The Ultimate Grand National Sweepstake Guide
It's that time of year when you pay a small sum of money in exchange for a piece of paper with a number written on it.
That's right, it's the Grand National sweepstake, where owners of the 36 numbers have a vested interest in which horse wins the world's greatest steeplechase at Aintree.
The Grand National remains one of the most popular races on betting sites, with punters of all ages trying to beat the bookies.
Grand National Scoring System:
Win | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th+ |
10pts | 6pts | 4pts | 3pts | 2pts | 1pt | 0.25pt |
The above is the scoring system we used to compile the table of the most successful horse numbers since the famous voided race in 1993.
Jockeys accept it takes a lot of luck to win the race over 4m 2½f and the same applies to your number picked out of the sweepstake ahead of the big race.
Check out our ultimate guide to see how well your number has done.
You've Picked Well
It's a matter of fact that some horse numbers do better in the Grand National than others, but which ones?
In the last 31 iterations of the race, the horse wearing #10 has the best record of any other in the annual race.
Three wins, including Jason Maguire's success on Ballabriggs in 2011, a second, a third and eight top-six finishes helps give #10 a score of 47.8.
Second on our list is #13, considered unlucky for some. However, at Aintree, horses wearing that number have a score of 43.0 thanks to a couple of wins and three third-place finishes.
Since Davy Russell guided Tiger Roll to victory in 2018, #13 followed that up with four top-four finishes, so it has form on its side.
Completing the top three is #4, which has finished second on four occasions as well as winning the 2012 race with Paul Nicholls' 33/1-shot Neptune Collognes.
Don't Get Too Excited
If you picked #3 last year, then you were onto a winner as Patrick Mullins rode Nick Rockett to victory for his father Willie Mullins.
That success was the second time in six races that #3 was first past the post, and helps top our middle section of horses that have done reasonably well, but could have done better.
If you've drawn #11, which finished second 12 months ago, then you have one of three horses to have finished in each of the top six places since 1993.
In 2016, Rule The World took the honours with David Mullins in the saddle at 33/1 on betting apps, winning the race for #29 for the second time in three years, after Pineau De Re's glory in 2014.
Play Stable Stars Here
You Better Pick Again
Not all of the 34 horses can do well in the Grand National and there are some numbers you really want to avoid - based on previous results.
If you pick #25, good luck, because statistically it is the worst performing number in the last 31 races.
Every other number lining up for this year's race has managed to finish in the top six - but not #25, who has finished seventh or lower 11 times, and has failed to complete the race 20 times.
If you do pick #25 and you are looking for positives, last year's 10th-place finish followed a 17th-place finish in 2024 - so the trajectory is moving in the right direction.
The only other horse number not to have registered a top-four finish in the last 31 years is #20, who finished 12th last year.
Horse #8 has three top-four finishes since the voided race in 1993, but since the turn of the century, has only finished the race four times, with a seventh in 2011 the best result in recent times.
Good luck to whatever number you pick for the big race!
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