'I'm here with my mates, all dressed up - it's so much better than a night out'

When I went to Aintree in April, the atmosphere had been generated by thousands of Liverpudlians on a scorching hot ladies' day. This time it was 2,500 students from eight different universities in Merseyside and the surrounding area who brought the buzz to the home of the Grand National.

As part of a series of racedays that had last month contributed to a record crowd for the Saturday of Cheltenham's October meeting, events company Invades – which promises to bring "a new energy, passion and audience to stadiums and sport across the world" according to its website – had organised travel and entry for the students to Saturday's seven-race card featuring the first race of the season over the National fences.

The seemingly never-ending procession of buses that filed into the car park half an hour before the first race highlighted one of Invades' key selling points: stress-free transport to and from the racecourse. It was a stark contrast to the struggles faced by other racegoers in accessing Aintree, with a limited train service caused by the short notice of the cancellation of rail strikes.