The Complete Handbook to Betting on the Grand National Horse Racing Event

As the most famous annual horse racing event in the UK, the Grand National is renowned for appealing to punters from all walks of life. With many viewers being new to or unfamiliar with horse race betting, it’s essential to understand the basics before you place your wagers if you want to boost your chances to win.

In this guide to Grand National betting, we’ve provided an easy-to-understand yet detailed overview of the National hunt horse race and the great betting sites that offer odds for it. We’ve explained why the top sites will offer a variety of betting options, fair odds, and high-quality platforms to support easy betting.

To get things started, we’ve created a list of the top five online bookies that offer premium Grand National betting experience. These are:

1. Paddy Power
2. Betfair
3. William Hill
4. Bet365
5. Betfred

Grand National Betting Offers

As a major annual bookmaking event, the top bookies will offer at least one Grand National betting offer to lure new customers in. However, these tend to thin out or even disappear in the weeks leading up to the race, so it’s best to be prepared to claim them before time runs out.

Often, these betting offers will be matched bets. This means that if you wager a certain amount on an event, you will receive a free bet of a certain value. There may also be risk-free bets, which will award you the same value of your wager in free bet credits if your wager is unsuccessful.

The best horse racing betting sites for Grand National odds may also offer an Each Way Extra. This provides punters with an option to add or subtract the number of places in a race when you make an each way bet. This can help to increase the odds of your wager or reduce the price.

The sites with the top Grand National betting offers are:

1. Bet365
2. Paddy Power
3. Betfair
4. Betway
5. BetVictor

Grand National Betting Odds

In order to stay as competitive as possible, all bookmakers will be vying to present the best Grand National betting odds. For this reason, it’s essential that you take the time to undertake an odds comparison before you place your wagers. The better the odds, the bigger your potential reward.

Odds are likely to fluctuate in the weeks preceding the race, and on race day, you’ll find that most bookie odds are about the same. This is why it’s best to place your wagers as early as possible. Another thing to consider is whether you want your odds to be displayed in the decimal or fractional format.

You’ll be able to alter this in your online bookie settings. Decimal formats tend to be the easiest to understand, as they essentially equate to stake x decimal odds = payout. For example, a bet of £100 on decimal odds of 1.5 would equal a £150 payout, so a £50 profit. With this, you can calculate the most profitable bookie odds.

How to Bet on Grand National. Types of Bets

There are two main bet types that you will find at the best Grand National betting sites. The more popular of these is the win-only bet. This is essentially a single bet on which horse you believe will win the race. The other bet type is the each-way wager.

An each-way bet is essentially two wagers in one. Bettors back a horse to win as well as wager on the horse to finish within a number of places in relation to your prediction of the runner’s position. These give punters an opportunity to still win if the backed horse doesn’t come first.

Several bookies will also offer specials on the Grand National. This could include the number of horses to finish the race, how many horses will fall at the first fence, the winning distance of the frontrunner, and whether the horse was UK or Irish-trained.

To place your bets online, you will just need to head to the Grand National betting page and click on the odds next to the horse you want to bet on. This will be added to your betslip. You can set your stake here, then toggle on if you want to make an each-way bet by ticking the EW box. Click to place bet and confirm.

Historical Info and Interesting Facts about The Grand National

The Grand National is an annual steeplechase horse racing event held every year at the Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool. It was first held in 1839 when it was launched as the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase. Today, it is the most valuable jump race in Europe, with a prize fund of £1 million.

The race is known for being extremely challenging, often making the outcome of the race extremely tense and unpredictable. The distance of the race is 4 miles and 514 yards, with 30 fences jumped over two laps. Horses and jockeys must display skill, endurance, and stamina to rise to the top.

For this reason, the event has a huge global following. Roughly 600 million people watch the race every year, with a large portion of the audience getting involved in wagering. In fact, roughly £300 million is bet on race day in the UK alone, making it one of the largest UK betting events of the year.

There have been several famous horses to run the Aintree track and inspire generations of people. Perhaps the most famous of these is Red Rum. In the 1970s, Red Rum became the first and only horse to win three Grand Nationals. His trainer, George McCain, is considered to be a legendary figure in the race’s history.

Another popular horse that is central to the Grand National legend is Foinavon. This horse won the 1967 National after a riderless horse interfered at the smallest fence on the second circuity, causing a pile-up. Foniavon’s jockey managed to steer the horse wide of the pile-up to win at the odds of 100 to 1.

Glossary: Know Your Grand National Jargon

Before you place your wagers, there are some essential terms that you will need to know. By understanding the ins and outs of the Grand National and other horse races, you’ll be able to keep track of the race as you watch it live. The following are several must-know Grand National betting terms:

• Accumulator: a bet that involves two or more market selections, with the win on one added to the next.
• Allowance: the weight concession the horse is allowed to make up for its jockey’s inexperience.
• Also ran: a horse that doesn’t finish placed.
• Antepost: a bet that is placed well in advance of the day. Prices to win are usually higher as the horses may not be guaranteed to compete in the event.
• At the post: when all the horses have arrived at the start line.
• Bar: horses that have long odds to win that are not indicated can be considered “at the bar.”
• Distance: the length by which a horse has won the race or has been beaten.
• Each-way: a two-way bet that backs a horse to win as well as where it will be placed.
• Evens: odds that state that your stake will equal your winnings.
• Form: the recent race record of competing horses.
• Odds on: where the winnings are less than the stake. This will be a favourite to win.
• On the nose: a bet that the horse will win only, not its placement.
• Penalty: the extra weight carried by a winning horse that has won.
• Placed: a horse that finishes placed in the Grand National could finish in up to the 5th position.

Frequently Asked Questions