First run in 2003 the Grand Sefton Chase is the newest addition of the five races run each season over the Grand National course. First of all it should be said that this race is not the reincarnation of the old Grand Sefton which had been a key National trial and the highlight of the old autumn meeting that had last been staged in 1965. The Becher Chase is the natural successor of the old Grand Sefton while this new race run as it was for the first years of its new life on the undercard to the Becher Chase was hard to defne. Not so much a National trial as those that were to feature in the classic come April would be more likely to line up in the Becher. It was never billed as a Topham trial despite being run over the same course and distance. To be honest it was in reality just an ordinafy handicap chase with the novelty that it was run over the National course.  For it's first two runnings it was part of a brief return of a two day Becher meeting and was the highlight of the first day. It was the culmination of a three race Anglo-Irish Jockeys challenge which was all a bit pointless really and meant that for those first two runnings the jockeys sported either red or green breeches depending on which team they represented. From 2005 until the meeting was moved to the first weekend in December it was staged before the Becher Chase and provided racegoers with the thrill of watching two races over the National course on the same card. From 2011 when it was moved to December it became the final race and for this part of its history it was probably the most intersting last race on any card staged in the UK. There would be no dashing off to get the train or collect your car when there was a race over the National fences to enjoy. In 2021 the race was moved again this time to Aintrees Saturday November meeting which had been lacking a focal point. Whilst there was part of me sorry to see the race moved by doing so the race has come out of the shadows of the Becher Chase and is now a feature in it's own right. Horses can have an opportunity of running in both races and the idea behind the move no doubt was to create more Aintree specialists. The first winner MacTottie did run in the Becher Chase a month later although he unseated at the Chair. It fits nicely now into Aintrees autumn calender which now sees a Sunday in October where the Mildmay course takes centre stage, the Grand Sefton on the second Saturday in November and the Becher Chase in December.