Grand National Betting Offers, Race Preview & Betting Odds

Published: 20th January 2021
Author: Gabriel Hall
Last Updated: 9th September 2021

Grand National Betting Offers, Race Preview & Betting Odds

The Grand National takes place on Saturday afternoon and it is one of the biggest sporting occasions in the UK. Many people watch the National, from regular horse racing fans who watch the sport on most days to those who only bet and watch once a year on this great race. The action at Aintree pulls people together, and it is the continued big interest in the race that makes it very special.

Grand National Start Time & TV Coverage

The three-day meeting at Aintree is covered by ITV, who show five races per day on each of the three days. On Saturday, the big day of the meeting they are on air for hours before the big race, and then they remain with us to give us complete coverage of the aftermath including interviews from both winning and losing connections. The coverage is fantastic, and being on terrestrial TV it is open and available to everyone.

The Grand National will start at 5:15 pm on Saturday, so be sure to tune into ITV ahead of that time to catch the parade before the race.

Grand National Race Preview

The biggest storyline in the Grand National this season is certainly Tiger Roll. As many of you will remember, he won the race last season and he is back for more here, looking to be the first horse since Red Rum to win back to back Grand Nationals.

If anything, he comes back again this year in even better form than last year, which is why so many people are backing him for success again. Last year he won the Cross Country Chase by a couple of lengths before heading to Aintree. This year the winning margin in the same race was 18 lengths, and prior to that, he won a Grade Two hurdle on the bridle. This horse would be the most popular winner of the lot, he is absolutely flying right now, and although he is a short price, he fully deserves to be the favourite for the 2019 renewal.

Another horse who ran very well at the Cheltenham Festival this year was Anibale Fly, who stormed up the hill in the Gold Cup to finish second. That was very impressive I thought, and it showed that the test in the Gold Cup is the minimum that horse needs, and the further he goes the better he will be. That means a race with this kind of test will play right into his hands.

He finished fourth behind Tiger Roll last year, but he looks in better form this time around, and perhaps more importantly, his yard has done something different with him this season. When running last season, it was his sixth race of the season, with the five previous being tough, hard races. This time it is just his fourth, and you could argue that the Gold Cup was his first real race of the season. He comes here a fresh horse, and it is no surprise to see him strongly fancied.

Lake View Lad and Vintage Clouds finished close together when first and second in a Cheltenham handicap at the festival, and that piece of form gives those two a strong chance in the race. Both are trained in the north, and they represent the best chance the north has of winning the race this season. Vintage Clouds is a big grey horse, and that alone will attract supporters when they see him.

Pleasant Company has in truth shown absolutely nothing in his two runs so far this season, but he does warrant a mention here due to the fact he was second, and only beaten by a head, behind Tiger Roll in the race last year. At 11 this is likely his last chance and while we haven’t seen anything from him, he comes here fresh and has vital course experience.

A horse for the Grand National’s to come, not only this year but also in the future is certainly Ramses De Teillee from the David Pipe yard. He is just seven years old, and lacks the experience that his rivals have, but is a fascinating contender for the race. He is the youngest in the race, but based on what we have seen from him so far, he is the kind of horse who will be able to compete in these type of races both now and in the future.

He finished second in the Welsh Grand National behind Elegant Escape over the Christmas period and followed that up with a second in the Grand National Trial at Haydock in February. He will have learnt from those two races and should arrive here spot on. He has to overcome his lack of experience, and even the big crowd and the parade is something that could upset him. However, he looks to have a huge future ahead of him in the staying division and could go very well here.

Grand National Betting Tips

  • Anibale Fly EW @ 14/1 (Betfair 1/5 odds first six places)
  • Ramses De Teillee EW @ 25/1 (Ladbrokes 1/5 odds first six places)

Grand National Betting Odds

Tiger Roll is a very short-priced favourite for a race of this nature, William Hill and 188bet are offering 4/1, but the rest are all solid at 7/2. A win at that kind of price would make him one of the shortest-priced winners we have had in a long time, along with being a back to back champion, so there is plenty resting on his shoulders.

Rathvinden is second best, he is generally available at 10/1, while Vintage Clouds, Anibale Fly and Lake View Lad are all roughly priced around the 14/1 mark together. We then have a big group of horses who are all between 20/1 and 25/1, and those include Joe Farrell, the last horse to get into the race, Pleasant Company and Ramses De Teillee as well as many others.

Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets

Terms and Conditions

New players only | Min deposit £10 using code P30 | Min odds 1/2 (1.50) | Free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15 (30 days expiry) | Payment method/player/country restrictions apply

Grand National Free Bets & Offers

Each Way Betting – Enhanced Place Terms

A lot of people like to place each-way bets on the Grand National, and if you are one of them then be sure to look around and find the best each-way terms you can.

The standard each-way terms for this race are to pay out on the first four finishers. However, as a special offer on the race, some bookmakers are paying out on the first six. This means if your horse finishes in 5th or 6th and you bet with this bookmaker, you will be paid out as a winner on an each-way bet, while if you do it elsewhere, you will be on a loser.

Ladbrokes, BetVictor, Betfair, Paddy Power and Coral are all paying out 1/5 odds on the first six places in the Grand National this year, and if you are placing each-way bets, these are the bookmakers to use.

Betfair 3/1 Winner Free Bet Promotion on All Live ITV Races

Betfair offers this promotion on all races covered by ITV, and as the Grand National is covered by them, this means the big race is covered with this promotion. If you back a winner with Betfair and the SP is 3/1 or above then you will be given a free bet to the same value as your stake on the winner. This means you get to win twice with Betfair, as you win both your winnings from the bet and a free bet to use somewhere else.

It is very likely that Tiger Roll will go off at 3/1 or bigger, so with this offer, if you place your bets with Betfair and you pick the winner, you will be getting a free bet on top of that.

BetVictor – Horse Racing Free Bet Offer for New Customers

Any punters looking to sign up to a new betting account ahead of the Grand National should check out this welcome offer from BetVictor. Simply sign up to a new account with them, opt into their horse racing promotion and place a first bet of £5 on any sport at odds of 1/1 or greater.

When you do this you will receive a total of £30 in free bets, a great start to your new account. You will receive:

  • A £10 horse racing free bet which you can use on the Grand National if you wish
  • A £10 free bet for any sport you choose
  • £10 worth of casino chips to spend inside the BetVictor casino

If you choose to spend your original bet plus your two free bets on the Grand National with this offer then you will spend £5 of your own cash, but have £25 to spend on the big race, which makes this a great offer.

Mansionbet – Faller Insurance on All Races at Aintree

This insurance offer from Mansionbet covers all Aintree races this week, including the Grand National. They are offering faller insurance if your horse falls, is brought down or unseats the jockey at any point in the race. If this happens to you, they will refund your stake as a free bet up to a maximum of £25.

If you are looking for a way to cover your bet on Saturday in case the worst happens then this is the offer for you and will give you your money back as a free bet if your horse falls.

gabriel hall

About Gabriel Hall

Gabe is a seasoned content writer with a focus on sports betting. He's penned hundreds of sportsbook evaluations, betting tip pieces, and 'How-To' guides to assist bettors with their tactics, among other things. Gabe loves football, but he also enjoys cricket, tennis, golf, rugby, and the NBA, NFL, and MLB.