Remarkable Betty Batt named as honorary 41st runner in Grand National

Betty Batt from Warrington has been named as the honorary 41st runner in this year's Randox Grand National.

The four-year-old's name will appear around the racecourse and in the racecard, alongside the 40 horses taking part in this year's £1 million race.

The initiative, started by The Jockey Club in 2017 for neuroblastoma campaigner Bradley Lowery, helps raise awareness and funds for Alder Hey Hospital, which treats Betty and supports her family.

Betty weighed just 1lb 13oz (650 grams) when she was born more than four months premature in June 2017 and spent the first year of her life in hospital.

She was able to go home after 13 months when a team of Alder Hey professionals trained parents Phil and Karen to have the knowledge and skills to deal with her tracheostomy and other medical needs.

Betty’s father, Phil Batt, said: "Betty is just amazing. She is the most delightful, placid and brave little girl. A nurse once said to us, 'Betty brings out the best in people'."

Dickon White: 'We’re proud to work with them throughout the year'Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Alder Hey is also the official charity of the Randox Grand National meeting, with this year marking the 20th anniversary of the hospital's partnership with Aintree.

Dickon White, the Jockey Club's regional director for Aintree racecourse and the north-west, added: "Our relationships with those in the local community are so important to us all here at Aintree, and none more so than the close bond we've formed with Alder Hey Children's Hospital over the past 20 years.

"The work they do is phenomenal and rightly receives not only nationwide, but worldwide recognition. We’re proud to work with them throughout the year, not just during the Randox Grand National festival, and it's our honour to name Betty as the 41st runner in 2022."

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