Grand National Betting
The 2027 Grand National Festival begins in April 2027.
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The Grand National is the most-bet single race in Britain. Millions of people who never otherwise back a horse have one on it, which makes it unlike anything else in the betting calendar: a race where the majority of the money comes from people betting once a year. It is run over roughly four and a quarter miles and thirty fences at Aintree in April, as the closing race of a three-day festival. This page covers how to bet the race, the terms that matter in a field of thirty-plus, and what the modern National is actually like. It stays here between runnings.
Grand National - key facts
How the race works
The National is a handicap, which is the single most important thing to understand about betting it. Every horse carries a weight set by the official handicapper with the intention of giving them all an equal chance. The best horse in the field carries the most; the lowest-rated carry the least. That is why the race is so hard to predict and why the winner so often comes from outside the front rank of the market.
The field is capped at thirty-four runners. Entries open the previous winter, the weights are published in February, and the field is whittled down through a series of forfeit stages until the final declarations. Horses qualify through a combination of official rating and a requirement to have completed in a chase of a minimum distance, which is intended to ensure every runner has the stamina and the jumping record for the test.
It is run over two circuits of a course with thirty fences – sixteen on the first circuit, fourteen on the second, because the last two are bypassed on the run-in. The obstacles are lower and more forgiving than they once were, and the race has been altered significantly in recent years: the field reduced from forty runners to thirty-four, the first fence moved closer to the start to slow the early pace, and a standing start introduced. The practical betting effect of those changes is a race that is completed by more horses than it used to be, which makes place terms more valuable and pure attrition less of a factor.
The fences
Several of the obstacles have names and histories of their own, and they shape how the race is run.
- Becher’s Brook – the sixth and twenty-second. The landing side is lower than the take-off side, which catches out horses that jump it too boldly first time.
- The Canal Turn – immediately followed by a ninety-degree left turn. Horses drawn wide or travelling on the outside lose ground here, and a jockey who takes it tight saves several lengths.
- Valentine’s Brook – the ninth and twenty-fifth, another ditch on a turning line.
- The Chair – the fifteenth, the tallest and widest fence on the course, jumped only once.
- Foinavon – the twenty-third, small and unremarkable, and the site of the 1967 pile-up that gave it its name.
The elbow on the run-in, about a furlong out, is where several Nationals have changed hands. It is a long finish and horses that hit the front too early frequently do not last home.
Betting the National
Each-way is the main bet
In a thirty-four runner handicap, each-way is not a hedge – it is the sensible way to bet the race. Standard terms are a quarter of the odds on the first four places for a handicap of sixteen or more runners, but the National is the most heavily promoted race of the year and firms routinely extend to five, six or more places. In a race this open, the difference between four places and six is worth far more than a point or two on the win price.
Compare place terms before you compare win prices. It is the single most useful thing a once-a-year bettor can do, and almost nobody does it.
Non-runner no bet
Ante-post prices are available from the previous autumn and through the winter, but a horse that does not make the final field loses your stake unless non-runner no bet applies. Most firms extend the term after the weights are published in February. Before that, an ante-post bet on the National is substantially a bet on the horse being declared at all – and the field reduces from several hundred entries to thirty-four.
The weights announcement
Published in February, and the most significant market event of the build-up. Until the weights are known, nobody can price the race properly, because it is a handicap and the weight is the race. Prices move sharply on the day of the announcement, and a horse that is treated leniently by the handicapper will shorten immediately.
Best odds guaranteed
If the starting price is bigger than the price you took, the bet is settled at the bigger one. On National day the market is enormous and prices drift and shorten more than usual, so this is worth having. Check the cap – some firms limit it by stake or exclude ante-post bets.
Other markets
To finish, to fall, the winning distance, and a named horse to beat another are all offered. The most useful of these is the “to complete the course” market, because the modern National is completed by a far higher proportion of the field than its reputation suggests, and the pricing has not always caught up with that.
What to look for in a National runner
- Proven stamina. Four and a quarter miles is well beyond a normal chase distance. Form over three miles and beyond, particularly in a staying handicap with a large field, is the strongest single indicator.
- A jumping record. Thirty fences is thirty chances to make a mistake. A horse with a history of falling or unseating is a poor risk however good its form figures.
- The weight. Horses at the top of the handicap have a poor record. Carrying top weight over that trip against thirty-three rivals is a genuine disadvantage, and the winner has more often come from the middle or lower reaches of the weights.
- Age. The race has historically favoured horses in the middle of their careers – old enough to have the experience for the fences, young enough to have the speed for the finish.
- The going. Aintree in April can be anything from quick to genuinely testing, and a change in the going overnight reshapes the market. Soft ground makes stamina even more decisive than usual.
- Previous course form. Horses that have run in the National before, or over the same fences at the December meeting, have a demonstrated ability to cope with obstacles unlike any others in the sport.
The rest of the festival
The National is the closing race of three days at Aintree, and the first two days carry championship races of their own. Thursday’s card includes the Aintree Hurdle and the Bowl, and Friday’s includes the Melling Chase and the top staying hurdle. These races often feature horses that ran at the March festival a few weeks earlier, which makes them among the best-informed betting races of the season – the form is recent, public and directly comparable.
For the once-a-year bettor the National is the race. For anyone following the season, the two preceding days are frequently better betting propositions, precisely because they attract less money and less attention.
Mistakes that cost money on National day
- Backing on the name. It is the traditional way to pick a National horse and it is fine as entertainment, but it should not be confused with betting.
- Ignoring place terms. A firm paying six places is offering a materially better bet than one paying four at a marginally longer price, and the comparison takes a minute.
- Betting ante-post without non-runner no bet. Several hundred horses are entered and thirty-four run.
- Backing top weight. The handicapper’s job is to stop the best horse winning, and over this trip the weight tells.
- Treating it as a normal race. It is a four-and-a-quarter-mile handicap over unique obstacles with a maximum field. Ordinary chase form applies less here than in any other race of the year.
How the final field is decided
The path from entry to the starting line has several stages, and each one is a market event.
- Entries close in the winter, with several hundred horses nominated. At this stage the market is barely meaningful.
- The weights are published in February, at a ceremony that is itself a media event. Every entered horse is allotted a weight. This is the moment the race can first be priced properly.
- Scratchings deadlines follow at intervals, each one removing horses whose connections have decided against running.
- Final declarations come 48 hours before the race, confirming the maximum thirty-four runners plus a reserve list. Reserves come in if a declared runner is withdrawn, which is why an apparently settled field can still change on the morning.
Qualification is not purely by rating. A horse must have run and completed in a chase over a minimum distance, which exists to keep the field to animals with demonstrated stamina and jumping ability. A well-handicapped horse without those credentials will not get in.
What the modern race is like
The National’s reputation was formed in an era that no longer exists. The fences have been rebuilt with more forgiving cores, the drops on the landing sides have been reduced, the field has come down from forty runners to thirty-four, the start has been moved and quietened, and the first fence sits closer to it so the field arrives at a slower pace.
For betting purposes the consequence is straightforward: more horses complete the course than the race’s history suggests, and the finish is more often contested by several horses in a line rather than settled by attrition. That makes place terms more valuable, makes the “to complete” market more interesting, and makes the traditional strategy of backing a plodder to stay on past the fallers less reliable than it was.
Common questions
When is the Grand National?
The Saturday of a three-day festival at Aintree in April. The status line at the top of this page carries the next confirmed window; where the exact days have not yet been confirmed it shows the month only rather than guess.
How many horses run?
A maximum of thirty-four, reduced from forty. A reserve list covers late withdrawals.
What are the standard each-way terms?
A quarter of the odds on the first four places is the baseline for a handicap of sixteen or more runners. For the National most firms extend beyond that, and the extended terms are the offer worth comparing.
Should I back the favourite?
The National’s favourites have a modest record by the standards of big races, because it is a handicap designed to bring the field together and because thirty fences introduces a great deal of luck. That is an argument for each-way betting and for a wider spread of selections, rather than for avoiding the market leader specifically.
What happens if my horse is withdrawn?
On the day, the bet is void and the stake returned, with a Rule 4 deduction applied to the remaining bets. Ante-post, the stake is lost unless the bookmaker was offering non-runner no bet at the time you placed it.
Grand National free bets and betting offers
The National attracts more promotional activity than any other race in the calendar, and most of it is aimed at people opening an account for the day. Welcome offers are the same ones available the rest of the year; what changes around the National is the volume of race-specific terms.
Two of those are worth having and the rest are decoration. Extra places, which changes what an each-way bet pays. And money back if your horse falls or is brought down, which removes the risk that is specific to this race. A free bet token is worth less than either, because neither changes the odds you are actually getting.
The comparison below shows current welcome offers from UK-licensed bookmakers with racing markets, with the qualifying stake, wagering requirement and expiry on each.
Casino list updated: September 2026
NEW WELCOME OFFER Bet £20 Get £10. New customers only. Sign up using the promo code bet20get10. Place a min £20 bet at odds of evens (2.0) or greater and receive a £10 Free Bet. Offer valid until further notice. Free bet credited at noon following the date of bet settlement. Valid for 7 days. 18+. UK/IE residents only. Full T&Cs apply.
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
Welcome offer 100% match bonus up to £30. 18+. New players only. Min deposit £20. Opt-in required. Deposits made via Skrill or Neteller are not eligible for the welcome bonus. Bonus funds can be used on a real-money sports bet with minimal decimal odds of 1.75 or higher. Bonus funds can be used on any sport except virtual. Bonus can be redeemed on win or each-way bets, doubles, trebles, 4-folds, combinations and accumulators, with minimum odds of 1.75 or higher. The bonus cannot be placed on boosted odds, Handicap, Draw no Bet markets. Wagering requirement is 10x the value of the bonus funds. Bonus funds not wagered within 30 days of being credited will expire and be removed from your account. Full terms apply.
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
LiveScoreBet
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets. New members only. £10+ bet on sports (ex. virtuals) at 1.5 min odds, settled within 14 days. Free Bets: 3 x £10, accepted in 7 days, valid 7 days, use on sportsbook. Stake not returned. T&Cs + deposit exclusions apply. Bet Responsibly. Gamcare.org.uk 18+
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
Welcome offer Bet £10 Get £50 Free Bets. New Players Only. Free bet – one-time stake of £50, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Free bets and Bonuses are valid for 7 days. Limited to 1 sport & 5 casino brand/s within the network. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Full Terms apply. 18+. Please play responsibly. GambleAware.org
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
DragonBet
Welsh Customers only – 50% back up to £25 as a Freebet on your 1st day losses. New customers only. 18+. Promo code Moneyback25. If your account has net losses at the end of your first day’s sportsbook betting, you’ll receive 50% back as a free bet, up to £25. Only bets settled by 23:59 on your first day betting will count towards the offer. 3 bets must be placed with a minimum stake of £5 and with minimum odds of 1.5 in order to qualify. Welsh residents only. Plus optional opt in to Sports and Casino email & SMS during registration to receive an extra £1 Free Bet on first bet placement. One per customer. GambleAware. T&Cs apply. Full terms apply.
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
Welcome offer Bet £10 and get a £10 Free Bet. Use Promo code CROWN10. Play responsibly. Gambleaware.Org, 1st deposit. Min £10 stake. £10 free bet. Min odds 2.0. Max winnings £100. 7-day expiry. Bonus t&cs apply.
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
£50 in Free Bets when you bet £10. New customers only. Register, deposit with a Debit Card, and place a first bet of £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports, to be settled within 7 days, to get £30 in Sports Free Bets and £20 in Bet Builder Free Bets within 24 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply.
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
New Welcome offer 0% Commission for 110 days. New Customers Only. Sign up using Bonus Code: COMMFREE110. Pay 0% commission on all sports bets for your first 110 days. Users making their first deposit by Skrill, Neteller or PaySafe card will not qualify for this promotion. T’s and C’s Apply. Be Gamble Aware. 18+
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
Welcome offer Bet £10 Get £20 Free Bet. New Players Only. Min £10 qualifying bets stake not returned. Free bet – one-time stake of £20, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Valid for 7 Days from receipt. Limited to 1 sport & 5 casino brand/s within the network. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Full Terms apply. 18+ only. Please play responsibly. Gambleaware.Org. #AD
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.org
NEW WELCOME OFFER Bet £20 Get £20 in Free Bets. New customers only. Code EB20 required. To qualify for free bets, the new user must place and settle £20 on easyBet markets. The user must bet on at least 2 different events to qualify. The user must place and settle bets at odds of 2.0 or more. An event is classed as two different sporting events. Bets can be placed on singles, multiples and Bet Builders. The user must place and settle bets before the closing date of the promotion to qualify. Users making their first deposit by Skrill, Neteller or PaySafe card will not qualify for this promotion. T’s and C’s Apply. Be Gamble Aware. 18+
| T&Cs Apply | GambleAware.orgSee also our horse racing betting page, the Cheltenham Festival hub, and this week in sport.
Responsible gambling
The National is the one race of the year that reaches people who do not otherwise bet, and that is worth saying plainly: a single small bet on the National is a normal thing to do, and it does not need to become anything more. If you opened an account for the race, you are under no obligation to use it again, and closing it afterwards is straightforward.
Every UK-licensed bookmaker must offer deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion. Free and confidential support is available from GambleAware at gambleaware.org and from GamCare. GAMSTOP lets you self-exclude from every UK-licensed gambling site at once.
