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A touring sculpture of Scotland’s 100ft high iconic Kelpies horses’ heads statue is on parade to greet riders and spectators at this year’s Crabbie’s Grand National.

Falkirk Council has partnered up with Aintree Racecourse to showcase the 3 metre high Kelpies Maquettes as a special attraction at the 2015 Festival. The artworks, hand crafted by renowned Scottish sculptor Andy Scott, were made as models to create the world’s largest equine sculpture, The Kelpies, which is the centrepiece of the new 350 hectare Helix Park in Falkirk and forms a dramatic gateway to the new section of the Forth and Clyde Canal.

The Maquettes have been touring the world helping to promote Scotland and the Falkirk area as a visitor destination, having previously appeared at major events including New York’s Scotland Week and the Ryder Cup last year.  A total of 950,000 are thought to have visited Helix Park and the Kelpies in its first full year up to March 2015 and a new VisitFalkirk.com website, featuring local attractions such as the Kelpies, will help boost visitor numbers.

During the 2015 Crabbie’s Grand National Festival, the Maquettes will sit pride of place next to the Parade Ring and Winner’s Enclosure, watching over jockeys and their horses as they prepare for the Grand National before the champions return to the enclosure to lift the trophy.

Falkirk Council’s Growth & Investment Manager, Pete Reid, said: “The Kelpies Maquettes have become cultural ambassadors for Scotland, enticing people from all across the UK and the world to visit the Falkirk area to see this magnificent landmark for themselves. The Maquettes will attract the attention of tens of thousands of visitors to Aintree as well as millions of viewers watching the Festival on television so it provides a fantastic platform to promote the area.”

Aintree Racecourse Operations Manager, Carl Pastor said: “The Kelpies Maquettes will add to the excitement at Aintree this year, helping to create the electric atmosphere at one of the biggest sporting events of the year.”

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: “The Kelpies have captured the world’s imagination and have already become a valuable addition to Scotland’s renowned tourism offering, attracting almost a million visits since they opened last year. No matter where they go, the Maquettes are always a fantastic talking point. I’m sure their presence at Aintree will have visitors racing to Falkirk to experience the real thing.”

About The Kelpies

As the world’s largest equine sculpture, The Kelpies form a dramatic centrepiece to The Helix, a £43million project that is transforming 350 hectares of land between Falkirk and Grangemouth and has been funded via a partnership between The Big Lottery Fund, Falkirk Council and Scottish Canals.

The Kelpies create a gateway into The Helix and the Forth & Clyde canal and are the result of a unique collaboration between the partners and Glasgow-based artist, Andy Scott. The 30 metre (100ft) high steel structures pay homage to the tradition of the working horses of Scotland which used to pull barges along Scotland’s canals and worked in the fields in the area where they now stand. The Kelpies feature in a specially created timelapse film celebrating Falkirk on the new VisitFalkirk.com website www.vimeo.com/visitfalkirk/kineticfalkirk