Grand National 2027: Date, Time, Runners and How the Race Works

The Grand National 2027 will be run on Saturday 10 April 2027 at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, with the race scheduled for 4.00pm. It is the final race of day three of the three-day Grand National Festival, which runs from Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 April 2027. The dates and times come from the Jockey Club’s official Grand National event schedule, which we checked on 2 October 2026.

This page covers when the Grand National is, how the race works, the fences, the weights, when the runners are declared and who has won it. We don’t publish tips, and we don’t list “runners” before the field is declared: until then, any list is a set of entries, most of which won’t make the final 34. For the betting side, see our guide on how to bet on the Grand National, and to run a draw at work or at home, use our free Grand National sweepstake kit.

When Is the Grand National 2027?

What	When
Grand National Festival	Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 April 2027
Grand National day	Saturday 10 April 2027
Race time	4.00pm (provisional)
Gates open on Grand National day	10am
Final declarations (expected)	Wednesday 7 April 2027

The race has been run in April for decades, on the Saturday of the Aintree meeting. The 2026 race was run on Saturday 11 April, and since 2024 it has started at 4.00pm, earlier than the 5.15pm start used before then. The Jockey Club marks all times as subject to change.

What time is the Grand National?

The 2027 Grand National is scheduled for 4.00pm, the sixth of seven races on the Saturday card, with the last race at 5.00pm. Start times can slip by a few minutes on the day, so check the racecard if you’re timing a bet or a sweepstake draw.

The Grand National Festival 2027 Schedule

The National is the centrepiece of a three-day meeting with several Grade 1 races of its own. Here is the full provisional schedule as published by the Jockey Club. The feature races are highlighted, and we’ve left out sponsor names, which change from year to year. Two other races are run over the famous National fences: the Foxhunters’ on Thursday and the Topham on Friday.

Day 1: Opening Day, Thursday 8 April

Day 2: Ladies Day, Friday 9 April

Day 3: Grand National Day, Saturday 10 April

How the Grand National Works

The Grand National is a handicap steeplechase: horses carry different weights according to their official rating, so that in theory every runner has an equal chance. It is the longest jump race in the UK and the biggest field of the jumps season.

Distance and fences

The race is run over 4 miles and 2½ furlongs and two circuits of Aintree’s National course. There are 16 fences on the course, and 14 of them are jumped twice, which makes 30 jumps in all; The Chair and the Water Jump are jumped only on the first circuit. The fences are built from spruce over a flexible plastic core, which gives if a horse makes a mistake. These are the best known, with the measurements published by the Jockey Club:

Fence	Jumped as	Height	What makes it famous
First fence	1 and 17	4ft 6in	One of the smallest, a “settling” fence
Becher’s Brook	6 and 22	4ft 10in	Named after Captain Martin Becher, who landed in the brook in 1839
Foinavon	7 and 23	4ft 6in	Scene of the 1967 pile-up that let 100/1 shot Foinavon win
Canal Turn	8 and 24	5ft	A sharp, 90-degree left turn straight after the fence
Valentine’s Brook	9 and 25	5ft	A 5ft 6in brook on the landing side
The Chair	15 only	5ft 2in	The tallest fence, with a 5ft ditch on the take-off side
Water Jump	16 only	2ft 6in	The lowest fence, with a wide stretch of water after it

Source: the Jockey Club’s guide to the Grand National fences.

Field size: a maximum of 34 runners

Since 2024 the maximum field has been 34, down from 40. The cut was one of several welfare changes announced by the Jockey Club in October 2023, along with moving the first fence closer to the start and a standing start. With 34 runners and two circuits, falls, unseated riders and pulled-up horses are part of the race, as the 2026 Grand National result on Wikipedia shows: Panic Attack (7/1) fell and Grangeclare West (9/1) unseated his rider.

Weights

The weights are set by the British Horseracing Authority’s handicapper and announced in February at a launch in Liverpool; in 2026 that was Tuesday 17 February at St George’s Hall. The Jockey Club notes that the Grand National is the only race whose weights the handicapper specially frames, often taking past Aintree form into account, and that the weights don’t change after they’re published. In 2026 the top weight was 11st 12lb, and the Jockey Club gives the minimum as 10st. In 2026, I Am Maximus won carrying top weight, the first horse to do so since Red Rum in 1974.

Grand National 2027 Runners: When Will They Be Known?

The short answer: the final field of 34 is expected to be confirmed on Wednesday 7 April 2027, three days before the race. We’ll add it to this page once it’s published.

The declaration timeline

From 2026, the Grand National became a 72-hour declaration race. According to Sporting Life’s report on the 2026 final field, the top 34 and six reserves were confirmed at the Wednesday declaration stage, and reserves could still get a run if a horse came out before a 1pm deadline on the Friday. If the 2027 race follows the same timetable, which hasn’t been confirmed yet, the key dates are:

1. February 2027: weights announced (date to be confirmed).
2. Wednesday 7 April 2027: final declarations: the 34 runners and up to six reserves.
3. 1pm on Friday 9 April 2027: last point at which a reserve can replace a withdrawn horse.
4. Saturday 10 April 2027: race day. Any later withdrawal leaves the field one short and can trigger a Rule 4 deduction on bets taken at a fixed price.

What this means for sweepstakes and bets

If you run a sweepstake, draw racecard numbers before the declarations and match them to the horses afterwards, or wait for the final field and draw the names. Our sweepstake kit does either. If you bet before the field is confirmed, you’re betting ante-post: bigger prices, but you usually lose if your horse doesn’t run, unless your bookmaker offers non-runner no bet.

Grand National Results: The Last 10 Runnings

Year	Winner	Age	Weight	Starting price	Trainer	Jockey
2026	I Am Maximus	10	11st 12lb	9/2 fav	Willie Mullins	Paul Townend
2025	Nick Rockett	8	11st 8lb	33/1	Willie Mullins	Patrick Mullins
2024	I Am Maximus	8	11st 6lb	7/1 jt fav	Willie Mullins	Paul Townend
2023	Corach Rambler	9	10st 5lb	8/1 fav	Lucinda Russell	Derek Fox
2022	Noble Yeats	7	10st 10lb	50/1	Emmet Mullins	Sam Waley-Cohen
2021	Minella Times	8	10st 3lb	11/1	Henry de Bromhead	Rachael Blackmore
2020	Not run (Covid-19)
2019	Tiger Roll	9	11st 5lb	4/1 fav	Gordon Elliott	Davy Russell
2018	Tiger Roll	8	10st 13lb	14/1	Gordon Elliott	Davy Russell
2017	One For Arthur	8	10st 11lb	14/1	Lucinda Russell	Derek Fox
2016	Rule The World	9	10st 7lb	33/1	Mouse Morris	David Mullins

Winners, ages and weights from the Jockey Club’s list of previous winners; the 2026 starting price from the race result published by Wikipedia and ESPN.

The 2026 Grand National: first five home

Position	Horse	Starting price	Jockey
1st	I Am Maximus	9/2 fav	Paul Townend
2nd	Iroko	18/1	Jonjo O’Neill Jr
3rd	Jordans	28/1	Ben Jones
4th	Johnnywho	12/1	Richie McLernon
5th	High Class Hero	66/1	James Bowen

I Am Maximus became the first horse since Red Rum to regain the title. With bookmakers paying five or more places, a 66/1 shot finishing fifth was a paying each way bet for some punters; under standard terms (four places), it wasn’t.

Outsiders and favourites

The National has a reputation for long-priced winners, and the record backs it up: five horses have won at 100/1, most recently Mon Mome in 2009 and before that Foinavon in 1967. Noble Yeats won at 50/1 in 2022 and Auroras Encore at 66/1 in 2013. But favourites have won four of the last seven runnings, so a long price is no guarantee of value.

Grand National Each Way Places

This is the single most-asked betting question about the race. Under standard UK terms, a handicap with 16 or more runners pays four places at 1/4 of the odds. For the Grand National, most big bookmakers offer extra places, often five, six or more, as a race-day concession. The terms vary by bookmaker and can change in the days before the race, so check them on your bet slip.

A £5 each way bet (£10 in total) at 20/1 with 1/4 odds returns £30 if your horse places and £135 if it wins. Our each way calculator shows the result for any price and any number of places, and our guide to how to bet on the Grand National covers each way, extra places, best odds guaranteed and ante-post in more detail.

Update Log

• 2 October 2026: 2027 dates and provisional race times taken from the Jockey Club’s event schedule. Weights not yet published; runners will be added after the final declarations, expected on Wednesday 7 April 2027.

The Grand National is a lottery for most punters. Set a budget for the day, bet only what you can afford to lose and treat any return as a bonus. Gambling responsibly.

Frequently asked questions

What date is the Grand National?

The Grand National 2027 is on Saturday 10 April 2027, the third and final day of the Grand National Festival at Aintree, which starts on Thursday 8 April. The race is scheduled for 4.00pm.

What time will the Grand National start?

The race is scheduled for 4.00pm on Grand National day, the sixth race on the card. It has started at 4.00pm since 2024, after the Jockey Club moved it forward from the 5.15pm start used in 2023. Times are provisional until the racecard is published.

What are the runners for Grand National?

They are confirmed at the final declaration stage, expected on Wednesday 7 April 2027: the top 34 horses plus up to six reserves. Before then, any list is of entries. We add the final field to this page once it is declared.

Who are the runners-up in the Grand National?

In 2026, Iroko finished second at 18/1, two and a half lengths behind I Am Maximus, with Jordans third at 28/1 and Johnnywho fourth at 12/1. The first five home are listed in our results table above.

How long is the Grand National?

About 4 miles and 2½ furlongs, the longest jump race in the UK. The runners complete two circuits of Aintree's National course and jump 30 fences in all, 16 different fences with 14 of them jumped twice.

How many horses run in the Grand National?

A maximum of 34 since 2024, when the Jockey Club cut the field from 40 as part of a set of welfare changes. Six reserves are named at the final declarations and can replace withdrawn horses up to a deadline on the Friday.