Grand National 2024

The runners at the upcoming Grand National will set off at the earlier time of 4:00pm on Saturday, 13 April 2024.

There will be a total of 34 horses lining up for the charge to the first fence but the final field will only be announced on the Friday morning before the race.

Viewers in the UK can watch the race on ITV, with coverage hosted by Ed Chamberlin.

Of course, the Grand National Steeple Chase is the main attraction during the festival of Aintree races, but there are three action-packed days of racing action in total, getting underway on Thursday, 11th April.

The Betway Aintree Hurdle headlines day one, while the Melling Chase has the highest prize pot on day two.

On day three, the Betway Handicap Steeple Chase precedes the Grand National.

Grand National 2024 is set to be a massive event for the gambling industry. Many betting sites offer a wide range of lucrative Grand National promotions before and during the event, as punters look to back their favourites to follow in the famous hoof steps of Red Rum and Tiger Roll in winning this most prestigious steeplechase.

It is not always easy for punters to find the best Grand National free bets and betting offers, so we have collated them all on this page. You can also claim betting offers for other sports and events on our site.

The Grand National is one of the biggest events on the UK sporting calendar, and bookmakers often get casual sports fans and bettors heading to the betting sites to place a wager on the big race.

Like with Cheltenham Festival, there is a wide range of Grand National betting offers for both new and existing customers to claim, and we list all of the best deals on this page, including Extra Places for the big race and non-runner, no bet.

While some great Grand National promotions are specific to the event, many of the bookmakers in our lists have great betting offers all year round, and you can claim offers that are just for sports betting and use them on the Grand National.

Grand National Offers 2024

• Extra Places
  

With there being 34 runners in the Grand National, many bettors want as many places as possible to be paid out. Therefore, one of the more popular Grand National promotions is the extra place offer which rewards punters for backing a horse for finishing in the top five, six or even seven places rather than the usual four.

• Non-Runner, No Bet

If you like to place ante-post wagers in advance of the big race, non-runner, no bet gives you the added security of a returned stake if the horse does not take part in the race. Early adopters of this promotion include William Hill and Bet365.

Check out our list of Non-Runner, No Bet bookmakers for the Grand National below.

• Free Bets

Free bets are the most popular betting offers for all sporting events, and the Grand National is no different. Many betting sites will implement welcome offers that centre around free bets while existing customers can also benefit from various Grand National free bets.

• Money back

This is another of the Grand National betting offers that might be relevant to other races in the meeting at Aintree. Money-back promotions involve stakes being returned if your horse loses, finishes 2nd, or falls. You may get your money back either as cash or in Grand National free bets.

• Enhanced odds

Enhanced odds do what they say on the tin. Many bookies offer odds boosts to existing customers, while bigger enhanced odds may be offered to new players as part of special Grand National promotions.

• Best Odds Guaranteed

Nowadays, it is harder to find an online betting site that doesn't offer Best Odds Guaranteed. All of the best ones do it, but some have better terms than others. Look out for those that allow B.O.G on bets placed the night before the race, or at least early in the morning on the day.

• Deposit Bonus

This is rarely among the specific Grand National promotions, but some betting sites offer a matched first deposit as a welcome bonus, and you can use that money on the Aintree Grand National Festival.

Picking a Grand National winner is no easy task, and it is important to do your research and make informed wagers rather than just guessing.

Of course, many people just like to bet on the Grand National for fun, and don't give it too much thought, but in general, you should try to ensure that every wager you place is a sensible one.

There are a wide range of different bet types on betting sites for the Grand National, some of which have a lower risk but higher rewards, and others vice versa.

How to bet on the Grand National

• Win - The most straightforward Grand National bet is to pick a horse to win the race. Of course, this wager only wins if the horse you back finishes first.
• Place - In the Grand National, standard place terms are four places, meaning that in this instance, a place bet is a wager on a horse to finish in the top four.
• Each-way - This means that you are putting half of your stake on a win, and half on a place. One of the common Grand National promotions is extra places, meaning you might get six, seven, or even eight places paid out on each-way bets for the race.
• Forecast - With this type of bet, you are picking the top two horses to cross the line in the correct order. Since the Grand National can be so unpredictable, there is a low success rate on these wagers.
• Reverse Forecast - Same as forecast but no need to get the correct order.
• Tricast - Same as forecast but you need to pick the top three in the correct order rather than the top two. The chances of hitting one of these are slim, but you'll reap the rewards if you do pull it off!
• Match bets - Some horse racing betting sites offer match bets between two horses, meaning you can back one to finish ahead of another.
• Betting without - Many betting sites have betting without the favourite markets, meaning if your horse wins, or finishes second to the favourite, you win your bet.
• Insure bet - You bet on the horse to win, but get your money back if it places.

The Grand National is more than just a sporting event. It is a race of such cultural significance that it attracts a global audience of 500 to 600 million. Like the World Cup or Wimbledon finals, the Grand National is even popular amongst people who do not partake in any other horse racing betting during the year.

In 1839, the first Grand National took place and was initially designed as a cross-country steeplechase with 30 fences over two laps. It soon grew to become one of the most popular formats in the horse racing world and it is now the most valuable jump race in Europe with a prize fund of £1 million.

2019 saw Tiger Roll become the first horse to win back-to-back Grand Nationals since Red Rum in 1974.

The Aintree Racecourse hosts over 150,000 racegoers over the three days of the festival and the action is broadcast live on free-to-air terrestrial TV in the UK.

The Aintree Racecourse is situated six miles outside of Liverpool and has hosted The Grand National since 1839.

The course's fences are much larger than those found on conventional tracks. There are 30 fences over four and a half miles.

You may well have heard of some of them:

Valentine's Brook

Legend has it that Valentine - the horse it is named after - jumped this fence in 1840 with hind legs first. Height: 5 feet with a brook of 5 feet and 6 inches.

The Chair

One of the most famous fences, thanks to its place in front of the grandstand at Aintree, It is 5ft 3in in height but preceded by a 6ft open ditch. The landing side is 6 inches higher, so poses the opposite difficulty that Becher's Brook provides. 

The Foinavon Fence

Named after Foinavon, who in 1967 won the National at 100/1, thanks to a mass of fallers, refusals and hampered runners. He is one of several 100/1 winners, but the nature of this win has forever seen his name associated with the fence in question.

Becher's Brook

This fence is infamous for having a 10-inch lower landing side than the take-off side. This fence is named after a jockey who after falling off his horse hid in the brook to avoid injury. Height: 5 feet.

Canal Turn

This fence provides a sharp left turn for the jockey to manoeuvre after landing. Height: 5 feet.

The course is the longest out of any National Hunt race in the UK with a distance of 4 miles and 514 yards.