Irish Grand National: Best Betting Sites, Each Way Trends, and Top Tips

With the Cheltenham Festival in the books and the flat season underway, we are now entering Grand National season. The Aintree spectacular is limbering up to light up our punting lives on Saturday 11 April, swiftly followed by the Scottish Grand National from Ayr on Saturday, 18 April. However, taking place in its traditional Easter Monday slot, the Irish Grand National is the first to go under starter’s orders at Fairyhouse.

At 3m5f, the trip isn’t quite as demanding as its Merseyside counterpart, nor are the fences so intimidating. Nevertheless, the €500,000 contest provides a similarly enthralling test of staying and jumping ability, with a maximum field of thirty expected to line up on the day.

With the Easter Egg hunt out of the way, the far more important search for the Irish Grand National winner begins on Monday, 6 April. Here, using data presented by NewBettingSites.uk, we begin that quest a little early with this trends-based analysis of the great race. Putting a different spin on the traditional ten-year-trends article, we look not only at the winner but also the placed performers between 2015 and 2025 (no race in 2020 due to the global pandemic). Picking out the standout stats and patterns, we conclude with our top each-way picks for the 2026 Irish Grand National.

Best Betting Sites for the Irish Grand National

When selecting the best Irish Grand National betting sites, we have focused on operators offering competitive odds, an appealing welcome offer, and, most importantly, a top-class horse racing product. If you are looking for a new betting site ahead of the Fairyhouse showstopper, the following five bookmakers have earned the newbettingsites.uk seal of approval.

• tote - Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets. Use Code: B10G40CF
• Bet St George - Bet £20 Get £20 in Free Bets. Use Code: B20G20
• BetMGM - Bet £10 & Get £40 in Free Bets
• QuinnBet - Get 50% of First Day Losses Back as a Free Bet, up to £25.
• Bresbet - Bet £10 get £10 in Free Bets

2026 Irish Grand National Trends

With the days counting down towards the big race, 45 chasers remain in contention for the €269,500 first place prize money. But which of the 45 boast the most eye-catching credentials? It's time to turn to the trends to help narrow down the list.

Age of Placed Horses

Not the most clear-cut of trends to kick things off, with a wide range of ages hitting the frame. However, with 32 of 40 placed horses falling into the 7 to 11 age bracket, we will use this as our first filter. Applying this trend brings the list down to 40.

Stamina Considerations

Logic would suggest that stamina is one of the number one requirements in a gruelling contest such as this. While not as conclusive as in other leading staying chases, the stats largely support this theory. Of the 40 placed horses in our sample, 32 had previously won over 3m or further. Applying this filter reduces the field to 29. Progress, but still some way to go.

Recent Run an Advantage

Race fitness appears to be an advantage in the Irish Grand National, which makes sense considering the demanding nature of the race. Of the 40 horses to hit the top four positions between 2015 and 2025, only one arrived on the back of a break of 71 days or more. A strong trend, but one which only rules out two of our remaining runners, bringing us down to 27.

Class to the Fore

Next, we come to one of our favourite trends in competitive handicaps such as this. As is often the case, horses with experience in a higher Grade have performed well in the Irish Grand National. Looking at the results in our sample, 23 of the 40 placed horses had previously competed at Grade 2 level or above. Widening the net to capture Grade 3 races increases the tally to 29 of 40. Applying this back-class filter trims the field to 22.

Placed Last Time a Plus

As a 16+ runner handicap, bookmakers are compelled to pay out each way on the first four finishers – although many offer additional places on the day. Using a top four finish as a benchmark, 24 of the 40 placed horses in our sample had finished in a similar position on their most recent outing. Focusing on those who fit this trend in 2026 brings us down to ten.

Other Factors

• Willie Mullins led the way among trainers, with ten top four finishers. Gordon Elliott came next with seven.
• Presenting topped the sires table with six top four finishers
• David Mullins fared best of the jockeys, with five top four finishes

The Top Ten

Having made it this far, and with few strong trends remaining, our final shortlist of ten is:

• Better Days Ahead - Trained by Gordon Elliott but carries top weight. Only one of the 40 placed runners in our sample shouldered 11st12lb to a top four finish.
• The Jukebox Kid - Lightly raced English raider from the Ben Pauling operation. Steps up in trip from 3m but won well in Grade 2 company last time.
• C’Est Ta Chance - Represents Willie Mullins and owners Simon Munir & Isaac Souede, who won the 2024 edition of this with Intense Raffles.
• Soldier In Milan - 2022 Aintree Grand National winning trainer Emmet Mullins has yet to win his home “national”, but may fancy his chances with this unexposed seven-year-old
• Monbeg Genius - Jonjo & A J O’Neill stalwart who has yet to fully deliver on his potential but is creeping down the handicap as a result
• One Big Bang - Another of the English contingent, this James Owen challenger finished a solid third in the National Hunt Challenge Cup at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
• O’Toole - Also sporting the double green of Munir & Souede, O’Toole is lightly raced for a ten-year-old and won a Listed contest at this track last time out
• Sa Majeste - Hailing from the yard of Willie Mullins and carrying the green and gold of J P McManus, Sa Majeste represents one of the strongest owner/trainer combos in the sport. Still in touch when making a bad blunder at the 14th in 2025, he returns for a second crack at the prize.
• Western Walk - Jonathan Sweeney runner who has yet to hit the heights over fences. However, he has faced tough tasks in Graded company and is fairly handicapped on his hurdles form.
• Shanbally Kid - Hailing from the yard of Willie Mullins and sired by Presenting, this nine-year-old is a good fit on the trends. He’s inconsistent, but a 15l win in a 3m7½f contest at Punchestown in May 2025 reads well.

Recommended Bets

Of those toward the head of the market, Soldier In Milan gets our vote. Suggesting stamina may be his strong suit when toughing it out in the Punchestown mud in February, he caught the eye when staying on for fourth over 2m5½f at Thurles last time.

For our second each-way punt, we will turn to the yard of the 2019 and 2023 winning trainer, Willie Mullins. Earning bonus points for his sire, the strong staying Shanbally Kid is worth chancing at a big price.

• Recommended Bet - Soldier In Milan each way @ 9/1 with Bresbet
• Recommended Bet - Shanbally Kid each way @ 40/1 with BetGoodwin

Irish Grand National FAQs

• What is the Irish Grand National? - The Irish Grand National is one of Ireland’s biggest betting events. The race takes place over 3m5f and features 24 fences.
• Where is the Irish Grand National Held? - The Irish Grand National is held at Fairyhouse Racecourse in County Meath, Ireland
• When is the 2026 Irish Grand National? - The Irish Grand National always takes place on Easter Monday. In 2026, the date for the diary is 6 April.
• How many horses run in the Irish Grand National? - The maximum field for the Irish Grand National is 30 runners.
• What was the biggest shock in the Irish Grand National? - The biggest shock in the history of the race came relatively recently, when Freewheelin Dylan came home in front at odds of 150/1 in 2021.