LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Jockey Club has enlisted Marvel comic book artists to give the superhero treatment to some of the country's all-time wonder horses in a bid to win over a new generation of racing fans.
The 24-page book "Magnificent Racehorses", penned by artists from the stable that created the likes of Black Panther and Spider-Man, is being published ahead of Saturday's Grand National at Aintree.
It tells the stories of 10 crowd favourites of the past including three times National winner Red Rum, super stallion Frankel and Cheltenham Gold Cup great Desert Orchid.
"Horseracing is the second biggest spectator sport in Britain and we want to ensure a new generation of fans are constantly discovering the drama and excitement of its stories," said Jockey Club Racecourses chief executive Paul Fisher.
The Jockey Club, founded early in the 18th century, runs Liverpool's Aintree racecourse as well as other leading venues including Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and Newmarket.
Tiger Roll, last year's National winner on a photo finish, is the 7/2 favourite to repeat the victory at Aintree in a 40-horse field over 30 daunting fences.
Last year's race was watched by an estimated worldwide television audience of 600 million.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Christian Radnedge)