A Guide to the Aintree Grand National – The Biggest Jumps Race in the World

Each year in Spring, the jumps racing season reaches its peak. For dedicated National Hunt fans, March is the most memorable month of the year thanks to the mighty Cheltenham Festival. For those with more of a passing interest, the sport of jumps racing begins and ends with a single race in April. We are, of course, referring to the Merseyside marvel that is the Aintree Grand National.

To distil racing to a single event is to miss out on much of what the sport has to offer. Nevertheless, the Grand National continues to capture the public imagination to a greater degree than any other race – and it isn’t particularly close. Everything about the Grand National is big, from the formidable fences to the £1 million in prize money and on to the viewing figures and betting turnover, the Grand National puts all other events in the shade.

Never ones to argue with 600 million viewers in 140 countries, and a 70,000 annual pilgrimage to the track, the staff at NewBettingSites.uk enjoy a bet on the Aintree Grand National as much as the next punter. But how do you go about betting on this national institution of a horse race, and what should you consider when making your selections?

What Is the Aintree Grand National?

Put simply, the Aintree Grand National is the most famous jumps race in the world. Making its debut at its Merseyside home in 1839, the Grand National takes place over a stamina sapping trip of 4m2½f. While among the longest trips of the year, the Grand National isn’t the only 4m+ contest of the season. What makes the race truly stand out from the crowd are the unique fences.

Unlike a standard chase, where each fence is much like the next, the Grand National features a cast of obstacles that have taken on a life of their own over the years. Standing significantly taller than your average fence, and featuring ditches, brooks, and dramatic drops, the likes of The Chair, Becher’s Brook, Foinavon, Valentines, and Canal Turn combine to create the toughest jumping challenge of the season. To come home in front, a runner must safely negotiate all 30 fences and keep enough in reserve to stay the marathon trip. Only the toughest horses need apply.

Aintree Grand National – Most Popular Bet Types

To say that the Aintree Grand National is Britain’s biggest betting race is something of an understatement. Regularly attracting over £150 million in bets, the Grand National is often six times bigger than Britain’s next biggest betting race – most often the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March. To put that figure in perspective, £150 million represents more than £2 for each of the UK’s 68 million population. Quite a tally, but what types of bets are so many people placing?

• Win Bet - The simplest bet of all. Here you are betting on a horse to win the Grand National. If it wins, you win. If it doesn’t, you don’t.
• Each Way Bet - An each way bet is in fact two equally staked bets. For example, a £10 each way bet will cost a total of £20. The first bet is a Win Bet as explained above. The second is a bet on the horse to finish in the placed positions. As a handicap race with 16 or more runners, “in the placed positions” means to finish in the first four. If your horse wins, the win half of your bet will pay out at the full odds. The place part pays out at a fraction of the full odds, usually a 1/4 or a 1/5. If the horse wins, both parts of the bet pay out, if the horse finishes second, third, or fourth, only the place part of the bet pays out.
• Forecast Bet - For those whose ambition doesn’t end with selecting the Grand National winner. A forecast bet asks you to pick the first and second placed finishers. For a Straight Forecast, you must predict the first and second in the Correct Order. For a reverse forecast, your two selections may finish first and second in any order. A reverse forecast costs double the entered stake, e.g. a £1 Reverse Forecast costs a total of £2.
• Tricast Bet - God loves an optimist. To win a Grand National tricast bet, you must predict the first, second, and third placed finishers. For a Straight Tricast, you most name the top three in the correct order. For a Combination Tricast, your three selections may finish first second and third in any order. A combination tricast containing three selections is made up of six bets in total i.e. a £1 combination tricast costs a total of £6.

Aintree Grand National Added Value

Many of the best new betting sites offer additional perks on the Aintree Grand National. When placing your Grand National bets, we recommended keeping an eye out for bookmakers who offer the following:

• Extra Places - The betting rules state bookmakers must pay out each way on the first four in a big field handicap such as the Grand National. However, four places should be considered the bare minimum for the big race. On the day, many betting sites pay out each way on the first five, six, seven, or sometimes even eight places. Taking a little time to shop around can make the difference between a payout and a losing bet.
• Best Odds Guaranteed - Best Odds Guaranteed means that if the starting price of your selection is bigger than the price you took when placing the bet, you will be paid out at the starting price. For example, if you took 8/1 when placing the bet, and your selection wins at 10/1, you will be paid out at 10/1.
• Faller Insurance - Money back (usually as a free bet) if your horse falls during the race.
• Welcome Offers - Check out our bookmaker table for the latest free bet offers ahead of the Grand National.

Picking the Winner – Key Factors

Ther are many “fun” methods to picking your Grand National horse. Some punters follow the tried, tested, and occasionally successful “which name do I like best” system, others go for their lucky number or favourite colour silks, or simply back the grey horse. If all else fails, closing your eyes and sticking a pin in the newspaper has its advocates.

However, for a race that comes but once a year, it may be worth applying just a little more logic when deciding which noble steed will carry your cash. In our years following the great race, the following factors have worked their way towards the top of our list of key criteria:

• Age - 8-11 years of age appears to be the ideal window of opportunity. Between 2000 and 2025, 23 of the 25 winners fell into this age bracket
• Staying Power - There aren’t too many opportunities for runners to try their luck over 4m+. However, 23 of the 25 winners between 2000 and 2025 had previously won over at least 3m.
• Jumping Ability - While the Grand National fences are much more forgiving following the recent safety alterations, they still pose a formidable challenge. Runners with a string of Falls or Unseats by their name may struggle.
• Class - Once labelled a lottery, the modern Grand National attracts a high calibre of horse. 16 of the 25 winners between 2000 and 2025 had previously competed at least once in Grade 1 company.

Applying the above criteria to the Grand National field should help produce a solid shortlist from which to make your selections.

Aintree Grand National FAQs

• What is the Grand National? - The Grand National is Britain’s most popular race. Held over a trip of 4m2½f, the event features 30 famous fences, including Becher’s Brook and the Chair.
• Where is the Grand National Held? - The Grand National takes place at Aintree Racecourse on Merseyside
• What is an each way bet in the Grand National? - An each way bet is actually two bets – one bet on a horse to win the race and another bet on the horse to finish placed, e.g. a £10 each way bet costs £20 in total.
• How many places are paid in the Grand National? - As long as there are 16 or more runners (which there always are) all bookmakers pay out on at least the first four places. However, some betting sites pay out on the first 5, 6, 7, or more.
• When is the Grand National? - The Grand National takes place in early April each year.
• How many horses run in the Grand National? - The maximum field for the Grand National is 34 runners.
• How long does it take to run the Grand National? - The 4m2½f contests is usually over within 9-10 minutes.
• What was the biggest shock result in the Grand National? - As of 2025, five horses had won the Grand National at odds of 100/1, including 2009 winner Mon Mome?
• Does the favourite ever win the Grand National? - Yes, the favourite has a fair record in the Grand National. Between 2000 and 2005, six favourites or joint favourites won the race.
• Is it better to bet each way in the Grand National? - Many punters prefer to bet each way as it increases the chance of a payout.