Betting on the Grand National: Things you Need to KnowWednesday 30th March 2022 |
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Betting on the Grand National is, for much of the nation, a sacred ritual as bookmakers across the land brace themselves for a groundswell of once-a-year punters wanting a flutter on the world’s greatest steeplechase.
Here, we have compiled a handy guide of all the things you need to know when it comes to having a bet on the Aintree spectacular:
Grand National Dates
The 2022 Randox Grand National will be staged on Saturday, April 9. The great race is due off at 5.15pm, which is late for a feature race but has become a popular time slot for once-a-year punters.
The Grand National festival is a three-day event that begins on Thursday, April 7. This year’s curtain-raiser is a day-long celebration and will see huge crowds returning to the famous course for the first time since the covid pandemic.
Day two of the Grand National festival is on Friday, April 8. For the locals, this is arguably just as popular as Grand National day as a packed grandstand raises a glass or two for Ladies’ Day. Glamour and top-class racing combining to produce a spectacular event on and off the course.
Over the course of the three-day Randox Grand National meeting, Aintree racecourse is likely to welcome over 150,000 racegoers – with the big day on Saturday a guaranteed sell-out.
Grand National Prize-money
For the first time since pre-pandemic levels, prize-money for the Randox Grand National will return to £1million. With the 2020 renewal cancelled due to the virus, last season’s running was worth a total of £750,000.
But with a capacity crowd expected on Merseyside – the 2021 race was behind closed doors – the Jockey Club has reacted accordingly by making the Grand National a seven-figure race again.
Winning connections of the famous race will pocket a cool £561,300, while the runner-up of the Grand National will receive £211,100 – with the third-placed horse claiming £105,500.
With 40 Grand National runners and riders set to go to post for the race, there is prize-money on offer for the first 10 home in the Aintree spectacular.
History of the Grand National
Dating back to the early 1800s, the Grand National at Aintree is one of the most historic horse races in the world. The first official winner of the race was Lottery, who struck gold in 1839.
The Grand National became a handicap in 1843 over an official distance of around four and a quarter miles.
Four horses – Abd-El-Kader, The Colonel, Reynoldstown and most, recently, Tiger Roll – have won the race twice.
But unquestionably the most famous of the Grand National horses, and arguably in British racing, is Red Rum.
Ginger McCain’s wonderful chaser remains out on his own as being the only horse to have won the race three times (1973, 1974 and 1977).
Such is the history associated with the great race, new records seem to be broken each year. For instance, the 2021 renewal went down in the National opus as being the first time a female jockey won the race.
Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore teamed up with the Henry de Bromhead-trained Minella Times for a most poignant and famous triumph.
How to Bet on the Grand National
For once-a-year punters to professional bettors, the grand old race has something for everyone if you want to place a bet.
Because of the race’s popularity, bookmakers like VBET offer countless eyecatching betting specials, really competitive odds and attractive markets to when it comes to having a bet on the Grand National online.
By far the most popular betting option on the Grand National, though, is the Win market. This could not be any easier to understand. Simply choose the horse you think will win the race, responsibly consider how much you wish to wager and then cheer your selection on throughout the Grand National.
For instance, the 2021 winner Minella Times was sent off in the race at odds of 11/1. So if you bet £10 on Minella Times to win, your VBET account would have been funded with £110 – plus your £10 stake.
One of the beauties of the Grand National is the fact it is a race that tends to offer punters excellent value. This is simply down to the fact that there are usually 40 horses running which makes finding the winner far trickier.
This is, of course, offset by the fact you are highly likely to get a much bigger bang for your buck. For example, in the recent history of the Grand National there have been a 100-1 winner (Mon Mome, 2009), a 66-1 scorer (Auroras Encore, 2013) and a 33/1 victor (Rule The World, 2016).
Another huge Grand National betting option is to place an Each-Way wager. This is very similar to betting on the Grand National winner, but this bet means you can still make a profit if your horse finishes in the first five of the race with VBET.
An each-way bet comprises two bets worth the same amount. A £10 each-way bet, for instance, consists of a £5 win and a £5 place bet. If your horse wins, you receive winnings from £5, but the each-way part of the bet acts as insurance if your horse goes close but does not pass the post in first place.
The place part of your bet will pay out at 1/5 of the odds at which you backed your Grand National fancy.
If you fancy betting on something a little more funkier, VBET have all bases covered. Another nice Grand National wager is the Forecast bet. This is simply choosing the respective first two horses to finish the National and will almost always be available at big odds. You can also deploy the Reverse Forecast bet which is exactly the same, but offers insurance if the two horses you think will finish in the top two pass the post in reverse order.
Another popular bet in the Grand National is the Tricast bet, which challenges punters to predict the first three home in the race. If you are lucky enough to bring up this bet, even with a small stake, the drinks will almost certainly be on you for a good while!
These bets are just a few ways that could yield a profit in the Grand National. There are many other betting markets that will be available closer to the big day – including betting on the Number of Finishers – so keep checking back at VBET for the latest Grand National bet offers.
Check out the latest Grand National betting odds with VBET.
Grand National Betting Tips and Tactics
There is, of course, no exact science when it comes to Grand National betting. If that were the case, we would all be millionaires!
A few hints and tips, however, are essential to get the most out of the Grand National odds.
Horse form is key, so do your homework. Will the horse stay this marathon trip? Has he course experience? Is he used to running in such a rough-and-tumble encounter as a Grand National? Will he be suited by ground conditions?
What sort of weight does your horse have? Horses have to carry weight depending upon how they have been running. Theoretically, the bigger the weight a horse must carry, the better the horse. It does not always work out that way, though, as horses carrying a lighter weight might well find life far easier running around Aintree than a horse with a significant burden.
Jockeys’ and trainers’ record in the Grand National can also be significant when it comes to having a bet on the race. Are they in form? How have they done in previous Grand Nationals? Do they come alive in big handicaps of this nature?
Much of this is theoretical, but these are important factors to consider to help get the best odds for the Grand National.
But if wading through the form and figures is not for you, pick up a pinstickers’ guide in a newspaper or simply just choose a horse for fun based on their name or colours.
When all said and done, as the very first winner of the race underscored, Grand National betting can be a Lottery!
*Odds subject to change and were correct at time of publication (13:00 GMT, March 30, 2022)
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