The Grand National is the most valuable jump race in Europe, with a £1,000,000 purse and £500,000 awarded to the winner. This is a handicap race over four miles and 514 yards, and it’s a gruelling, high-stakes chase that always delivers drama. The 2025 Grand National will take place at Aintree Racecourse on Saturday 5th April.
As we approach the race day, you might have started doing your homework on which runners to back to victory. Picking the Grand National winner is far from straightforward, as so many factors influence the race.
So, to help you narrow your search, we’ve put together this guide with expert Grand National betting tips to help you select. We also explain how you can bet on this famous horse race at talkSPORT BET Sportsbook.
First-Time Runners are a Good Bet
The last four winners of the Grand National – I Am Maximus (2024), Corach Rambler (2023), Noble Yeats (2022), and Minella Times (2021) – were all first-time runners in the race. While previous entrants can and do win the Grand National, it pays to look at first-time runners.
Look to the recent Irish Grand National winners as inspiration and a guide to which runners might do well at Aintree. For instance, when I Am Maximus romped home at Aintree in 2024, he was coming off the back of an impressive 2023 Irish Grand National win at Fairyhouse.
Avoid the Top Weight
The Grand National is a handicap race, with weights going up to 12 stone 7 pounds. The top-weighted horse is essentially the most talented horse. I Am Maximus has been allocated the top weight for the 2025 Grand National, so it will be tough for him to win again this year.
Moreover, the last top-weighted horse to win the Grand National was Red Rum in 1974, highlighting that it’s tough for the heaviest horses to win at Aintree.
Horses from Irish Stables Often Do Well
Lucinda Russell is the only non-Irish trainer to have won the Grand National since 2015. Russell’s One for Arthur (2017) and Corach Rambler (2023) are the only horses not from Irish stables to have succeeded at Aintree in recent times.
Since 2016, there have been wins for Mouse Morris, Gordon Elliott, Henry de Bromhead, Emmet Mullins, and Willie Mullins – all Irish yards. So, if you’re looking to place a bet in the trainer’s market, note that horses from Irish stables tend to go well in the National.
Don’t Get Carried Away with the Underdogs
Five horses in the history of the Grand National have won with odds of 100/1 – the longest in the race’s 186-year history. Tipperary Tim (1928), Gregalach (1929), Caughoo (1947), Foinavon (1967), and Mon Mome (2009) all won at 100/1.
Sure, long shots can win the National, as Mon Mome famously proved in 2009 with his incredible 12-length victory, but don’t get carried away when looking at the ante-post odds.
Generally, somewhere between 10-1 and 50-1 is the sweet spot. This way, the horse has a decent chance of winning and you stand to make a reasonable profit from your selection.
The Favourite is Worth Considering
The favourite is priced at short odds for a reason – it’s the horse that’s most likely to win the race. While you shouldn’t look at the favourite as a certain winner, you can’t discount the runner, either. In fact, the last two winners of the National – I Am Maximus (7/1 JF) and Corach Rambler (8/1 F) entered the race as favourites.
That said, this century, the favourite or the joint favourite has only won the Grand National five times. So, it’s by no means a banker, but the favourite is undoubtedly worth considering, particularly if you’ve done your homework and know that the horse is likely to go well at Aintree.
Back-to-Back Successes in the Grand National Are Rare
Willie Mullins himself has admitted that I Am Maximus will have a tough time repeating his winning performance at this year’s Grand National. If he wins in 2025, he would be the first horse since Tiger Roll (2018 & 2019) to win the Grand National back-to-back.
No other horse has won the Grand National back-to-back this century. We have to go back to the legendary Red Rum’s wins in 1973 and 1974 under Brian Fletcher for successive Grand National wins before Tiger Roll’s recent heroics.
So, while we’re not completely ruling out I Am Maximus, his top weight and the difficulty of winning back-to-back Nationals mean you should probably look elsewhere ahead of this year’s race.
Bet Responsibly
The Grand National is a unique sporting event immersed in British culture, as it attracts people who wouldn’t ordinarily bet on horse racing. So, if you’re looking to place a one-off bet on the Grand National, please ensure you only bet what you can afford to lose.
Don’t get carried away by calculating how much you can potentially win if your horse does the business. Instead, decide how much you would like to bet on the National and stick to what you can afford.
Online Gambling can be addictive, use our Resposible Gambling tools for a safer way to play.
Bet on the Grand National at talkSPORT BET
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