Welcome to your unofficial guide to the Aintree Grand National.
Our site contains all you need to know about the English Grand National 2023 – one of the highlights of the sporting calendar. The four-and-a-half mile steeplechase captures the imagination of 150,000 punters at Aintree racecourse, plus an estimated worldwide TV audience of 600 million people. The 2023 Grand National races start with Liverpool’s NHS Day on Thursday, followed by Randox Ladies Day on Friday, before Saturday’s Grand National Day. The Grand National races take place between Thursday 13th April and Saturday 15th April 2023.
Grand National 2023 betting
You’re in the right place for everything related to Grand National betting and we’re counting down to the festival, with ante post betting markets now available on most leading bookmaker sites. We’ve tipped six of the last 15 winners, including Rule The World at huge odds of 50-1, so keep an eye out for our Grand National Festival tips as the big day approaches.
If you feel your horse will improve through the season, it’s very likely the Grand National betting odds will shorten nearer the race. In this case, be sure to back your Grand National runners early. Keep an eye out for the weights and jockeys being announced too, and don’t forget the weather forecast, as these factors all influence the Grand National betting odds in the days leading up to the race.
Grand National tips
Horses that have run well in previous Aintree Grand National races are often a good place to start when looking for Grand National tips. This theory was backed-up again in 2019 with the 2018 Grand National winner, Tiger Roll. 2021’s third placed horse improved to second in 2022, and Any Second Now again features prominently in the 2023 Grand National runners list, and is amongst the Grand National 2023 ante-post favourites.
The average odds of a winning Grand National horse are historically around 20/1, although the last Aintree Grand National winners won at odds of 50/1.
Until recently, it was commonly assumed that horses carrying over 11 stone never win. This allowed punters to rule out a decent slice of the entrants. However, this trend is showing signs of reversal, not least in 2015 when Many Clouds carried the monster weight of 11st 9lb to victory. Since 2009 we’ve had six Grand National winners carry 11st or more in weight, and the 2022 Grand National saw five of the top six horses carry more than the fabled 11 stone mark.
Download our Grand National Betting Guide
Aintree Grand National course
For those wanting to see the English Grand National races live, we have all of the information you’ll need to make the most of your visit to Aintree, including information on getting to the racecourse, ticket details, and a summary of all of the enclosures and facilities, many of which have been significantly upgraded in recent seasons.
Virtual Grand National 2022
The Virtual Grand National returned for 2022 and took place on Friday 8th April at 9.15pm on ITV4. The virtual race comes the day before the actual Grand National.
The computer-simulated version of Aintree’s world-famous steeplechase has set the scene for the Grand National since 2017, and in fact it took centre stage in 2020 when the race itself was cancelled. The VGN provides us with an interesting insight into how the actual race could play out, and correctly predicted Tiger Roll’s first Grand National victory, in 2018. Last year’s Virtual Grand National winner was Cloth Cap, while Minella Time finished in fifth. The 2022 Virtual Grand National saw Snow Leopardess win, ahead of Any Second Now, Delta Work and Minella Times. Although it failed to pick the winner, the Virtual Grand National did correctly predict both the second and third placed finishers.
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