Bradley Lowery to be given honorary 41st place in Grand National
A five-year-old boy whose battle with terminal cancer has touched the world has been awarded an honorary 41st place in this weekend's Grand National.
In an unprecedented move for the 178-year-old race, Bradley Lowery will be given his own berth and set of colours in Saturday's race at Aintree in Liverpool.
Bradley has been diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a solid tumour that makes up 8% of the total number of children's cancers in the UK.
He first shot to international attention when he receivedthousands of Christmas cards from well-wishers.
In a graphic released by Jockey Club Racecourses, Bradley’s red and white silks match his beloved football team, Sunderland FC.
His age is listed alongside his date of birth of (17th May) that is given in place of the weight a horse carries.
His form figures showing five wins (11111) highlight he is unbeaten at every turn and his five star rating confirms he is very highly regarded, said organisers.
Also featuring in the card are Bradley's family, who will travel from Blackhall in County Durham with him to attend the race.
His jockey is listed as his older brother, Kieran, while his football hero and "best friend" Jermain Defoe is down as his trainer.
Organisers hope to raise awareness and funds to fight the rare form of cancer - a solid tumour that makes up 8% of the total number of children's cancers in the UK.
Earlier this month Bradley's family revealed he has been accepted for a trial at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital."This trial is being funded by Cancer Research UK. It is called CAR T-cell trial. It is only phase one which means it is still in the very early stages but it has shown promise in other types of cancer," Bradley's mother Gemma said.
Mrs Bradley said the family is waiting on the results of scans, due to take place next week, before they decide "what's next."
Sponsored by Randox Health, the world-famous famous steeplechase will be shown on ITV at 5.15pm on Saturday, with 40 runners set to jump the 30 fences including iconic obstacles like Becher’s Brook and The Chair.