Irish Grand National 2026: Free bets, betting offers, runners & odds
Last Updated 2 weeks ago | By The GrandNational.org.uk StaffThe Irish Grand National is one of the highlights on the National Hunt racing calendar – the main event of the 2026 Fairyhouse Easter Festival. As such, there are a host of attractive Irish Grand National betting offers and free bets available too, so get up to speed with the trends, form and the best promotions currently available.
Irish Grand National free bets & betting offers 2026
You can bet on the Irish Grand National 2026 right here, and, if you’re a new customer placing your first bet, you’ll be able to benefit from a welcome offer too.
Irish Grand National 2026 – All you need to know
Here are some key facts and figures to help you get up to speed when it comes to the Irish Grand National, one of the biggest long distance National Hunt races of the year.
How long is the Irish Grand National?
The Irish Grand National is a jumps race containing 24 fences, which is run on the final day of the Fairyhouse Easter Festival each year. The race is one of the longer races on the calendar, run over 3 miles and 5 furlongs, making it slightly longer than the Gold Cup, and around 5 furlongs shorter than the English Grand National. In recent years it has become an increasingly good preparation for the English National, with I Am Maximus one of the horses to have won both the Irish and English Nationals.
When is the Irish Grand National?
The actual date of the race varies from year-to-year in line with the Easter holidays. This year, the Irish Grand National will be run on Monday 6th April 2026.
Where is the Irish Grand National run?
The Irish Grand National is run at Fairyhouse Racecourse, located around 15 miles north-west of Dublin.
Who was the first winner of the Irish National?
The Irish Grand National was first run in 1870, with the first horse to win the Irish Grand National being Sir Robert Peel.
How do Irish Grand National winners fare in the Aintree Grand National?
The Irish Grand National has proven a decent guide to the English equivalent, with a number of horses going on to perform creditably at Aintree.
In 2005, a horse called Numbersixvalverde won the Irish Grand National and followed-up by winning the Aintree Grand National in 2006. Bobby Jo is another example of this, winning the Irish Grand National in 1998 and the Aintree Grand National in 1999.
In more recent years, I Am Maximus is the standout name to have impressed in both versions of the National. The 2023 Irish National winner was sent to Aintree the following year and duly won the 2024 English Grand National. He has since gone on to finish runner-up at Aintree in 2025 and is amongst the favourites for this year’s race too.
Haiti Couleurs was the winner of the 2025 Irish National. He has since gone on to win the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow and will now travel to Aintree in April.
Irish Grand National favourites & betting odds 2026
The top 20 contenders for the Irish Grand National are listed below, alongside their current Irish Grand National betting odds. We’ve also included all the trainers to help you make an informed decision about which horses to back.
| Irish Grand National horses | Trainers | Irish National odds* |
|---|---|---|
| The Jukebox Kid | Ben Pauling | 7/1 |
| Kiss Will | Willie Mullins | 17/2 |
| Soldier in Milan | Emmet Mullins | 9/1 |
| Argento Boy | Willie Mullins | 12/1 |
| C’Est Ta Chance | W P Mullins | 14/1 |
| One Big Bang | James Owen | 14/1 |
| Goraibhmaithagat | C A Murphy | 16/1 |
| Showurappreciation | Jonathan Sweeney | 16/1 |
| Better Days Ahead | Gordon Elliott | 16/1 |
| Better Times Ahead | Robert Tyner | 18/1 |
| Flicker of Hope | Mark Fahey | 18/1 |
| Waterford Whispers | Henry de Bromhead | 18/1 |
| Monbeg Genius | Jonjo O’Neill | 25/1 |
| Born Braver | Gavin Cromwell | 33/1 |
| The Enabler | Gordon Elliott | 28/1 |
| Search For Glory | Gordon Elliott | 28/1 |
| Yeah Man | Gavin Cromwell | 33/1 |
| Shecouldbeanything | Gordon Elliott | 28/1 |
| O’Toole | S R B Crawford | 33/1 |
| Kurasso Blue | Gordon Elliott | 33/1 |
| Sa Majeste | W P Mullins | 33/1 |
*All Irish Grand National betting odds last updated at 5.45pm on 5th April 2026 and subject to change.
Irish Grand National 2026 runners
There are only 30 horses allowed to race in the 2026 Irish Grand National and the initial entries have now been whittled down to give us the confirmed Irish Grand National runners, alongside three reserves in case of very late withdrawals.
With this in mind, you should look for bookies offering Non Runner No Bet insurance. This offer, often shortened to NRNB or NRNB (non-runner money-back), guarantees you’ll get your stake back if your horse doesn’t take part in the race for any reason.
The 30 horses that will run in the Irish Grand National are listed below in order of the weight that they’ll carry. These horses will be the eventual runners unless their trainers decide to withdraw them in the final few hours:
- Better Days Ahead
- Search For Glory
- Argento Boy
- Joystick
- The Jukebox Kid
- Rushmount
- Yeah Man
- C’Est Ta Chance
- Flicker of Hope
- Soldier in Milan
- Monbeg Genius
- Shecouldbeanything
- Kiss Will
- Velvet Elvis
- One Big Bang
- Goraibhmaithagat
- Karia Des Blaises
- Better Times Ahead
- Hartur d’Arc
- Kurasso Blue
- The Enabler
- Duffle Coat
- O’Toole
- Sa Majeste
- Showurappreciation
- Western Walk
- Weveallbeencaught
- Born Braver
- Shanbally Kid
- Waterford Whispers
The three reserves are The Lovely Man, Folly Master and Uhavemeinstitches.
Previous Irish Grand National results & winners
The Irish Grand National has always had some surprises and we often see the favourite lose the race at Fairyhouse. Here are a list of the last 10 Irish Grand National winners, as well as their odds, to show you how often an outsider has upset the odds.
| Year | Winner | SP | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Haiti Couleurs | 13/2 | Rebecca Curtis | Sean Bowen |
| 2024 | Intense Raffles | 13/2 | Thomas Gibney | JJ Slevin |
| 2023 | I Am Maximus | 8/1 | Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |
| 2022 | Lord Lariat | 40/1 | Dermot McLoughlin | Paddy O’Hanlon |
| 2021 | Freewheelin Dylan | 150/1 | Dermot McLoughlin | Ricky Doyle |
| 2020 | Cancelled | – | – | – |
| 2019 | Burrows Saint | 6/1 | Willie Mullins | Ruby Walsh |
| 2018 | General Principle | 20/1 | Gordon Elliott | J J Slevin |
| 2017 | Our Duke | 9/2 | Jessica Harrington | Robbie Power |
| 2016 | Rogue Angle | 16/1 | Mouse Morris | Ger Fox |
| 2015 | Thunder and Roses | 20/1 | Sandra Hughes | Katie Walsh |
Irish Grand National Betting Trends
To help find the winner of the Irish Grand National, looking at past renewals of the race and building up some Irish Grand National trends can often help.
If you’re looking to narrow down the field, the typical Irish Grand National winner is a progressive staying chaser aged between 7 and 9, carrying no more than around 10st 8lb, and already proven over 3 miles or further.
They’re rarely at the very top of the market, with most winners coming from outside the first three in the betting and often at double-figure odds. Experience also counts, with many having run recently (within 4 to 8 weeks) and ideally having previous experience at Fairyhouse.
In short, this is a race that tends to favour well-handicapped improvers rather than exposed top weights, particularly those with the stamina and profile to step forward over a marathon trip.
Key Irish Grand National betting trends
- 18/20 – Carried 10st 13lb or less
- 17/20 – Had won over at least 3m previously
- 18/20 – Had raced within the last 8 weeks
- 18/20 – Winning distance was 5 lengths or less
- 17/20 – Aged 9 or younger
- 15/20 – Carried 10st 8lb or less
- 15/20 – Were Irish-bred
- 15/20 – Came from outside the top three in the betting
- 15/20 – Trained in Ireland
- 14/20 – Returned a double-figure price
- 13/20 – Had run at Fairyhouse before
- 12/20 – Carried 10st 6lb or less
- 12/20 – The favourite was unplaced
- 12/20 – Finished fourth or better last time out
- 10/20 – Had raced within the last 4 weeks
- 9/20 – Rated between 130–137
- 5/20 – Won for an English-based trainer
- 5/20 – Won last time out
- 3/20 – Ran at Navan last time out
- 3/20 – Were winning favourites
- 3/20 – Carried 11st or more
Irish Grand National 2026 each way places offers
Currently Paddy Power, Sky Bet and Boylesports are leading the way for the Irish Grand National as they are paying out on 6 Irish National places, but this still may change, and has historically been extended to up to 7 places.
Not all UK bookmakers have currently revealed how many horses they are paying out on for the Irish National yet. With this in mind, keep an eye on this page as we will be updating this table with all bookmakers once they have confirmed how many places they are paying out on.
| Irish Grand National betting sites | Irish Grand National Places Paid |
|---|---|
| Paddy Power | Top 6 |
| Boylesports | Top 6 |
| Skybet | Top 6 |
| BetMGM | Top 6 |
*All Irish Grand National places last updated at 5.45pm on 5th April 2026 and subject to change.
Irish Grand National free bets 2026 – Our recommended betting offers
With so many excellent Irish Grand National offers available, it can be hard to decide on the best ones. It’s not just the size of the free bets that matters, but the welcome offer requirements, competitiveness of the odds, and overall betting experience should also play a factor in your decision.
Below are the top 5 Irish Grand National betting offers we’d be going for, alongside their key T&Cs.
| Betting Sites | Irish Grand National Betting Offers |
|---|---|
| Betfred | |
| Tote | |
| bet365 | |
| Sky Bet | |
| Paddy Power |
¹New customers only. Register, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs
²New customers online only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Only valid with code B10G40CF on registration. £10 min qualifying bet at 1/1 (2.0) odds or greater across sports or racing (if EW then min £10 Win + £10 Place). Receive £20 Tote Credit, £10 Free Sports Bet and 2 x £5 Football Acca within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. 7-day expiry on free bets & Tote Credit. Your first bet will be your qualifying bet. One per customer. UK & ROI customers only. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org. Full T&Cs
³18+. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required. Full T&Cs
⁴New customers only. First single & E/W bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 3 X £10 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets exclude virtuals. Free bets are non withdrawable. Free bets expire after 30 days. Eligibility restrictions and further T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org #ad Full T&Cs
⁵New Customer offer – Use promo code YSKAST. Place a min £5 bet on the sportsbook at odds of min EVS (2.0) and get £30 in free bets. Free bet rewards valid for 30 days. Only deposits via Pay by Bank, Debit Cards & Apple Pay will qualify for this offer. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly. 18+. GambleAware.org #ad Full T&Cs
How can I stream the Irish Grand National?
The Irish Grand National is a real highlight of the Irish horse racing calendar, so it’s well worth finding the time to watch the drama unfold live. Most good betting sites now provide free live streaming too, which means you can sign-up and deposit ahead of the Irish Grand National to watch the race through the website or app, without even placing a bet on the race.
Being able to cash out your bets mid-race is another perk of watching the Irish Grand National unfold online, so it’s beneficial to find the best betting site for you as we build up to the race.
Irish Grand National 2026 FAQs
What date is the Irish Grand National 2026?
The 2026 Irish Grand National will take place on Monday 6th April 2026 (Easter Monday).
What time is the Irish Grand National?
The Irish Grand National 2026 is scheduled to start at 5pm.
Where is the 2026 Irish Grand National held?
The Irish Grand National is staged at Fairyhouse racecourse in Ireland.
Who is favourite for the Irish Grand National?
The Jukebox Kid is favourite to win the Irish Grand National and heads to Fairyhouse off the back of successive wins at Ascot.
What is the distance of the Irish Grand National?
The Irish Grand National is run over a distance of 3 miles and 5 furlongs.
Who won the Irish Grand National 2025?
Haiti Couleurs won the 2025 Irish Grand National, at odds of 13/2. He was ridden by Sean Bowen and trained by Rebecca Curtis.
Who are the runners in the Irish Grand National?
The full confirmed Irish Grand National runners list is yet to be announced, but currently includes a former winner in the form of Intense Raffles, alongside a number of horses that ran at March’s Cheltenham Festival, including Argento Boy and Kiss Will.
What is the nearest town to Fairyhouse Racecourse?
The Fairyhouse Racecourse is located in Ratoath in Ireland. Ratoath is the closest town, but Tyrrelstown, Curragh and Grangend are also near to the Fairyhouse Racecourse hosting the Irish National.
How far is Fairyhouse Racecourse from Dublin?
Fairyhouse Racecourse, which is where the Irish National is held, is around 25km from Dublin. It would take 45 minutes to an hour to drive to the racecourse from Dublin.
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The GrandNational.org.uk Staff
