Aintree Racecourse Tips & Stats Guide

Aintree Racecourse - the home of the Grand National.

But there is more to this jump racing jewel on Merseyside than being the venue for one of the most famous races in the world.

With Grade 1 action over the three-day Grand National meeting plus top-quality races later in the year, including the Old Roan Chase and the Grand Sefton Chase, Aintree is one of the premier tracks in the UK, ranked second only to Cheltenham amongst jump racing fans.

Aintree Tips for Today

Saturday sees an exciting card at Aintree, including the Becher Chase over the famous Grand National fences, with four races to be shown live on ITV Racing.

Our top tipping team of Alan Kelly, Charlie McCann, and Ed Quigley all have tips at Aintree, including selections at 14/1 and 10/1.

Check them all out via the links below!

Check out more from the Freebets horse racing hub, including tips, stats, market movers and today’s racecards!

We’ve also highlighted two betting angles below to remember when having a punt at Aintree.

A jumping challenge

Although much modified in recent years, Aintree still provides a tough jumping challenge, especially in the Grand National, where 30 fences must be negotiated. In addition, the Mildmay Course also presents a stern test over fences, so ensure any horse you’re backing at Aintree has some solid jumping form in the book.

Up with the pace

On both the Mildmay Course and the Grand National course, you need a horse that is a strong traveller and is happy to be up with, or near, to the pace. Rarely do you see a horse win from well-off the pace at Aintree.

Top Aintree Jockeys

Aidan Coleman is the jockey to look out for around Aintree - he’s boasting a 26% strike rate over fences and hurdles for the last three seasons and a 20-point profit to level stakes on all rides at the track.

Top Aintree Trainers

With Aintree only hosting six meetings over the year and with excellent prize money on offer, smaller racing yards target their horses for the Merseyside track in the hope of landing a nice pot.

One such trainer is Nick Alexander, who has a 43% strike rate with his chasers at the track over the last season, with three of his seven runners winning.

While Melanie Rowley’s runners over hurdles are worth watching out for - she currently has around a 40% strike rate.

Aintree Free Bets & Betting Offers

As one of the most popular sporting events in the UK, the Grand National sees no shortage of betting offers from the top online bookmakers to enjoy.

Another popular Grand National promotion is extra places paid on the race. Standard place terms would be four places on the big race, but many bookmakers, including bet365, Virgin Bet, and Betfred, all offer enhanced place terms - sometimes offering up to seven each-way places.

Aintree Racecourse Layout & Info

Aintree has two racecourses - the Mildmay Course and the Grand National Course.

The majority of races at Aintree are held on the Mildmay Course, which is known for being a tight course and a challenging jumping test.

The Grand National Course needs no introduction - a circuit of two miles and two furlongs, with some of the most well-known fences in jump racing, including Becher’s Brook, The Chair, and The Canal Turn.

Five races are run over the Grand National Course yearly - the Grand National, the Topham Chase, and the Foxhunters Chase in April, and the Becher Chase and Grand Sefton Chase in December.

Aintree Top Featured Races

The highlight of Aintree’s year is, of course, their three-day Grand National Festival, which is held annually in April.

With 11 Grade 1 races over the three days, plus the Grand National, it’s one of the most eagerly anticipated meetings on the horse racing calendar.

We’ve listed below the main races held at Aintree every year.

Race	Grade	Distance	Type	Date
Manifesto Novices’ Chase	Grade 1	2 miles 4 furlongs	Chase	April
Anniversary Novices’ Hurdle	Grade 1	2 miles 1 furlong	Hurdle	April
Aintree Bowl	Grade 1	3 miles 1 furlong	Chase	April
Aintree Hurdle	Grade 1	2 miles 4 furlongs	Hurdle	April
Top Novices’ Hurdle	Grade 1	2 miles	Hurdle	April
Mildmay Novices’ Chase	Grade 1	3 miles 1 furlong	Chase	April
Melling Chase	Grade 1	2 miles 4 furlongs	Chase	April
Sefton Novices’ Hurdle	Grade 1	3 miles	Hurdle	April
Aintree Bumper	Grade 2	2 miles 1 furlong	NH Flat	April
Mersey Novices’ Hurdle	Grade 1	3 miles	Hurdle	April
Maghull Novices’ Chase	Grade 1	2 miles 4 furlongs	Chase	April
Liverpool Hurdle	Grade 1	2 miles	Hurdle	April
Grand National	Premier Handicap	4 miles 2 furlongs	Chase	April
Old Roan Chase	Grade 2	2 miles 4 furlongs	Chase	October
Many Clouds Chase	Grade 2	2 miles	Chase	December

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