Grand National 2024 Preview, Tips, Free Bets & Offers
The biggest individual race of the entire year, the Grand National, is here!
The 2024 Grand National will take place on Saturday, April 13th, at 4:00pm, live on ITV Racing. It is a race loved by the public, whether you are a regular horse racing fan or a once-a-year punter.
Check out all the latest Grand National Free Bets offers, tips, and info below as we guide you through this unique race.
Grand National Top Betting Offers
Latest Grand National News
Grand National Free Bets
Online bookies love the annual Aintree Grand National betting bash. The big race attracts more bets than any other sporting event on the calendar and creates massive Grand National betting turnover.
Free bets on Grand National Day are not available everywhere, but we keep our page up-to-date, showing you the bookmakers who will be offering bonuses and free bets to punters.
Randox Health Grand National Festival 2024 Schedule
Check out the full schedule for this year’s Grand National Festival below.
| Time | Day One, Thursday, April 11 2024 | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 1:45pm | Manifesto Novices’ Steeple Chase (Grade 1) | 2m 4f |
| 2:20pm | Four-Year-Old Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 1) | 2m 1f |
| 2:55pm | Aintree Bowl Chase (Grade 1) | 3m 1f |
| 3:30pm | Aintree Hurdle (Grade 1) | 2m 4f |
| 4:05pm | Foxhunters’ Steeple Chase | 2m 5f |
| 4:40pm | Red Rum Handicap Steeple Chase | 2m |
| 5:15pm | Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat | 2m 1f |
| Time | Day Two, Friday, April 12 2024 | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 1:45pm | Mildmay Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) | 3m 1f |
| 2:20pm | Handicap Hurdle | 2m 4f |
| 2:55pm | Top Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) | 2m 1/2f |
| 3:30pm | Melling Chase (Grade 1) | 2m 4f |
| 4:05pm | Topham Chase | 2m 5f |
| 4:40pm | Sefton Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) | 3m ½f |
| 5:15pm | The Alder Hey Handicap Hurdle | 2m 1/2f |
| Time | Day Three, Saturday, April 13 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1:20pm | Bridle Road Handicap Hurdle | 3m ½f |
| 1:55pm | Mersey Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) | 2m 4f |
| 2:30pm | Handicap Chase | 3m 1f |
| 3:05pm | Liverpool Hurdle (Grade 1) | 3m ½f |
| 4:00pm | Grand National | 4m 2 1/2f |
| 5:00pm | Maghull Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) | 2m |
| 5:35pm | Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race | 2m 1f |
Grand National Each-Way Betting
An each-way bet is unquestionably the most popular of all Grand National betting offers as means your selection will earn you winnings if it finishes in the frame (first, second, third, or fourth) with half your bet stake going on the ‘place’ part of the bet (at a fraction of the win odds) and half going directly on the win part of the bet.
bet365 are currently offering the best each-way terms, with you paid out if your each-way selection finishes in the top five!
But you can shop around for even better terms with some firms, like Paddy Power, likely to offer enhanced place terms on race day.
As a rule of thumb, a placed horse at 5/1 will see you have your entire bet stake returned. A placed horse priced around 10/1 will give you a yield of around 50% on your investment, while a placed selection around 14/1 or 16/1 will see you more than double your money.
Naturally, if your selection was to win, you would see a handsome return on your money.
Ante Post Betting
An ‘ante-post’ bet is placed on a race before the final field is known. You can get far bigger odds about a Grand National betting fancy if you place your wager ante-post, but you will lose your stakes if it does not actually run in the race
It’s best to get confirmation from a trainer that he definitely plans to run his horse in the Grand National before placing an ante-post bet, as almost two-thirds of the original Grand National entries will ultimately not take part.
Non-Runner No-Bet (NRNB)
Naturally, with the race so far away, you will be worried that the horse won’t even make it that far. Don’t worry - in the build-up to the race, there will be plenty of Non-Runner No Bet opportunities for you to ensure you don’t lose out.
If you’re unsure of what a Non-Runner No Bet offer is, it’s essentially a bet that means if your horse doesn’t race, then your bet will be null and void. Most of the UK’s leading bookmakers will offer this, and they’re well worth looking at if you’re betting well ahead of the race.
Grand National non-runner no bet (NRNB) markets normally appear around two weeks before the Grand National race date at a time when most of the leading fancies have been confirmed as intended runners.
Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG)
Many major firms offer Best Odds Guaranteed, a great concession. ‘BOG means you will receive your Grand National winnings at the price you struck your bet or, even better odds, its SP (starting price) - if the SP is a higher price than the Grand National betting odds you initially accepted.
It’s believed Ladbrokes was the first firm to offer BOG, and as the most familiar of all high street betting firms, it’s not a bad place to shop around for the best odds. BOG is genuinely the best of all bookmaking offers, as the stats show that most horse winners traded at a bigger price than their SP before the off time.
Extra Place Special Offers
This is definitely an offer to look out for, as this will see your selection paid out as an each-way winner if you finish fifth (as is the current case with bet365) and/or even sixth, seventh, or eighth.
Faller Offers
Another great concession that the top online bookmakers use as a promotion is ‘faller offers’. This offer returns stakes, normally as free bets, on bet selections which fall at the first fence. It can also apply to other fences, particularly the final fence, and it might see your stakes returned as cash as an alternative to a free bet.
Enhanced Odds
It pretty much means what it says - some firms will enhance the price of your Grand National betting selection. The bigger enhancements from the likes of Paddy Power and Betfair are usually reserved for new customers only, but there’s no saying what outstanding Grand National enhanced odds will be available on the day of the race.
Tote Betting on the Grand National
There will be a full complement of Tote betting opportunities on the Grand National, from simple win bets and place bets to exactas, trifectas, and placepots.
You can place tote bets with several online bookmakers. Totesport was the traditional home of betting into UK tote pools via desktop and mobile devices, but in recent years, Betfair and Bet365 have given their customers direct access to them.
On Grand National Day, pools in all races at Aintree will be massive.
Choosing the Best Grand National Offer
Providing you don’t wait until Wednesday before race day, you should have several new and existing customer bet offers available to you. The big question is how to take advantage of these concessions, as each is a genuine money-making opportunity.
If you are simply eager to spin a profit, we would certainly suggest blending a free bet with an enhanced each-way offer. One is a ‘something for nothing’, and the other is a bet bonus.
But there is a lot of common sense involved in manipulating Grand National offers to best suit your wants, needs, and selection habits. For example, your horse could be a strong pulling type who has fallen at the first fence before (statistically, an average of two horses fall at the first fence in Grand Nationals).
Any horse booked by a popular jockey is certain to see its odds reduce, so be sure to secure the early odds - albeit there is no good reason not to take BOG about any Grand National bet. Ultimately, it’s the free bet promotions that can be the most fruitful, and using them on a horse to be placed or each way is your most likely path to profit.
Grand National Betting Markets
In addition to win and each-way bets, there will be countless other betting markets on race day. Intrepid punters can place:
Forecasts – which requires you to select the first and second in the correct order
Tricasts – requiring the first, second, and third in the correct order
Potential returns from these bets could be huge, but those who don’t possess a crystal ball and prefer a less speculative type of bet can choose to invest their money in ‘place only’ markets, which are becoming increasingly popular. The Betfair Exchange and bet365 are great places to find these markets.
Another great way to enjoy the race is to place bets in some of the numerous ‘Special Markets’ that will appear closer to Grand National Day.
These will include bet options on the ‘Number of Finishers’, the ‘Age of the Winner’, ‘an Irish Trained Winner’, a ‘Lady Jockey to Win’, and other such outcomes.
How to Get Grand National Free Bets
As the National Hunt season begins in the winter, you can study the form before early Spring.
Check our detailed ‘How to Bet’ guide to learn how to read the Grand National form.
As April draws in, it’s the perfect time to make the most of Grand National free bets.
Just like enhanced odds offers, the online bookies are fully aware of what a hectic day Grand National 2024 betting will be, and they tend to suspend their traditional concessions, enhancements and, more importantly, new customer offers for those 24 hours.
Numerous betting sites will attract new customers throughout Grand National Day, and none of them are likely to benefit from the traditional free bets they can receive during the rest of the year.
So, be prepared, meaning apply for bookmaking accounts early with the firms offering new customer free bet offers to receive a free bet you can use on the Grand National.
Remember that the Grand National free bet will usually not be credited to your new account until your first bet has been placed and settled.
So place that qualifying wager a few days before the Grand National and have a free go on the biggest race of them all!
Grand National Betting Tips & Strategies
The record books, not the form books, are one of the best ways to identify who will win the Grand National…
- Age: Nine is the best age for Grand National winners. A quarter of all winners have been nine years old. Selecting a horse between nine and eleven is definitely the only way to go. The last winner aged seven or under was in 1940, and there has only been one 12-year-old winner since 1995.
- Weight: Very few horses have won the Grand National carrying big weights. Since Red Rum in 1977, only four horses have won carrying 11st 5lb or more.
- Recent Run & Stamina: A recent run is crucial. Only one Grand National winner since 1981 had its prep run more than 50 days before lining up for the big race. Similarly, all but one of the last 48 Grand National winners had winning form at three miles or more.
Where Can I Find the Latest Grand National Betting Tips?
Our top tipping team here at Freebets.com are no stranger to winners, and our expert, Charlie McCann, landed last year’s Grand National winner, Corach Rambler.
Check out who Charlie, Alan Kelly, and Ed Quigley fancy for this year’s big race here - Grand National 2024 Tips: Freebets Aintree Predictions.
What is the Grand National?
The Aintree Grand National is one of the biggest betting events of the entire horse racing year.
The 2024 Grand National will occur on Saturday, April 13, with a more traditional start time of 4:00pm.
While some may be fortunate enough to travel to Aintree to watch the races in person, many will watch the race on ITV Racing from the comfort of their own living rooms and will be searching around for some great Grand National offers.
Aintree has been the home of the Grand National since its first running in 1839. Ironically a horse named Lottery won the inaugural race and Captain Becher fell off his mount at the brook, hence the famous name – Becher’s Brook. In those days, horses jumped a stone wall, crossed ploughed land and finished over two hurdles.
Since those early days, the course and fences have undergone many changes. Most recently, in 2012, the wooden stakes at the core of the fences were replaced with flexible plastic to reduce the risk to the horses and jockeys. The starting line has also moved further away from the main stand to keep the horses away from the hullabaloo of the grandstands.
The race remains one of the toughest tests for horses and riders globally. A maximum field of 40 horses can line up at the start, and an average of 40% will go on to complete the race, which is four and a half miles long and has 30 fences to jump.
Finally, if you are feeling a little nostalgic, why not take a look back over the Grand National archives at some of the most memorable races, horses, and jockeys in our Grand National Top-5 series? You’ll be amazed by some of the National stories.
Grand National Course & Fences
Of the 16 fences which make up the Grand National course, five of the jumps have acquired famous names: Becher’s Brook, Valentines’ Brook, The Chair, Canal Turn, and Foinavon are all names which make up part of the Aintree legend.
All fences bar the Water Jump are covered with spruce from evergreen coniferous trees, and all, with the exception of The Chair and Water Jump, are jumped twice during the race.
Many of the other fences can be described as relatively straightforward, with the first (and 17th) being 4ft 6in high and 2ft 9in wide. The second and fourth are similar, but the third (and 19th) is a big test as it features a 6ft ditch on its approach – as does the 11th (and 27th).
Many horsemen will tell you the Canal Turn is where the Grand National is most often won or lost. On landing over this small obstacle, horses must quickly turn a full 90 degrees. With 30 or more horses often still in contention, not every rider can find a clear passage and often encounters momentum-stopping interference.
How to Watch the Grand National Online in the UK
Thousands upon thousands will be arriving in Liverpool for Grand National weekend, which will get underway on Thursday, April 11, 2024. The big race itself will take place on Saturday, April 13.
The Grand National will be shown live on ITV Racing, so you can catch all the buildup alongside the other races at Aintree that afternoon.
If you’re struggling to get to a TV at 4:00pm on the big day, don’t worry - there’s a simple solution. Grand National live streaming is available with most online bookmakers in the UK, which means you can enjoy the big race on the go via your mobile device or computer.
Grand National Interesting Facts & Trends
Trainers & Owners
Just three Irish-trained Grand National winners have occurred in the past decade - Tiger Roll for trainer Gordon Elliott in 2018 and 2019 and Minella Times for Henry de Bromhead in 2021.
Lucinda Russell has trained the winner of the race in 2017 and 2023 with One For Arthur and Corach Rambler.
Female Jockey
Rachel Blackmore finally cracked this race for women, becoming the first woman to win it in 2021 on Minella Times. She arrived on the back of an excellent Cheltenham Festival and has shown women how to be jockeys at the very top level.
Her success will hopefully open the doors for more to come through, ride in this race, and win.
Interesting Odds Facts
- Horses beginning with the letter R have the best record in the race, and the Grand National has been won five times by horses with ‘Red’ in their names.
- If you love a grey horse, consider that only three greys have won the Grand National.
- There have been five Grand National winners priced at 100/1 - Mon Mome in 2009, Foinavon in 1967, Caughoo in 1947, Gregalach in 1929, and Tipperary Tim in 1928.
Other Major Horse Racing
Grand National FAQs
Do you get paid for 5th place in the Grand National?
Antepost punters will see traditional 1-2-3-4 each-way betting terms, but as race-day draws closer and the prices of all confirmed runners start to shorten, five-place each-way betting terms will become commonplace.
How much do you get for winning the Grand National?
Winning connections receive £500,000 for winning the Grand National and, to give riders every incentive to achieve the best possible finishing position, the prize-money goes back to tenth place (£5,000).
Do you win if your horse comes 4th in the Grand National?
Providing you have placed your bet each-way or in a ‘place only’ market, you will get a return on your horse should it finish fourth.
How long does the Grand National last?
The Grand National is usually won in a time of around nine or ten minutes, depending on the ground conditions we have on the day
How do horses qualify for the Grand National?
Grand National entries are only accepted by horses which are aged seven or older, have an official handicap rating of 120 or more and have been previously placed in a chase race with a distance of 3 miles or more.
