The Grand National 2025 Preview: Grand for a Reason

The countdown to the biggest, best, toughest and richest horse race in the world is underway. If you’re a bit new to it all, in five minutes time, you won’t be.

Here’s why it’s such a big deal, how you can watch it, what bonuses you can take advantage of, and we’ve even got a big-priced Grand National tip lined up for you to follow. Just keep reading.

Cheltenham Done, Grand National Up Next

The Cheltenham Festival is over, and it was one to remember, with so many of the big favourites failing to perform like their odds suggested they would.

Galopin des Champs in the Gold Cup, Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle and Jonbon in the Champion Chase were just three of the odds-on shots that failed to deliver, much to the chagrin of favourite backers.

So, it's mostly a victory for the bookies in that one, though there are always savvy punters out there who have a knack for finding big-priced winners rather than going for the jollies.

But the good news for fans of jumps racing is that as one huge festival comes to an end, another is just around the corner, with the Grand National coming up on the horseracing horizon.

Whereas many true racing aficionados will argue that the Cheltenham Festival offers more quality races as a whole, of which the Gold Cup is its blue-ribband event, few would argue that any single Cheltenham race can compete with the Grand National for general interest, popularity and sheer weight of money bet on it.

Why is the Grand National so Popular?

The Grand National is the single biggest betting event in the UK and probably the most bet-on horse race in the world, eclipsing the Kentucky Derby, Arc du Triomphe, Gold Cup or Melbourne Cup.

Part of its appeal lies in its rich 186-year history. Part lies in the sheer difficulty and heroism involved in just competing in the world’s most treacherous horse race, let alone winning it.

Only the bravest and most skilled jockeys are up to the task, and only the horses who can combine huge levels of stamina, some speed and exquisite jumping can get around the course, let alone contend for glory.

But let’s not forget the betting element.

Every single last horse in the race has a genuine chance of winning because it’s a handicap race.

So whether you’re a 365-day-a-year-racing punter or one who only ever bets once a year on this very event, your betting slip could be about to be a winning one.

Which brings us to the next point. The last 10 winners have come in at the odds of 50/1, 14/1, 33/1 and 25/1 (twice), so if you picked the winner, chances are you did so at really good odds.

What Does a Handicap Race Mean?

So, 34 horses will enter the Grand National this year, a reduction from 40 in 2024 and this is mostly done for the safety and welfare of the horses, as a lower number of runners is likely to lead to fewer falls.

All horses will carry different weights to make it a fair playing field.

The best comparison to make is to think of a golf match. If you were playing against Rory McIlroy and you were a decent golfer, he might give you a 30-shot lead over 18 holes. So, either you’d perform better than expected and stay within 30 shots, or he would, and beat you by more than 30 shots.

The horse that is deemed the best based on past wins, the other horses it beat in the process, breeding and other factors is given the most weight to carry. The weaker, slower horses who tend to perform at a far lower level are given far less weight to carry, or none at all, all of this being decided on by the racing secretary or handicapper.

Part of the appeal of the Grand National is that, on paper, it’s as fair a race as it can be.

The Key Dates and Times

It’s worth remembering that the Grand National isn’t just a one-off race, unlike, for example, the final of the FA Cup, which is a one-off football match. However, the most important race of the Grand National Festival, which runs between Thursday, April 3 and Saturday, April 5, 2025, is the Randox Grand National Handicap Chase.

There are seven races on each of the three days, with that big one being at 4.00 pm on Saturday. Here’s the full list of races to look forward to.

Thursday, April 3, 2025

1.45 - EBC Group Manifesto Novices' Chase
2.20 - Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle
2.55 - Brooklands Golden Miller Chronograph Bowl Chase
3.30 - William Hill Aintree Hurdle
4.05 - Randox Foxhunters' Open Hunters' Chase
4.40 - Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase
5.15 - Goffs Nickel Coin Mares' Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race

Friday, April 4, 2025

1.45 - Huyton Asphalt Franny Blennerhassett Memorial Mildmay Novices' Chase
2.20 - William Hill Handicap Hurdle
2.55 - TrustATrader Top Novices' Hurdle
3.30 - My Pension Expert Melling Chase
4.05 - Randox Supporting Prostate Cancer UK Topham Handicap Chase
4.40 - Oddschecker Sefton Novices' Hurdle
5.15 - Hallgarten And Novum Wines Handicap Hurdle

Saturday, April 5, 2025

1.20 - William Hill Top Price Guarantee Handicap Hurdle
1.55 - Turners Mersey Novices' Hurdle
2.30 - William Hill Handicap ChaseUltima Handicap Chase
3.05 - Ivy Liverpool Hurdle
4.00 - Randox Grand National Handicap Chase
5.00 - Rosconn Group Maghull Novices' Chase
5.35 - Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race.

How Do I Watch the Grand National?

The all-important question. Here are some of your options.

Go to Aintree: There are still some tickets available to watch it live. Your best bet is to buy one via the Jockey Club itself, though there are other websites also selling them. Depending on where you’re seated and who you buy them from, you can expect tickets to cost you between about £65 and £120.
Watch it on ITV: If you’re based in the UK or have access to ITV overseas, you’ll be able to watch the Grand National on the free-to-air ITV channel that has been broadcasting the race since 2017; an estimated 500 to 600 million people watch the Grand National in over 140 countries.
Listen to it on the radio: Commentary of the race is available on both the BBC and TalkSport. It’s obviously not the same as watching the pictures, but it’s better than nothing if you can’t get access to them.
Watch it via live streaming: Many of the top bookmakers stream every UK and Ireland race every day on their sites, and the Grand National is no exception. S,o as long as you have an active, funded account, you’ll be able to watch it for free.

Best Grand National Betting Tips

There are currently just six horses who are below the 10/1 mark to win the Grand National.

The shortest are Iroko, Stumptown and Intense Raffles, which are just 7/1 with some betting companies. In other words, even backing an absolute favourite will see you walk away with a good return on your investment.

If the last four years have taught us anything, it’s that favourites did the business of late: Tiger Roll (4/1 Favourite) in 2019, Minella Times (11/1) in 2021, and I am Maximus (7/1 Favourite) in 2024 all came good at relatively short prices, though Noble Yeats was anything but, when winning at 50/1, in 2022.

Last year’s winner, I am Maximus, is back for more and looking to be a rare back-to-back winner since Tiger Roll did it in 2018 and 2019.

But there’s one I prefer to that. Beauport (25/1 to 33/1 depending on the bookie).

Beauport is a good example of a horse that has generally gone under the radar this season in that he hasn’t made too many splashes that have caught the eye of either the bookies (see the big price) or the handicapper, to an extent.

His last two efforts resulted in a third-placed finish out of 10 and a runner-up spot in a six-horse race at Ascot and Haydock, respectively, in competitive races, a testament to his consistency against top-quality horses.

What may ironically have put a spanner in the works is that he won the Berkshire National in November by 31 lengths, meaning that his previous mark of 111 quickly became 155. So he’s been carrying extra weight over those last few races and will carry a fair bit in the Grand National, too.

But there are two major advantages in his favour. The first is that he’s likely to enjoy the ground on the day, which is probably going to be soft or good to soft. And the second is that he’s a natural front-runner.

In other words, if he doesn’t jump well, he’ll be in trouble like anyone else, but at least he’ll avoid trouble by the horses in front of him falling because he’ll be at the front himself. He’s a strong each-way pick and could even go all the way.

Free Bet Bonus Offers

If you are looking to use these tips and back your favourites at this year's Grand National, here are some welcome bonuses you can use to get more for your money:

All these free bets are available upon signing up with the new sportsbook, and you can use them to bet on Grand National. Good luck!