Every year on July 2 and August 16, the beautiful medieval city of Siena comes alive for one of the world’s most breathtaking folk festivals, Il Palio. The event is known around the globe as a totally unique horse race, but it is much, much more. Preparations go on all year long in Siena, whose seventeen neighborhoods invest every spare Euro and every waking moment in their efforts to win.
On Saturday, April 10 2010, the John Smith’s Grand National will take place with a record prize fund of £925,000 so competition for a place among the forty starters is fierce as it is the only race in which the British Horse racing Authority’s Head of Handicapping, Phil Smith, can use his discretion to determine the weight each horse will carry.
