The event was established in 1976, and it was originally run over 2 miles and 5½ furlongs.
The race is staged during the three-day Grand National meeting, and was traditionally contested on the final day, Saturday.
The Aintree Hurdle often features horses which ran previously over a shorter distance in the Champion Hurdle, and the last to win both events in the same year was Constitution Hill in 2023.
The 2010 running was named in memory of Dick Francis (1920–2010), a former jockey who was closely associated with Aintree.
He famously rode Devon Loch in the Grand National, and he was leading the race on the run-in when the horse jumped and was overtaken.