PartialLogo
Britain

Nine-year-old boy announced as honorary 35th runner for 2025 Grand National

Joshua Duckworth poses for a photo alongside the 2021 Grand National winner Rachael Blackmore
Joshua Duckworth poses for a photo alongside the 2021 Grand National winner Rachael Blackmore

There will be a surprise 35th runner in the Randox Health Grand National this year. 

Nine-year-old avid racing fan Joshua Duckworth is being honoured with a starting place in the world's greatest steeplechase as he navigates his diagnosis with leukodystrophy, which he undergoes treatment for at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool.

Duckworth, who has met Grand National-winning jockeys Ruby Walsh, AP McCoy and Rachael Blackmore within the last year, has one of four or five confirmed cases of the disease in Britain. It impacts movement and communication as well as hearing and visual impairment. 

His father Christopher said: "It can be incredibly frustrating for Joshua when he is unable to do things that other children his age do. The condition affects everything that he does day-to-day. It took six years to get his diagnosis due to the condition being so rare, but it is positive to be taking a big step forward.

“It’s a huge honour for Josh to be this year’s 35th runner in a race like the Randox Grand National. The opportunities Aintree have given to Josh and us as a family have been amazing and we’re so excited for the next few months in the build-up to the big day.”



The Jockey Club first created the honorary 35th Grand National berth for five-year-old Neuroblastoma campaigner Bradley Lowery in 2017, while the Grand National and its jockeys have a close relationship with Alder Hey, with several of the sport's most recognisable faces regular visitors to the hospital. 

“We are delighted to welcome Joshua as our 35th runner for the 2025 Randox Grand National," Dickon White, the Jockey Club's north-west regional director, said. "It makes it very special that he hails from Aintree and is such a massive racing fan. 

"The honorary runner position has played a huge role in highlighting the brave battles of some truly extraordinary youngsters and the amazing work of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and charity, which Aintree Racecourse has now been partnered with for 23 years.

This year's Grand National will take place on April 5.


Read this next:

Leading jockeys pay 'awe-inspiring' visit to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool 


Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.


Digital journalist

Published on inBritain

Last updated

iconCopy