How To Bet On The Grand National
By the MyHorseBets team · Updated · 9 min read
On this page
- Where is the Grand National held?
- Grand National facts at a glance
- How to bet on the Grand National
- How to bet on the Grand National online
- Where can I bet in the Grand National?
- How do I place a bet on the Grand National with Paddy Power?
- Should I bet each way on the Grand National?
- Ante-post, non-runner no bet and the 72-hour declarations
- What app is it to bet on the Grand National?
- Can you pay cash at the Grand National?
- What’s the best way to bet on the Grand National?
- Minimum bet on the Grand National
- Can I place a bet on the Grand National by phone?
- Recent Grand National winners
- Placing your bet
The Grand National is the race that people who never bet on horses bet on. It’s a big-field handicap over a long distance and big fences, so long-priced winners are common and each way betting is popular. This guide explains how the race works, the ways to place a bet and how to work out what an each way bet pays.
Where is the Grand National held?
At Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool. The race was first run in 1839 and is held every April, on the Saturday of Aintree’s three-day Grand National Festival. The 2026 race was run on 11 April, and the 2027 race is scheduled for Saturday 10 April at 4.00pm, according to the Jockey Club’s provisional schedule. Our Grand National 2027 guide has the full festival timetable, the fences and the declaration dates.
Grand National facts at a glance
- Type of race: a handicap steeplechase. Horses carry different weights based on their official rating, up to a top weight of 11st 12lb. Our guide to what a handicap horse race is explains how the weights work.
- Distance: about 4 miles 2½ furlongs (officially 4 miles 2 furlongs 74 yards).
- Fences: 30, over two circuits: 16 on the first circuit and 14 on the second.
- Who can run: horses rated 125 or more by the British Horseracing Authority that have been placed in a recognised chase of 2 miles 7½ furlongs or further.
- Field size: a maximum of 34 runners since 2024, down from 40.
What changed in 2024
After a welfare review by the Jockey Club, which runs Aintree, supported by the British Horseracing Authority, the race changed in 2024. The maximum field was cut from 40 to 34, the first fence was moved about 60 yards closer to the start, the race returned to a standing start, fences 11 and 27 were reduced in height, and the race moved to an earlier start time (4pm in 2024, compared with 5.15pm the year before).
How to bet on the Grand National
There are four ways to place a bet:
- Online or in an app. Open an account with a bookmaker licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, deposit, find the Grand National in the horse racing section, choose your horse, choose win or each way on the bet slip, enter your stake and confirm.
- In a betting shop. Write “Aintree”, the race time, your horse, win or each way and your stake on a slip.
- By phone. Some bookmakers still take bets by phone through a telephone betting account. Check whether yours does before the day.
- At Aintree. Bet with the on-course bookmakers in the betting ring or with the Tote.
Big bookmakers price the race weeks in advance (ante-post). Ante-post bets usually lose if your horse doesn’t run, unless the bookmaker offers “non-runner no bet” terms. Closer to the race, most bookmakers settle non-runners as void, and late withdrawals can bring a Rule 4 deduction on the remaining runners.
How to bet on the Grand National online
The process is the same as for any race: open and verify an account, deposit, then add your horse to the bet slip. Look at three things before you confirm:
- The place terms. How many places the bookmaker pays and at what fraction of the odds.
- Best Odds Guaranteed. If the bookmaker offers it on the race, you’re paid the starting price if it’s bigger than the price you took.
- The total stake. An each way bet costs twice the unit stake.
Our bet calculator shows the return for any bet before you place it.
Where can I bet in the Grand National?
With any licensed online bookmaker or betting app, in any high street betting shop in the UK and Ireland, by phone with bookmakers that still offer telephone betting, or at the course. Well-known UK bookmakers include Paddy Power, Bet365, Betfair, Ladbrokes and William Hill. We don’t link to bookmakers or carry their offers at the moment.
How do I place a bet on the Grand National with Paddy Power?
The steps are the same as at any online bookmaker: log in, open the horse racing section, choose Aintree and the Grand National, tap the price next to your horse, tick each way if you want it, enter your stake and place the bet. Check the place terms shown on the slip, because big bookmakers often advertise extra places on this race.
Should I bet each way on the Grand National?
For most people, yes. With a big field and a long distance, winners at long prices are common, so the place part gives you a return if your horse runs well without winning.
Under standard UK terms, a handicap with 16 or more runners pays 4 places at 1/4 of the odds. Many bookmakers pay extra places on the Grand National, sometimes down to 5th or further. Here’s how a £5 each way bet (£10 total) at 20/1 settles with 1/4 odds:
| Result | Win part | Place part | Total return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | £105 (£100 profit + £5 stake) | £30 (£25 profit + £5 stake) | £135 |
| Placed | £0 | £30 | £30 |
| Unplaced | £0 | £0 | £0 |
Our each way calculator works this out for any odds and place terms.
Grand National extra places
The extra places are where the race differs most from an ordinary Saturday handicap. When a bookmaker pays five places instead of four, a horse finishing fifth returns exactly what it would for second on the place part: in the table above, £30. In 2026, High Class Hero finished fifth at 66/1, a paying each way result for anyone whose bookmaker paid five places and a loser for anyone on standard terms. Check three things on each offer: how many places, the fraction (1/4 is standard for this race; 1/5 with more places can work out worse) and whether best odds guaranteed still applies.
Ante-post, non-runner no bet and the 72-hour declarations
Bookmakers price the Grand National for months before the race. A bet placed before the final field is confirmed is an ante-post bet: you usually get a bigger price, but under standard rules you lose your stake if the horse doesn’t run, and plenty of horses near the top of the betting in the winter never make the field.
Non-runner no bet
Non-runner no bet (NRNB) is a bookmaker concession that refunds your stake if your horse doesn’t line up. It is usually offered in the weeks before the race, at slightly shorter prices than a straight ante-post bet. If you’re betting before the field is known, NRNB is the safer trade.
When the field is confirmed
From 2026, the Grand National became a 72-hour declaration race: the 34 runners and six reserves were confirmed on the Wednesday, and a reserve could still get in if a horse came out before 1pm on the Friday. For 2027, that points to final declarations on Wednesday 7 April. After the declarations, a late withdrawal can bring a Rule 4 deduction on bets struck at a fixed price; the calculator shows how much.
What app is it to bet on the Grand National?
Any licensed bookmaker’s app. They all list the race in the horse racing section. Pick the one with the best price and place terms for your horse rather than a particular brand.
Can you pay cash at the Grand National?
On-course bookmakers in the betting ring have traditionally taken cash, and many also accept cards. Payment options at Aintree can change from year to year, so check the racecourse’s current guidance before you travel. Away from the course, high street betting shops take cash.
What’s the best way to bet on the Grand National?
There’s no sure method, but a few habits help:
- Bet each way and shop around for the bookmaker paying the most places.
- Look for horses with stamina. The trip is far longer than most chases, so form over three miles or more, and ideally over the Aintree fences, counts.
- Watch the weights. Top weights have the hardest task, so look at how much each horse carries against its rating.
- Set a budget for the day and stick to it.
Sweepstakes
Many offices and families run a Grand National sweepstake: everyone pays the same entry, horses are drawn at random and the prize goes to whoever draws the winner, sometimes with smaller prizes for the places. It’s a good way for non-bettors to join in, and nobody needs a bookmaker account. Our free Grand National sweepstake kit prints numbered slips and an entry sheet, or draws names and horses at random.
Minimum bet on the Grand National
There is no single minimum. It’s set by each bookmaker, and online bookmakers often accept small stakes, though each way bets cost twice the unit stake. Check the minimum shown on your bookmaker’s bet slip.
Can I place a bet on the Grand National by phone?
Yes, with bookmakers that offer telephone betting. You’ll usually need an account set up in advance, and the call is recorded as your bet. Many bookmakers have closed their phone lines in favour of apps, so check first.
Recent Grand National winners
| Year | Winner | Starting price | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | I Am Maximus | 9/2 fav | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins |
| 2025 | Nick Rockett | 33/1 | Patrick Mullins | Willie Mullins |
| 2024 | I Am Maximus | 7/1 jt fav | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins |
| 2023 | Corach Rambler | 8/1 fav | Derek Fox | Lucinda Russell |
| 2022 | Noble Yeats | 50/1 | Sam Waley-Cohen | Emmet Mullins |
| 2021 | Minella Times | 11/1 | Rachael Blackmore | Henry de Bromhead |
| 2020 | Not run (Covid-19) | |||
| 2019 | Tiger Roll | 4/1 fav | Davy Russell | Gordon Elliott |
In 2026 I Am Maximus became the first horse since Red Rum to regain the title. Long shots win too: Noble Yeats won at 50/1 in 2022 and Mon Mome at 100/1 in 2009.
Placing your bet
Choose your horse, decide between win and each way, compare the place terms and check the return in our each way calculator before you bet. For the wider basics, see our guide to how to bet on horses.
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
In big fields like the Grand National it often is, because the place part pays on 4 or more finishing positions and bookmakers frequently add extra places. In small fields the place part pays little, so a win bet can be the better choice.
Standard terms for a handicap with 16 or more runners are 4 places at 1/4 of the odds. Many bookmakers offer extra places on the race, so check the terms on your bet slip.
With a bookmaker licensed by the UK Gambling Commission that offers the most places on the race, best odds guaranteed and, if you're betting early, non-runner no bet. Compare the place terms on the slip rather than the headline sign-up offer.
Up to 34 since 2024. Before that the maximum was 40.