How to Bet on the Grand National 2026
The 2026 Grand National takes place on Saturday, 11 April at Aintree, with a 4:00pm start live on ITV Racing.
It's the biggest betting event in the UK calendar, with around £250 million wagered each year and an estimated global audience of 600 million.
Whether you're new to betting or need a quick refresher, this guide covers everything you need to know - from placing your first bet to understanding different bet types and making the most of a Grand National free bet.
Looking to get started? Check out the latest Grand National free bets available for April 2026.
Grand National Betting – How to Bet on a Horse
All the major betting sites launch dedicated Grand National sections in the week before race day, making it straightforward to find and back your selection.
Here's how to place a bet:
- Sign up or log in to your preferred online bookmaker
- Go to the Sports section and look for Horse Racing (or Grand National)
- Navigate to the Grand National horse race odds
- Click on the odds next to the name of the horse you want to bet on
- This will then appear in your ‘Bet Slip’ where you can set your chosen stake
- Also, remember to select ‘Each-Way’ if you want to bet both win and place
- Click on the Place Bet button and confirm. That’s it, you’re on!
First time betting online? If you haven't signed up with a bookmaker yet, now's the time.
Most new customer Grand National free bets require you to sign up and place a qualifying bet before the free bet is credited.
Aim to sign up at least 2–3 days before race day to make sure everything is in place in time.
Grand National Top Betting Offers
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How to Read Grand National Racing Form
If you want to make an informed Grand National bet that is more than just your lucky number or favourite name, you will need to understand the basics of reading a racecard.
Here, we will talk you through the basics of what all the letters and numbers on a typical racecard mean.
What Does it All Mean?
The first big number you see on the left is the number of the horse in the race - horse number one will be set to carry the top weight, horse number two the next highest weight and so on.
The smaller number in brackets next to the race number is the draw number – the starting stall the horse will come from.
This is unnecessary in the Grand National, which does not use starting stalls.
The smaller numbers below the horse number are the form figures representing the finishing positions in the horse's most recent races, with the most recent shown on the right.
Numbers represent finishing positions, and letters show other outcomes as follows:
- 0 – Did not finish in the first nine
- F – Fell
- U – Unseated Rider
- P – Pulled Up (i.e. Did not finish)
- B – Brought Down (i.e. Fell over another horse)
- R – Refused To Race/Jump
In the Grand National specifically, F (Fell), U (Unseated) and P (Pulled Up) are particularly relevant form figures to watch.
A horse that completed the course last year - even without finishing in the money - has proven it can handle the Aintree fences.
A horse with multiple falls or unseats on its record may struggle with the unique demands of the course.
Next to the horse's name, you may also see some small letters which indicate any extra equipment a horse may have fitted. These may include:
- e/s – Eye Shield
- v – Visor
- b – Blinkers
- b1 – Blinkers for the first time
Moving across the card to the right, you will see columns showing the age and weight the horse is set to carry (in stone and pounds).
The number shown under the weight (OR) is the horse's Official Rating.
In the next column, the Trainer and Jockey are shown, and in the next column, for Racing Post racecards, we have TS and RPR, which stand for Top Speed and Racing Post Rating, two other rating types.
Finally, you will see the Grand National odds of each horse, which is the amount you can win for each pound. 8/1, for example, means you win £8 for every £1 staked (plus you get your stake back if you win).
Video Form
Nowadays, the importance of written race summaries and analysis, often found on many racecards, is diminishing as more and more people choose to watch video replays of past races - these are readily available at the bigger, better-known online bookmakers.
Grand National Bet Types
There are loads of different types of bets you can place on the Grand National.Â
Heading the cast is the good old-fashioned win bets, but with 34 runners to choose from, many people will prefer to back a few horses and place 'each-way' bets too.
All the traditional bet types are available to those betting on the Grand National, such as forecasts, which require you to find both the winner and second, and tricasts (that's second and third!).Â
But this is the Grand National, which means all sorts of Grand National betting offers will be advertised.
They will include 'place only' bets and also 'special bets' such as selecting the 'number of horses to finish the course', an 'Irish trained winner', the 'age of the winner', ' a woman-ridden winner', and many others.
Win Bet
A win bet is obviously what it says – your stake goes on your selection, and if it wins, you win.
There will be plenty of Grand National free bets to be collected on the big race, as online bookmakers will give away free bets to new customers as an introductory offer. You will probably have to place these on the win markets.
Each Way Bets
An each-way wager splits your bet stakes between a win bet and a place bet.Â
If your selection finishes second, third or fourth (even fifth in some cases), you will receive winnings on part of your stake. Â This will be calculated at a fraction of your selection's price (normally a quarter of the win odds).
So, back a 20/1 shot that wins for £1 each-way (a bet that will cost £2), and your return will be £21 for the win part of the bet, plus you will receive an additional £6 for the 'place' part (a quarter of 20/1 odds is 5/1).Â
So, that's a return of £27 if your horse wins or £6 (£1 at 5/1 plus your £1 stake) back if your horse is only placed.
For the 2026 Grand National, standard each-way terms are 1/4 odds on 5 places, but several bookmakers offer enhanced terms - up to 1/5 odds on 7 or 8 places.
Always check the each-way terms before placing, as they can make a significant difference in a 34-runner field.
See our each-way betting calculator to see your exact returns.
Using a Grand National Free Bet
If you've claimed one of the many Grand National free bets, here's how to use it.
Navigate to the Grand National market in your bookmaker's app or website, click the odds of your chosen horse, and in the bet slip, you'll see an option to select your free bet credit instead of entering a cash stake.
Apply the free bet, confirm your selection, and you're on. Remember -free bet stakes aren't returned with your winnings, but the profit is yours to withdraw.
Grand National Accumulator
You can build an accumulator across the three days of the Aintree Festival (9–11 April 2026), not just the Grand National itself.
Combining two or three selections from Thursday and Friday's card with a Grand National pick multiplies your potential returns significantly.
Several bookmakers offer Acca free bets as part of their welcome offers - check which ones on our Grand National free bets page.
Understanding Grand National Betting Odds
Most people have a good understanding of betting odds, but as many will be placing their only bet of the year on the Grand National, there is no harm in a refresher.
UK horse racing odds are always displayed as fractions, where the first number represents the amount you will win, and the second number represents how much you have to wager to receive these winnings.
So, a £1 stake at 14/1 will yield £15 in winnings, plus your £1 stake will be returned. Â
But most online bookmakers will give you the option of viewing odds in a decimal format, where a single figure will show you how much you will receive, inclusive of your one unit stake. Â
Therefore, a 14/1 shot will be displayed as 15.00.
How to Choose a Grand National Winner
There is certainly no easy way to find a Grand National winner, as the starting prices of recent winners will testify. 2009 winner Mon Mome was a 100/1 shot, Auroras Encore scored at 66/1 in 2013, and the 2016 victor, Rule The World, was a 33/1 shot.
In fact, only five of the last 25 winners started at a price shorter than 10/1.
Grand National Favourites
Favourites – the shortest-priced horse in the betting due to its popularity with punters – actually have a strong record in the Grand National.
Given the number of horses that head to the starting line, five winning favourites from the last 24 Grand Nationals is pretty respectable, especially considering the shortest price of those was 4/1.
Grand National Trends
But there are some clear trends you should look at when trying to pinpoint the best Grand National betting tips - no horse aged 13 or over has won the race since 1923, and no horse aged 7 has finished in the first five since 2003.
Eight of the last ten winners had previously won a valuable chase race (worth £30,000 or more), and champion jockeys have a poor record.
Richard Johnson never won the Grand National; AP McCoy won it only once during a 20-year career; and other champions like Peter Scudamore and John Francome never won it.
‘Lucky Pin’ Method
Of course, if such a study is too much for you, you can resort to the tried-and-tested method of simply choosing favourite names and placing coincidence bets on the names of loved ones.
Be warned, though - only four winners have featured people's names since 1980 - Ben Nevis in 1980, Bobbyjo in 1999, One For Arthur in 2017, and Nick Rockett in 2025.
Grand National Betting Tips & Tricks
Consider backing your selections each-way - this way, should they finish in the frame, you will receive your stake back and will show a profit.
Place your bets early – all major firms offer 'Best Odds Guaranteed', so there is no downside and the considerable upside of getting a price better than the SP (starting price).
Take full advantage of race day concessions and Grand National free bet offers. There are some amazing deals to be had during the week leading up to Grand National Saturday.
Look beyond the traditional betting markets. Placing a wager on the winner's age will give you several runners and possibly better value than backing several horses individually.
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