The Grand National at Aintree on 4 April, in which Tiger Roll had been expected to attempt an unprecedented third consecutive victory in the world’s most famous steeplechase, has been cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Jockey Club, which owns Aintree racecourse, said on Monday evening that the decision to cancel the entire three‑day Grand National meeting, which was due to open on 2 April, had been taken following “the government’s new public health guidance regarding avoiding social contact and stopping non-essential travel, and its statement that emergency services are withdrawn from supporting mass gatherings from tomorrow”.

The British Horseracing Authority, the sport’s ruling body, announced earlier in the day that all racing in Britain would take place behind closed doors from Tuesday. While some smaller meetings may take place in the next few days, the logistics of running one of British sport’s biggest events without the support of emergency services and with a three-figure limit on the numbers allowed on site seem to have forced the course to make an immediate decision to cancel.

“The Randox Health Grand National Festival was just three weeks away and it’s very clear to us it will not be possible for the event to take place,” Sandy Dudgeon, the senior steward of the Jockey Club, said in a statement. “Public health must come first.

“We were working on a plan to stage the Grand National behind closed doors given its importance to the racing industry and beyond, but following the new government measures confirmed this evening to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak, this is not a viable option.

“I know this is hugely disappointing news for the many people who work in our sport and the many millions who were looking forward to this year’s event, but very sadly these are exceptional times and this is the responsible thing to do.”

The Grand National has been one of the key events in the British sporting calendar since it was founded in the 1830s by a Liverpool hotelier, to attract customers to his inn near Aintree. It is by far the most popular betting event in the racing calendar, attracting around 1% of all racing bets placed annually despite being one of 10,000 races in Britain each year.

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As a result, it is the main point of contact between horse racing and the British public and the loss of this year’s race will be especially damaging as Tiger Roll, the most popular chaser in training, had been due to attempt the unprecedented feat of a third consecutive success. Red Rum, who is buried next to the winning post at Aintree, is the only horse to have won the race three times in its 181-year history and his third victory came in his fifth run in the race.

Red Rum’s third victory came at a difficult time in the National’s history, when the racecourse had been sold to a property developer and was expected to close. It has since enjoyed a huge resurgence, with its Ladies’ Day drawing a 50,000 crowd last year before 63,000 arrived the following afternoon to watch the Grand National.

The Cheltenham Festival, the most prestigious jump racing meeting of the year, took place last week as scheduled, with a near-capacity crowd of 69,000 present to watch the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday. It had already become clear before Monday’s announcement, however, that the Grand National would either be staged behind closed doors or not at all.

Unlike the Gold Cup, when all the runners carry the same weight, the Grand National has always been a handicap event, with horses carrying weights between 10st and 11st 10lb, in order to increase its appeal for betting.

Tiger Roll, who runs in the colours of Gigginstown House Stud, the bloodstock operation of Michael O’Leary, the chief executive of Ryanair, had been expected to set off as a warm favourite for the race, despite having finished second in his warm-up race, the Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham last week. Win or lose at Aintree, it had been widely expected he would be retired from racing.

Bookmakers were understanding about the decision, but understandably despondent. Simon Clare of Ladbrokes Coral, said: “The Grand National is the biggest betting horse race of the year, so its cancellation is clearly a blow to the sport, to betting operators and to racing fans.”

Unibet’s Brett Williams said it would “cost the racing industry millions at a time when we are already feeling the strain of a completely decimated sporting calendar”.