The Grand National is a premium event on the National Hunt horse racing calendar and is held every April at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. Grand National betting is widespread in the UK and Ireland and is particularly popular amongst many people who do not normally watch or bet on horse racing at other times of the year.
The race took place for the first time in 1839 and is a handicap chase more than four miles long, which sees horses jumping 30 fences over a gruelling two laps. The Grand National is the highest value jump race in Europe, with a prize fund that has increased substantially over the years, settling at a cool £1m in recent years.
Since its inception, the Grand National has remained one of the most popular horse racing betting events all over the world. The event has seen over £250 million placed in bets in recent years, many of those people's only horse racing bets of the year. It is known as “the ultimate test of horse and rider”, featuring bigger fences than those found on any other jumps tracks
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The National Course at Aintree consists of two laps of 16 fences and the first 14 of those fences are jumped twice, on a journey of more than four miles. The course is well known for having one of the lengthiest run-ins from the final fence of any chase worldwide, at a distance of 494 yards, and for having its famous National fences. They are uniquely large, often wide, and covered in spruce, unlike any other fences in jumps racing. Here are the most famous of all Grand National fences:
Becher’s Brook - 5ft (1.52m) tall on the takeoff side, with the landing side 6-10 inches (15-25cm) lower, depending on ground conditions. It is jumped twice as fence six and 22 in the Grand National.
Foinavon - Named after the lucky 1967 winner, who won at odds of 100/1, it is among the smallest fences on the Grand National course at just 4ft 6ins (1.37m), and is jumped twice as fences seven and 23.
The Canal Turn - At 5ft (1.52m) tall, it is the trickiest fence on the course, horses and riders forced to turn 90-degrees left immediately after landing, making positioning crucial and hard-luck stories plentiful.
Valentine’s Brook - It is 5ft (1.52m) high and 3ft 3ins (0.9m) wide, with a brook on the landing side that’s 5ft 6ins (1.68m) wide. It was named in 1840 after a horse named Valentine jumped the fence hind legs first (i.e. backwards!). It is jumped twice as fences nine and 25.
The Chair - Of all the named fences, this is the only one to be jumped once, and it is done so in front of the stands. Standing 5ft 3ins (1.57m) tall, it is preceded by a 6ft (1.83m) wide ditch, and has a landing side 6ins higher than the takeoff. It is the tallest and broadest Grand National fence.
The National Course is used in the Grand National, the amateurs’ Grand National, the Fox Hunters Chase, and the Topham Chase in April, and in the Becher Chase and Grand Sefton Chase in December.
How to Bet on the Grand National
Placing a bet on the Grand National is something millions of people do every year, as their only bet of the year! The unique nature of Grand National betting draws everyone in, so if you need to know how to bet on the Grand National, read on:
Online | You will require an account if you’re planning on betting online for the Grand National. There are some excellent online sites out there, so make sure to do some shopping around before parting with your cash.
By Telephone | Ring your bookies, tell them the name of the race, the horse and amount you’d like to bet. Simple!
On Course | If you’re lucky enough to be at Aintree on the day of the Grand National you’re definitely going to want to bet! Have your money to hand, approach one of the many bookies around the course and state the bet you would like to make.
In a Betting Shop | The atmosphere on the day of the Grand National in bookies is always great. Grab a betting slip and write down the name of the race (in this case, ‘Grand National), the name of the horse you want to bet on and the amount you’d like to stake.
Grand National Betting Odds
Grand National betting odds are available at all online betting sites. The testing qualities of the race, the extreme length, and big field of runners, means the result cannot often be predicted - and it can be described as more of a lottery than a horse race.
Generally speaking, the optimal time to place a bet on the Grand National is early on the day of the race. As one of the toughest horse races in the world, there is nearly always a double-figure horse that you could consider a stake on. Plenty of recent Grand National winners have been double figures at their starting price.
Recent Grand National Winners' Odds
Year
Winner
Odds
Jockey
2018
Tiger Roll
10/1
Davy Russell
2017
One For Arthur
14/1
Derek Fox
2016
Rule The World
33/1
David Mullins
2015
Many Clouds
25/1
Leighton Aspell
2014
Pineau de Re
25/1
Leighton Aspell
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