A layman’s guide to betting on this year’s Grand National: How to have a flutter on the big race – with Britain set to spend a total of £100MILLION on picking the winner
- The 2023 Grand National takes place at Aintree at 5:15pm on Saturday
- 40 horses are expected to be on the start line for the annual jump spectacular
Grand National day is the one time of the year when every man and his dog seems to have a flutter.
Even Grandma might part with a couple of quid to have a fun £2 bet on the race, one of the standout events on the annual sporting calendar.
You do not need to be a horse racing expert or aficionado to have a punt. In fact, you do not need any knowledge of the sport at all.
Millions across the country will be glued to their television sets at 5:15pm on Saturday, cheering on their horses as they tackle 30 – yes, 30 – fences on the famous Aintree course.
Industry boffins expect more than £100million to be wagered on the race but how can you get involved? Here, Sportsmail takes you through how you can get in on the action. Remember you must be over 18 to place a bet and please gamble responsibly.
This year’s Grand National takes place at 5:15pm on Saturday, with £100m set to be wagered on the race
How can I bet on the Grand National?
Each bookmaker – or ‘bookies’ for short – has a website and it is easy to set up an account if you wish to bet online. Most will have offers ahead of the National, which is a good way to get more for your spare change.
You will then be able to find the Grand National listing on the website, pick a horse, put your stake in and decide whether you want to go for win or each-way. Simple.
It is the most convenient way to place a bet but you can still go in to a bookmaker and do it the old fashioned way and converse with an actual human being…
How do I choose a horse?
Any way you want.
Most people have a punt on the National for fun, so feel free to select a horse because it has a hilarious name, due to the jockey wearing your favourite colours or because you pulled it out of the hat in the office sweepstake.
Noble Yeats won last year’s Grand National at huge odds of 50-1 and has entered again this year
In some ways, you have as much chance of picking the winner that way as a racing expert!
Last year’s winner Noble Yeats was a huge 50-1 shot. In layman’s terms, if you put £1 on it to win, you would have won a tidy £50.
How does it work?
Odds are calculated based on the horse’s chance of success. If a horse is 5/1, the bookies believe it is more likely to win than if it has odds of 25/1.
The simplest way to bet is to pick a horse either to win or each way. If your selection wins, you will get the amount you put on – called your ‘stake’ – back as well as any profit.
If you bet on a horse to win, you are essentially backing it to cross the line in first place.
Each-way which means you will get a return from your stake if they finish in the first few. For the National, bookmakers such as SkyBet are offering up to seven places – so make sure you check the full result before cursing your luck!
It’s essentially two bets, one on your selection to win and another for them to come in the places.
If you wanted to bet £2 on the Grand National with an each-way bet it would be 2 x £1 bets. If your horse comes fourth, for example, you will get back 1/5 of the odds you got when backing it.
If you fancied £1 each-way flutter on Roi Mage at 40/1 and he finished in the places you’d win £9, with £7 of that being profit.
If you had £2 on Roi Mage to win and he finished first, you would receive £82 – £80 profit (2×40) and your £2 stake.
Which horses are running?
8/1 – Noble Yeats
8/1 – Delta Work
9/1 – Aint That A Shame
9/1 – Corach Rambler
11/1 – Gaillard Du Mesnil
12/1 – Mr Incredible
14/1 – Le Milos
14/1 – The Big Dog
16/1 – Any Second Now
16/1 – Longhouse Poet
16/1 – Capodanno
18/1 – Vanillier
20/1 – Galvin
22/1 – Our Power
25/1 – Back On The Lash
25/1 – Fury Road
28/1 – Lifetime Ambition
28/1 – Roi Mage
33/1 – Velvet Elvis
33/1 – Coko Beach
40/1 – Carefully Selected
40/1 – The Big Breakaway
40/1 – Mister Coffey
40/1 – Dunboyne
50/1 – Minella Trump
50/1 – Evas Oskar
50/1 – Fortrescue
50/1 – Cloudy Glen
50/1 – Born By The Sea
66/1 – Gabbys Cross
66/1 – Sam Brown
66/1 – Enjoy Dallen
66/1 – Recite A Prayer
80/1 – Darasso
80/1 – Diol Ker
100/1 – Hill Sixteen
100/1 – Escaria Ten
100/1 – A Wave Of The Sea
100/1 – Cape Gentleman
100/1- Francky Du Berlais
Odds provided by Paddy Power. Subject to fluctuation and correct at time of publication
…and who is our expert tipping?
Mail Sport’s top tipster Sam Turner picks his 1-2-3-4:
1. Le Milos 14/1
2. Corach Rambler 9/1
3. Noble Yeats 8/1
4. Our Power 22/1
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