2024 Grand National Festival Betting Tips, Best Bookmakers & Free Bets
The Grand National is one of the most internationally-recognised thoroughbred races and is the feature race during the three-day Grand National Festival.
Despite being graded only as a Grade 3 race, the Grand National is the premier jumping event every season and it's known to be the toughest test of stamina and skill on the track.
Run over four miles, the £1 million event boasts large fields and plenty of excitement as bettors never know if their runner will complete the course, let alone win.
The Grand National comes under scrutiny from protesters every year, but there's no slowing down one of the best horse races in the world.
Grand National Key Facts
Date | Saturday April 13, 2024 |
Track | Aintree |
Distance | 4m 2f |
Class | Grade 3 |
Race Type | Handicap |
Prize money | £1 million |
Age | 7YO+ |
2024 Grand National Betting Selections & Tips
Grand National Schedule
The seven-race card on Grand National Day features some great hurdle and steeple chase action.
Race No. | Race Name |
---|---|
1 | Handicap Hurdle |
2 | Novices' Hurdle |
3 | Novices' Chase |
4 | Handicap Chase |
5 | Liverpool Hurdle |
6 | Grand National |
7 | Handicap Hurdle |
Grand National History
The Grand National is steeped in history and there has been plenty happening since the first running in 1839.
The most valuable jumps race in Europe is a big draw card for bettors and much like the Melbourne Cup in Australia, it's watched by people who wouldn't usually watch horse racing.
Founded by William Lynn in 1829, the Grand National has since been at the forefront of British racing and Aintree has been the setting for many movies and books.
One of the most famous editions was in 1928 when Tipperary Tim was the only horse to finish the race, despite there being 42 starters.
The going was very heavy and Tipperary Tim handled it well but needed some luck in the final straight as there were two horses ahead of him.
Both horses in front failed to complete the final jump with one falling and another the saddle slipping.
The 1967 edition can only be described as mayhem with 100/1 chance Foinavon winning. The rank outsider was trailing the field by some 100 yards, but there was a big wreck up front which took out a large majority of the field.
17 jockeys remounted after the fall, but Foinavon had stolen the race and fences 7 and 23 are now named after the infamous winner.
Red Rum is the most successful Grand National winner in history, winning three times in the 1970's. The controversial jumper was the dominant jumper of its generation and will live in racing folklore for years to come.
One of the more bizarre happenings came in 1991 when the race was taken out by Seagram. The race was sponsored by Seagram, a Canadian Whiskey company.
Protests have marred the Grand National for many years by anti-racing lobbyists, but the biggest threat came in 1997 when bomb threats were received from the IRA.
The race was run two days later with 20,000 racegoers getting free admission after the race was cancelled on the Saturday.
The Grand National was also cancelled in 2020, as the Covid-19 brought the sporting world to a standstill. When the Grand National returned in 2021, Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to ride the winner, as she guided Minella Times to victory for Henry De Bromhead.
Grand National Betting Guide
The Grand National isn't a race for bettors that like to take short odds.
There's rarely a short-odds favourite and this is due to the large number of participants and the risk factor involved.
The risk of falling is high in the Grand National so just crossing the line is victory in itself, but this makes it tough for bettors to assess the race.
No runner from 2009-2017 has paid less than 10/1, with the majority of winners paying around 14/1 - 33/1.
Mon Mome won in 2009 at odds of 100/1 and it was the first time a female trainer (Venetia Williams) had won the Grand National.
There are good betting statistics which could help with finding a value runner.
The average age of the winner is 9.9 years and the nine-year-old's have a good record in the race with a 26 percent winning rate.
Avoid backing the grey horses as only three of them have won.
The average odds of the Grand National winner are 20/1, so look for the runners hovering around that price.
Grand National Betting Statistics
The Grand National is one of the biggest betting races in the world and it's good to look at the statistics for the great race.
An incredible £150 million was bet on the 2013 Grand National race itself and compared to the $350 million spent on Melbourne Cup Day, that's a big number.
25 percent of UK adults will bet on the race and 74 percent of them will back their horses each way, which is a strategy we advise.
We were a little surprised at the following statistic, but it shows that you don't need to bet much to win big on the Grand National. Over 30 percent of punters will bet £5 or more, but we thought that number would be much higher.
How do UK punters pick their Grand National runner? Only around 13 percent will pick a horse because of its form and the most popular option is the horses' name.
Colour, number and jockey also factor into punters' decisions.
Today's Acca Tips
-
Soccer tips
-
Horse Racing tips
-
Tennis tips