league’s formation, he was also an FA Cup winner with Portsmouth in 2008, before the now 52-year-old called time on his playing career back in 2015.
Since retiring, James had a spell in charge of Indian side Kerala Blasters and now works as a pundit for various broadcasters around the world. He also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2019.
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