Grand National betting offers and free bets come thick and fast from bookmakers as we approach the world’s most famous National Hunt horse race. In this guide, we put the spotlight on the best promotions that are currently available. We’ll tell you where to get free bets, extra places, best odds guaranteed and a whole lot more.
Bet £10 Get £60 in Free Bets
Bet £10 Get £60 in Free Bets
Bet £10 Get £25 In Free Bets
Bet £10 Get £25 In Free Bets
Bet £20 and get it back as cash if it loses
Bet £20 and get it back as cash if it loses
Bet £10, Get £20 In Free Bets
Bet £10, Get £20 In Free Bets
Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets
Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets
£50 in Free Bets When You Bet £10
£50 in Free Bets When You Bet £10
£35 Free Bet + 10 Free Spins
£35 Free Bet + 10 Free Spins
Bet £10 Get £50 Free Bet
Bet £10 Get £50 Free Bet
Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets
Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets
50% of First Day Losses Back As a Free Bet Up To £25
50% of First Day Losses Back As a Free Bet Up To £25
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Football Bet Builders
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Football Bet Builders
Bet £5, Get £20 in Free Bets
Bet £5, Get £20 in Free Bets
Bet £10 Get £30 Free Bet
Bet £10 Get £30 Free Bet
Table of contents
The Grand National is a national institution. This handicap steeplechase is run over a distance of 4 miles and 2½ furlongs, and it’s the feature race of the annual Aintree Festival. First run in 1839, the race has been televised in the UK since 1960. But it isn’t just Brits who love this race. The BBC estimates that a worldwide audience of 500 million watches the Grand National.
For anyone who’s wondering why this race is so globally popular, the answer probably lies in the sheer spectacle it provides. The Grand National sees an unusually high number of runners compete over a total of 30 unusually large jumps, and there isn’t a stiffer test of either horse or jockey in the world. And let’s not forget that Grand National betting provides fans with a pretty big challenge of their own!
The Randox Grand National Festival 2025 starts on Thursday, 3 April and will run for three days. The Grand National itself will take place on Saturday, 5 April, and the start time is 4 pm.
Grand National 2025 betting offers start appearing well in advance of the festival starting. Of course, the number and variety of Grand National deals will increase as we get closer to the race. In this section of our guide, we will look at the full spectrum of Grand National betting offers that you can expect from horse racing betting sites in the UK. We’ll also provide handy links so that you can quickly pounce on those that you want to take advantage of.
The most eye-catching promotions relating to this event are those that offer free Grand National bets. These are more common than you might think. That’s because bookmakers know that Grand National free bet offers are great for attracting new customers. They also encourage existing customers to consider betting on the race.
Grand National free bets will be for a fixed amount and will normally require you to make a bet of your own to qualify for them. Any such terms and conditions will be clearly stated.
While you’re most likely to be able to pick up a free National bet during the festival itself, some bookmakers will offer them as a way of generating excitement leading up to the event. William Hill is already offering a free Grand National bet for new and existing customers, and all you have to do is click on ‘opt-in’ via the promotions page to receive it.
Most people bet on National day itself. Even so, there are thousands who also like to bet well in advance of the festival. The majority of bookmakers offer Grand National ante post betting markets several months ahead of time, so you won’t have any difficulty finding them.
Take a look at our Ante Post Betting guide, and you’ll see that these markets offer bigger odds about Grand National entries because nothing is set in stone. Some horses could go off the boil, while others could make vast improvements. The further ahead of time you bet, the more things can change. You should also bear in mind that if a horse you bet on in an ante-post market doesn’t take part in the race, your stake will be lost. An exception is when there’s a Non-Runner No Bet offer in place, which we’ll get to next.
Paddy Power is one of many bookies with Grand National ante post betting. Pay a visit to their site today to see the odds currently being offered.
We said a few moments ago that if you bet on a horse in an ante-post market and it doesn’t take part, you’ll normally lose your stake. The Non-Runner No Bet offer is designed to protect you against that possibility.
When a betting market is labelled Non-Runner No Bet, it means that your stake will simply be refunded if the horse you bet on doesn’t run. This makes ante-post betting a lot more appealing, especially for Grand National betting.
The Non-Runner No Bet offer tends to be available in the weeks leading up to the race. It is offered by most betting sites, including LiveScore Bet.
The Grand National is famous for having lots of runners. For a long time, the maximum number of runners was limited to 40, and while that limit has now been reduced to 34, it’s still a very large field by any standard. That makes picking the winner or even a placed horse quite a challenge, especially when there’s no guarantee that all of the horses will finish the race.
Grand National extra place offers make it easier for you to get a return by paying out for more places than you’d expect under regular horse racing rules. Because the National is a handicap with more than 16 runners, you’d normally be paid for first, second, third and fourth places. But with extra places, you can also get paid for fifth and sometimes even sixth place.
You’ll find extra places being offered by many of the best betting sites in the UK.
One of the best Grand National betting offers for punters who like to bet on the day of the race itself is Best Odds Guaranteed, or BOG. This ensures that if you place a bet several hours before the race – say, in the morning – and the odds at the time of the off are bigger than the ones you take, you won’t lose out. Instead, the bookie will settle your bet at the larger Starting Price. Of course, if your early odds are bigger than the SP, you get the early odds.
Different bookmakers have different times from which their Best Odds Guaranteed offer will apply. Betfred is one of our favourites because it offers BOG from 8 am every day.
Fallers are an unfortunate reality in all National Hunt races, and there have been plenty in the Grand National. (Interesting fact: In 1928, there were just two finishers from 42 runners!) If you’re unlucky enough to make a Grand National bet on a horse that falls, your bet will obviously lose. However, there’s an offer that can help you here, too, and it’s called Faller Insurance.
A Faller Insurance offer will return your stake if your horse falls. However, because fallers are so common in the Grand National, the offer might only apply to certain jumps or to horses that are leading at the time of the fall. Always check the terms of the offer so that you know what eventualities you’re covered for.
If you want to look for Faller Insurance, you’ll probably need to wait until the festival has started. QuinnBet is often a good place for this kind of deal, so be sure to check them out at the time.
Another one of the betting offers Grand National fans can take advantage of is enhanced odds. This is where a bookmaker will give you better odds than they would usually. This makes betting on the National even more attractive and will give you even more cause to celebrate if you manage to land a winning wager.
Enhanced odds are usually offered for particular horses in the Grand National. For example, for horses that have won previous editions of the race.
William Hill has enhanced odds available about several Grand National outcomes already, including whether or not there will be 19 or more finishers in the race.
The Grand National Festival comprises three days of top-quality racing. Some bettors like to select a horse in each of several races at the festival and put them together in an accumulator. It’s those bettors that the Acca Boost offer is aimed towards.
This Grand National betting offer will boost the payout on an accumulator as long as it meets certain conditions. For example, it might have to have a certain number of legs at stated minimum odds or greater.
Acca Boosts are available at a number of betting sites. CopyBet is a particularly big fan of this kind of deal, so we highly recommend it as one of the first places to look at.
No list of the Grand National best betting offers would be complete without the inclusion of welcome offers. These are available to new customers all year round from many bookmakers, but they are given special prominence during big events like the Grand National or the Cheltenham Festival.
The most common type of welcome offer will give you free bets when you open an account and make a qualifying bet using your own money. For example, at Spreadex right now, you can help yourself to £40 in free bets when you bet £10 at odds of 1/2 or bigger.
These welcome offers can be some of the most generous around. And the great thing is that you can sign up with several bookmakers to take advantage of several offers. That should give you plenty of free bets, but check the terms to see how quickly you need to use them.
One of the advantages of signing up with several bookmakers – apart from being able to pick up several Grand National betting offers – is that it lets you shop around for the best Grand National odds. The current ante-post market has almost 100 runners, but since only 34 can participate, that number will plummet as the race draws closer. Here are the latest Grand National betting odds for the lowest priced entries (as of 09:00, 10/04/24)
| Grand National Odds | |
| Runner | Odds |
| I Am Maximus | 16/1 |
| Gaillard Du Mesnil | 20/1 |
| Minella Cocooner | 20/1 |
| Corbetts Cross | 25/1 |
| Intense Raffles | 25/1 |
| Kitty’s Light | 25/1 |
| Macdermott | 25/1 |
| Monty’s Star | 25/1 |
| Chianti Classico | 33/1 |
| Delta Work | 33/1 |
| Galvin | 33/1 |
| Gerri Colombe | 33/1 |
| Inothewayurthinkin | 33/1 |
| Its On The Line | 33/1 |
| Minella Indo | 33/1 |
| 40/1 bar | |
Placing a bet on the Grand National is just as easy as betting on any other race, and the same markets are available. Here’s a quick overview of the main betting opportunities you’ll have to choose from. If you’re brand new to betting on this sport, then be sure to also take a look at our How to Bet on Horses guide.
Your task in this market is to pick the horse that you think will win the race. That isn’t an easy thing to do in the Grand National, but the betting odds will reflect the magnitude of the challenge. It’s worth pointing out that a bet in this market (or the next) will often be required to take advantage of some of the most popular Grand National online betting offers.
If you turn out to be right and your horse wins, your bet will pay your stake multiplied by the odds of the winner. Our Single Bet Calculator will do the necessary arithmetic for you if you want to make light of the work involved.
Here, you pick a horse to either win the Grand National or get a place. As we said earlier, a race of this type will normally pay for the first four places. However, if you bet with a bookie offering extra places, your bet could give you a return even if your horse finishes in fifth or possibly sixth place.
There are two parts to an each-way bet. One covers the win, and the other covers the place. Use our Each Way Bet Calculator to work out your returns and to learn how to work things out manually should you ever need to do that.
These are more challenging betting markets, especially for the Grand National. With a Straight Forecast, you need to pick two horses to finish first and second, in that order. A Reverse Forecast makes things slightly easier by covering two horses to finish in either order, but it will cost you two bets instead of one.
With a Tricast, you need to pick three horses to finish first, second, and third, in that order. You can cover three horses to finish in any order, but that will cost you six bets.
An accumulator is a bet on several different events. At the Grand National Festival, you might pick one horse in each of four, five, or even more races. If all of them win, so will your bet, and the payout will be far greater than if you had bet on the same horses as singles. However, you should remember that if any one of your horses loses (or fails to get a place with an each-way accumulator) your whole bet will lose.
Returns from accumulators are calculated by multiplying the odds of each selection together and then multiplying by your stake. But it can be a bit more involved for each-way accumulators. That’s why we recommend using our Accumulator Bet Calculator to work out your returns. And don’t forget to take advantage of Acca Boost Grand National bet offers if you place this type of wager.
Like an accumulator, a multiple bet also allows you to bet on several events. The difference here is that your selections are covered for a variety of wagers. For example, a Lucky 15 will cost you 15 bets and let you select four outcomes (such as your preferred winner in each of four separate races). It will then cover those four picks for all possible singles, doubles, and trebles, as well as a fourfold accumulator.
The big problem with multiples can be calculating returns. That’s why we have a Lucky 15 Bet Calculator available for those of you who want to make this popular type of bet.
Picking the winner of the Grand National can often feel like buying a lottery ticket, albeit with better odds of success. The fact is that, with so many horses involved, one faller can bring down several other perfectly good jumpers, and that can make reliance on general form a lot less effective than it usually is. Of course, it wouldn’t be the National if things were any other way, so let’s take a look at some tips that might help you to make the most of this year’s event.
Although general form might not be as reliable as normal in this race, it should still be considered. It could be particularly useful to look for horses that have good form at Aintree and over the National jumps themselves. Several horses have won this race and gone on to win again in future editions. One of the most notable is Red Rum. He won three times – in 1973, 1974 and 1977.
Some trainers and jockeys have a particularly good record in the Grand National. That being the case, it makes sense to look at those who have achieved repeated success here and assess the chances of the horses they are associated with this time around.
The odds offered by Grand National bookies make it perfectly feasible to bet on several horses in the race. If the favourite is quoted at odds of 5/1, you could bet on five horses and make a profit if any one of them wins. Sure, your potential profit won’t be as big as it would be by picking just one horse, but your chances of succeeding with this approach will be a lot better.
Betting on the Grand National each way is something of a no-brainer. Especially if you bet with a bookmaker offering extra places. A placed horse at odds of 5/1 will return all of your stake and a bit more just for getting a place. And bigger odds could make you a decent profit.
Combine this Grand National bet tip with the last one, and you could get some nice returns from several of your bets. Possibly even all of them.
Our final tip is to take advantage of as many Grand National betting offers as you can get your hands on. Sign up for new accounts with bookmakers making free bet Grand National offers, bet each way with those that offer extra places, use Acca Boost offers when you make accumulator bets, and so on.
If you plan your campaign in advance, the slew of Grand National betting offers 2024 brings could provide you with plenty of betting action for a fraction of the normal cost.
Grand National online betting is already in full swing in the ante-post markets, but there’s more to this festival than the National itself. This three-day meeting will feature a total of 21 races. Here’s what to expect on each day, although this schedule is subject to change:
Day 1: Grand National Opening Day – Thursday 10 April |
|
| 13:45 | Manifesto Novices’ Chase |
| 14:20 | Jewson Anniversary 4YO Juvenile Hurdle |
| 14:55 | Aintree Bowl Chase |
| 15:30 | William Hill Aintree Hurdle |
| 16:05 | Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase |
| 16:40 | Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase |
| 17:15 | Goffs UK Nickel Coin Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat |
Day 2: Grand National Ladies Day – Friday 11 April |
|
| 13:45 | Air Charter Services Mildmay Novices’ Chase |
| 14:20 | William Hill Handicap Hurdle |
| 14:55 | TrustATrader Top Novices’ Hurdle |
| 15:30 | My Pension Expert Melling Chase |
| 16:05 | Randox Topham Chase |
| 16:40 | Winners Wear Cavani Sefton Novices’ Hurdle |
| 17:15 | Abersoch Land And Sea Handicap Hurdle |
Day 3: Grand National Day – Saturday 12 April |
|
| 13:20 | Bridle Road Handicap Hurdle |
| 13:55 | Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle |
| 14:30 | William Hill Handicap Chase |
| 15:05 | JRL Group Liverpool Hurdle |
| 16:00 | Randox Grand National Chase |
| 17:00 | Maghull Novices’ Chase |
| 17:35 | Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race |
We’ve already said that the Grand National is watched by hundreds of millions of fans around the world, so it should go without saying that it gets plenty of TV coverage. Here in the UK, the big race will be broadcast live on ITV. You will also be able to stream it live on the ITV website.
Of course, when you are Grand National betting online, you will also be able to stream the race live at most betting sites. You might need to bet on Grand National markets at those sites to gain access to their streams, but you probably wouldn’t be there unless you intended to do that anyway.
Some of the best betting sites for Grand National racing will also offer separate live audio commentary. Those can be very useful when you can’t watch the race, and it’s always nice to hear one of your selections being mentioned – especially if they’re making good progress.
The table below highlights where you can expect video streaming and audio commentary to be available when you bet on the Grand National online.
| Grand National Betting Site | Live Video Streaming | Live Audio Commentary |
| William Hill | ✅ | ✅ |
| Paddy Power | ✅ | ✅ |
| Betfred | ✅ | ✅ |
| BoyleSports | ✅ | ✅ |
| QuinnBet | ✅ | ❌ |
| Spreadex | ✅ | ❌ |
| Virgin Bet | ✅ | ❌ |
| LiveScore Bet | ✅ | ❌ |
| CopyBet | ❌ | ❌ |
The horses that win the Grand National always make headlines. We’ve already mentioned Red Rum, but other famous winners include Seagram, Party Politics, Rough Quest and Earth Summit, to name just a few. Here’s a quick rundown of the Grand National winners since 2010:
| Year | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
| 2024 | I Am Maximus | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins | 7/1F |
| 2023 | Corach Rambler | Derek Fox | Lucinda Russell | 8/1F |
| 2022 | Noble Yeats | Mr Sam Waley-Cohen | Emmet Mullins | 50/1 |
| 2021 | Minella Times | Rachael Blackmore | Henry de Bromhead | 11/1 |
| 2020 | Race cancelled | |||
| 2019 | Tiger Roll | Davy Russell | Gordon Elliot | 4/1F |
| 2018 | Tiger Roll | Davy Russell | Gordon Elliot | 10/1 |
| 2017 | One for Arthur | Derek Fox | Lucinda Russell | 14/1 |
| 2016 | Rule the World | David Mullins | Mouse Morris | 33/1 |
| 2015 | Many Clouds | Leighton Aspell | Oliver Sherwood | 25/1 |
| 2014 | Pineau De Re | Leighton Aspell | Dr Richard Newland | 25/1 |
| 2013 | Auroras Encore | Ryan Mania | Sue Smith | 66/1 |
| 2012 | Neptune Collonges | Daryl Jacob | Paul Nicholls | 33/1 |
| 2011 | Ballabriggs | Jason Maguire | Donald McCain | 14/1 |
| 2010 | Don’t Push It | Tony McCoy | Jonjo O’Neill | 10/1JF |
The Grand National is as much a part of British life and culture as talking about the weather or having a cup of tea. And for horse racing fans in particular, it’s one of the highlights of the year. Be sure to make the most of it by taking full advantage of betting Grand National offers and shopping around for the best Grand National odds.