The Grand National is, of course, one of the most famous horse races in world, a race everyone has heard of and the race for which the Merseyside course of Aintree is famous. It probably isn’t exaggerating much to suggest that, for the once-a-year punters, the sport of horse racing begins and ends with the Aintree Showpiece.
Aintree in April isn’t all about the marathon contest on the Saturday though, a full three days of top class action lend excellent support to the main event. Indeed if it wasn’t for Cheltenham, this would be the most eagerly anticipated jumps meeting of the year. Here we take a quick look at the races on offer over the three days, including a run down of the races, the offers that are up for grabs and who’s dishing out the free bets.
Free Bets
Sign up bonuses are usually the most valuable offers that you can find, with most dishing our free bets and bonuses willy nilly. These bonuses actually cost the bookies money (think of a loss leader in a supermarket) and and offered in order to encourage you to sign up and give their site a try.
Below you’ll find a list of free bets that are being offered throughout the Grand National Festival, including on Grand National day itself on Saturday.
Coral – Bet £5 + get a £5 free bet
BetVictor – Matched bet up to £25
Betfred – Bet £5 + get a £5 free bet
Vernons – Risk free bet up to £25
10Bet – £200 deposit bonus
Betfair – £20 free bet + £10 back if your horse doesn’t finish the Grand National
Grand National Betting Offers
As well as the introductory offers listed above, there are also a few other promotions which can help you make the most of your bets. And unlike the sign up bonuses, these offers are available to all customers, not just new ones.
SkyBet: Money Back On The First Race Of The Day – For the first two days of the festival (Thursday and Friday) you can get money back on losing bets if the SP favourite wins the race.
BetVictor: 6 Places On The Grand National – At time of writing BetVictor were the only bookie offering 6 places on the Grand National. That makes them our go-to site for general betting on the big race.
Vernons: 7th Fence Faller Insurance – Vernons are offering to refund losing bets if your horse fails to make it past the seventh fence. Maximum refund is £50 which will be given as a free bet.
Betfair: 3/1 Free Bet – At Betfair you can get a free bet if your horse wins and had a starting price of 3/1 or more. This offer is available throughout the festival and there’s a maximum value of £25 per race.
10Bet: Risk Free £10 Bet – 10Bet are offering a risk free £10 bet to all customers. To get it you need to wager £10 or more on any horse race using your own money. If the bet loses you’ll receive a free bet worth £10 (email customer support to claim).
Festival Highlights
Day One – Grand Opening Day, Thursday 9th April 2015
Having had its inaugural running as recently as 2009, the Manifesto Novice Chase is one of the newer races of the meeting. This 2m4f contest opens the action on day one and was upgraded to Grade One status in 2012.
The Anniversary 4YO Novices’ Hurdle is next up. Anyone looking for clues to future Cheltenham Festivals should be sure to take in this race. Hors La Loi III, Katchit and Binocular all went on to land the Champion Hurdle having tasted success in this contest.
The third race on the card is the premier staying chase of the week. Run over a trip of 3m1f with 19 fences to be tackled, the Aintree Bowl provides a solid test for the season’s leading chasers. High class horses unable to cope with the war of attrition in the Cheltenham Gold Cup often find Aintree’s flatter track more to their liking.
The Grade One action continues with the fourth race on the card, the 2m4f Aintree Hurdle. A good strategy for this race is to look for horses who have run well at the Cheltenham Festival without necessarily having won there.
Race five is the Foxhunters Chase. Run over 2m5f and 18 fences of the Grand National Course, this race for amateur riders is usually run at a good pace and provides thrills and spills aplenty. A handicap chase and a handicap hurdle complete the menu on day one.
Day Two – Ladies’ Day, Friday 10th April 2015
The Mildmay Novices Chase often attracts horses who have run in the RSA at the Cheltenham Festival. A number of top chasers have emerged from this race over the years. Bregawn and Burrough Hill Lad both went on to Cheltenham Gold Cup glory whilst 1990 winner Royal Athlete triumphed in the Grand National five years later. Trends fans should note that of the first 33 winners, 27 were aged seven years or younger.
Our next event is one of the season’s top 2m4f chase contests. Run as a Grade One every year since its inauguration in 1991 it has been won by superstars such as Moscow Flyer, Master Minded and Sprinter Sacre in its time. Of the races at the meeting this offers the best hope of previous winners recording a repeat victory. Five horses achieved this feat in the first 24 years of its running.
With the Grand National invariably oversubscribed, the Topham Chase is a useful alternative entry for those to miss the cut. Its trip of 2m5f doesn’t require the reserves of stamina for the National itself but a proven ability to jump and stay are both necessary for success. Always Waining is the most successful horse in the history of the race with three consecutive victories (2010-2012).
The Grade One, three mile Sefton Novices’ Hurdle is often one of the tougher races to call. Form doesn’t always work out as you might expect here, possibly due to some runners not being suited to the track whilst others may have their best runs of the season behind them at this stage. Overall don’t be afraid to back one at bigger odds as we have witnessed a number of upsets in this over the years. Day two closes with a National Hunt Flat race over 2m1f.
Day Three – Grand National Day, Saturday 11th April 2015
There is a distinct Merseyside theme to the titles of the races on the final day of the meeting. The opening Mersey Novices’ Hurdle often goes to a pretty smart performer. A good showing at Cheltenham or other placed form in a Graded contest are good indicators of success here. The race is run over 2m4f with 11 flights of hurdles.
A small town slightly to the north of Aintree lends its name to the second race of the day. The Maghull Chase is run over the minimum trip of two miles and features 12 fences. Having been introduced in 1954 the contest is a firm fixture of the meeting and was granted Grade One status in 1995.
From a race named after a small town to one that shares its title with a rather larger nearby city. The Liverpool Hurdle is one of the highlights of the week and has been the scene of some epic displays, most notably from one of the greatest stayers of all time, Big Buck’s. Another Grade One contest, over a trip of 3m 110 yards, horses coming here from the World Hurdle at Cheltenham are worth a second look.
Race four is a listed handicap chase run over 3m1f before the stage is set for the main event.
Our next race needs very little introduction, being without doubt the most famous steeple chase in the world. A marathon trip of four miles and three and half furlongs with 30 rather fear-inducing obstacles (including The Chair, Canal Turn and Becher’s Brooks) await a maximum field of forty runners. Some will fall, others won’t stay, but come the end one horse will prevail and join the likes of Red Rum in the record books.
With few races providing a test like this it can be difficult to weigh up the contenders. Previous form over the fences is a major positive, be that in the National itself, the Foxhunter Chase or the Topham Chase. Failing that any form at distances of 3m5f and up counts as a plus.
Another handicap hurdle and a mares-only bumper round off a truly cracking three days of equine action at Aintree.