Aintree winner could pocket £1m for the first time
Horses and jockeys during the Grand National. Aintree racecourse.
For the first time ever, the winner of the Grand National at Aintree could pocket a cool £1m in prize money following a bonus incentive offered by bookmakers William Hill.
The incentive sees a new £500,000 bonus being introduced for connections of any horse who wins one of three designated Grand National trials this season before going on to triumph in the main event at Aintree in April.
The races that will unlock the potential bonus payout are the Becher Chase over the National fences at Aintree on December 6th, the Classic Chase at Warwick on January 10th and the Grand National Trial at Haydock on February 14th.
Any horse that wins one of those races and subsequently lands the National will trigger the ‘Half A Mill’ series bonus, adding to the £500,000 prize money already on offer for scooping the main event on Merseyside.
Scotland’s hero the most recent winner
The last horse to win one of these races, which are all sponsored this season by William Hill, and go on to score in the Grand National in the same season was One For Arthur, who landed the Classic Chase at Warwick and the famous race at Aintree in 2017 for trainer Lucinda Russell and Derek Fox.
Expecting the £500,000 prize to be popular, the leading bookmaker is quoting 8/1 for any horse to win the William Hill Half A Mill bonus this season.
Mark Howarth, William Hill’s Director of Racing, said: “We are thrilled to launch the William Hill Half A Mill bonus this season.
“The Grand National has a special place in the British sporting calendar and we’re excited to further elevate the build-up, and to encourage as many Grand National hopes to run in some very recognised trials for the world’s greatest race.
“This prize injection is a real incentive for connections as they plot their route to Grand National glory and we can’t wait to celebrate and follow those who take on this challenge.”
Trainers welcome latest Aintree initiative
Trainers Emma Lavelle and Oliver Greenall were amongst those to welcome the bonus series initiative.
Lavelle has won two of the past three renewals of the Classic Chase, with Eclair Surf taking the race in 2022 and My Silver Lining triumphing in the most recent edition.
“These incentives are exciting and usually they work out very well,” she said. “It would be an incredible achievement if a horse were to win one of the trials and then go on to win the National.
“It will certainly make for more competitive racing in these staying chases.”
Greenall, who along with joint-trainer Josh Guerriero saddled Iroko to finish fourth in the Grand National last season, has welcomed the announcement too, though he says it may not alter plans for getting the JP McManus-owned runner back to Aintree in the spring.
He does, though, have another horse in his yard that might be tailor-made for the series.
“It’s a great initiative and the general public want to see their Grand National runners out and running before the National,” said Greenall.
“For a horse like Iroko, though, you have to think about your mark and also running a horse consistently over a long distance, it is difficult to keep them at their peak.
“To go to their optimum trip before the big day is quite hard so I would expect with Iroko we wouldn’t look at these races and stick to shorter trips before getting him to peak on the day in April.
“But it could prove perfect for a horse like White Rhino who needs to build his profile and go up a few pounds to get in the race.”
Anthony Vella
