IT'S a huge day of sporting action on Saturday, as the Grand National hits our screens.
It’s one of the very few horse racing events that breaks into the public consciousness, to the point that you will find everyone from the postman to your elderly next-door neighbour will be having a small punt!
An estimated 800 million people will tune in from around the world to watch the Aintree spectacular, which will feature a revised line-up of 34 runners for just the second time since the rules were changed last year.
The Irish powerhouse Willie Mullins won the race 12 months ago with I Am Maximus, who will have to concede weight to the field if he is to become just the second horse to win the race twice this century.
With so much to digest, we have put together an extended guide of the very best Grand National free bet offers for you below.
Grand National Day is a monumental occasion for , who are all desperate to entice occasional punters to have their annual Grand National bet with them.
1. Tote
- Grand National offer: Bet £5 get £20 in bonuses
- Minimum odds: No limit
- Maximum winnings: No limit
- Eligible payment methods: Valid for Visa, Mastercard and all major payment methods
Tote are one of the oldest names in horse racing and they have a great offer during the Grand National Festival at Aintree. They are offering money back on specific races at Aintree if your selection loses, which will be paid as free bet credits. This only applies to your first win bet on each race and the maximum amount is £10. It will be credited within 24 hours.
2. bet365
bet365 are a trusted name and offer plenty of perks to their punters, including one of the most competitive best odds guaranteed promotions on the market. Keep an eye on their promotions page during the week for Grand National offers, but in the meantime new customers can get £30 in free bet credits when you sign up and stake £10 on the sportsbook at odds of 1/5 or more.
3. Spreadex
- Grand National offer: Sign up and bet £10 and get £60 in bonuses
- Qualifying bet: £10 fixed odds bet
- Minimum odds: 1/2
- Maximum winnings: No limit
- Eligible payment methods: Valid for major methods including PayPal and Mastercard
Spreadex are a great option for horse racing punters and offer to pay out on first past the post, meaning you will still get your winnings if your horse is demoted in any UK or Irish race.
New customers can get £60 in free bet credits when they sign up and stake £10. Simply place a fixed odds bet at 1/2 or greater and you will receive free bet credits in the form of 3 x £10 free fixed odds bets, 3 x £5 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x £5 Winning Favourites spread bets on consecutive days and a £1 racing Race Index spread bet.
4. BetMGM
- Grand National offer: Get £40 when you sign up and stake £10
- Qualifying bet: £10 bet on the sportsbook
- Minimum odds: Evens (1/1) or greater
- Maximum winnings: No limit
- Eligible payment methods: Valid for major methods including Visa and bank transfer
5. SBK
6. kwiff
7. LiveScore Bet
- Grand National offer: Money back if your horses finished 2nd, 3rd or 4th at Aintree
- Qualifying bet: £10 on selected races at Aintree
- Minimum odds: No limit
- Maximum winnings: No limit
- Eligible payment methods: Valid for many methods including Trustly and ApplePay
Punters can get money back as a free bet on selected races at Aintree if your horse finishes second, third or fourth! Simply place a £10 bet on highlighted races and if your selection hits the frame, you will receive a free bet within 24 hours of the race being settled. The maximum free bet amount is £10.
8. Betzone
9. CopyBet
10. Coral
- Grand National offer: 10 free spins when you bet £20+ at Aintree
- Qualifying bet: £20 or more on any race at Aintree
- Minimum odds: 1/1
- Maximum winnings: No limit
- Eligible payment methods: Valid for Visa and Mastercard
Coral are offering all customers who place £20 or more on each day 10 free spins . Simply place a £20 bet on any Aintree market each day and you will receive 10 free spins of value of £0.10 on Big Bass Splash/Fishin’ Frenzy Even Bigger Fish which are valid for 48 hours.
11. BetVictor
- Grand National offer: Open the Grand National Box and win a share of £5,000
- Qualifying bet: No bet required
- Minimum odds: No bet required
- Maximum winnings: A share of £5,000
- Eligible payment methods: Valid for Visa and Mastercard
BetVictor are running a fun promotion for all of their customers ahead of the Grand National. Simply opt in via the offers tab and choose a Grand National box, which will present you with a runner in the race. If that horse wins, you will win a share of £5,000 along with everyone else who had the horse. If that horse is a non-runner, your selection will move to the favourite. You must do this by 17:35 UK time on 05.04.25.
12. Betway
- Grand National offer: Matched free bet up to £10
- Qualifying bet: £10
- Minimum odds: 1.75 or over
- Maximum winnings: No limit
- Eligible payment methods: Valid for all major methods including PayPal and Skrill
Betway are offering new customers a matched free bet of up to £10 on the sportsbook. Simply sign up and place a £10 bet at 1.75 odds or greater and you will receive a free bet instantly, which will be available in your account for seven days â which you could potentially use on the Grand National on Saturday afternoon.
13. Betano
Betano are another good option ahead of the Grand National Festival and new customers can get a free bet up to £40 thanks to their matched first bet offer. Simply sign up and place a first bet of up to £40 on the racing at 2/1 or greater and you will receive a free bet to place on the racing which is valid for five days.
Grand National 2025’s runners and riders
As mentioned above, this is just the second year that the National will feature a field of 34 runners, after it was cut from 40 in 2024. The big headline is the absence of the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin, after his trainer Gavin Cromwell opted to give his stable star a rest after his excursions on the Cotswolds.
It means that Golden Miller remains the only horse to win both races in the same year (in 1934) and it leaves the door open to someone else to take advantage. We’ve picked out some of the key runners for you below.
The bookies’ favourites
Stumptown won the Cross Country race at Cheltenham, which has proven to be a key pointer for this, while the 2023 National runner-up Vanillier was a staying on third in the same race. Trading at 10/1 is last year’s Irish Grand National winner Intense Raffles, who has been campaigned with this in mind, alongside last year’s hero I Am Maximus.
Another to note is Hewick, a fairytale horse who cost his owner just £800 and has gone on to win the prestigious King George VI Chase at Kempton. The Grand National is notorious for volatile market movers due to novelty style bets and Hewick could certainly capture the attention of punters drawn to a good story for hugely popular Irish trainer Shark Hanlon.
Dark horses
It’s possible to make a case for all 34 runners at this stage, plus a whole host of horses who are waiting to see if they can sneak into the contest.
The improving Perceval Legallois is a textbook candidate for a horse who’s lurking on a nice racing weight, having won back-to-back big field handicaps at Leopardstown over fences and hurdles respectively. There ought to be more to come from him yet, a comment which also applies to the Coral Gold Cup winner Kandoo Kid, who represents the ultra-shrewd Paul Nicholls operation.
Minella Cocooner has a few good handicap performances under his belt, including when winning the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown last season and is respected for Willie Mullins, while Three Card Brag appeals as one who could improve for this test.
At a huge price, keep an eye on Chantry House. The 11-year-old was a Grade 1-winning novice at this meeting in 2021 and wouldn’t even be here if he hadn’t have won a race at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day – which ruled him out of the Hunters’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival! With class on his side, there’s certainly worse 100/1 shots out there for Nicky Henderson – who is still yet to win this.
Tip 1 – Perceval Legallois at 12/1
It’s possible to make a case for a whole host of runners in this year’s race, though it’s very difficult to ignore the profile of Perceval Levallois. The eight-year-old has long shaped as though he would have a nice profile for this race, being in the conversation in a range of competitive handicap chases over the last 12 months or so.
He’s taken his form to another level of late, winning a competitive handicap over an extended three miles in good style at Leopardstown over Christmas, sweeping clear for a seven length success. He’s since been carefully handled with this race (and his mark) in mind, but he’s clearly still thriving, taking advantage of a lower hurdling mark to win a similarly hot race at the same track in February.
He has a nice cruising speed and appeals as one who could improve for the significant step up in trip that this race will provide. There’s every chance that his current mark of 153 could underestimate him yet and he looks a good bet at 12/1 with BetVictor to win this for Gavin Cromwell, Mark Walsh and JP McManus, who teamed up to win last month’s Gold Cup with Inothewayurthinkin.
ð Bet on Perceval Legallois to win the Grand National at 12/1 with BetVictor ð
Tip 2 – Three Card Brag each-way at 22/1
Sneaking in at the bottom of the weights is the Gordon Elliott-trained Three Card Brag, who’s long appealed as a potential Grand National type. The eight-year-old has won just once over fences to far, but he has some strong form in that time, including hitting the frame in a Grade 1 novice at Punchestown last April. He’s been steadily brought along in his three starts so far this term and he appeals as one who will enjoy the step up in trip. He’s versatile in terms of the ground and there’s a feeling that his current mark of 146 could underestimate him. His trainer has won this three times in the past and it would be no surprise if he’s be campaigned to peak on the day – meaning he could offer plenty of value as an each-way tilt at 22/1.
ð Bet on Three Card Brag each-way at 22/1 with bet365 ð
Tip 3 – Bravemansgame each-way at 40/1
At a much bigger price, it could be worth chancing Bravemansgame each-way at around the 40/1 mark. The 10-year-old is steadily heading into the veteran stage these days, though he was a classy horse in his prime, winning the 2022 King George VI Chase at Kempton. He isn’t quite at the top table these days but retains plenty of ability, hitting the frame in the Betfair Chase at Haydock earlier in the campaign.
Paul Nicholls has long thought about the Grand National with his charge and provided he stays the mammoth trip, his mark of 155 looks more than fair. He appeals as the type who could relish the task and bearing in mind the profile of the horses who filled the places behind I Am Maximus last year (all three were Grade 1 winners) he could be suited by the challenges posed by a modern Grand National. With that in mind, it could be worth chancing him each-way at 40/1 with Coral.
ð Bet on Bravemansgame each-way at 40/1 with Coral ð
When the bookies got it wrong
Due to it’s difficulty, the Grand National is renowned for causing an upset or two over the years, which has hurt both punters a bookmakers alike â with some big-priced and short-priced winners coming into the winners’ enclosure.
Perhaps the most famous upset of them all is the 1967 winner Foinavon, who has a fence on the track named after him. A huge pile-up at the 23rd fence ruled the majority of the field out of the race, allowing the 100-1 shot to make up ground after trailing behind. Much to jockey John Buckingham’s belief, he was suddenly a long way clear on the rank outsider, as practically everyone else had either fallen or unseated!
In more recent memory, Mon Mome caused a monumental shock in 2009 when winning at 100/1 for the Venetia Williams team, while Noble Yeats became the first seven-year-old to win the race since the Second World War when striking in 2022 for jockey Sam Waley-Cohen, who retired afterwards!
One of the worst losers for bookmakers on the Grand National came back in 2019, when Tiger Roll created history by becoming the first horse this century to win the race twice. It was a particularly bruising result for bookies as he returned as one of the shortest-priced winners in the race’s history, as a 4/1 favourite.
What to consider when backing a horse
However, the hugely competitive nature of the race means there is no exact science to finding your way to the winner and there are some weird and wonderful methods employed by people who follow the racing on a more casual basis.
Horses will be picked for a whole multitude of reasons, including things like names that mean something to them, as well as the colours of the silks of the jockey. For example, plenty of people backed the 2017 winner One For Arthur because they had a friend or relative named Arthur, while any horse with a famous owner will also attract plenty of attention!
There are plenty of conventional things to consider when choosing a Grand National horse and to help you out, we’ve explained some of them for you below.
Why ‘form’ matters
Much like a form guide with a football team, a horse’s form is a picture of their career so far and how they have been performing in the run-up to the big race. The form figures may look like a collection of numbers to a casual punter, but they can tell you plenty about their ability in the Grand National, such as their recent performances and their ability to get the distance.
A key thing to look out for on the formbook is horses who have performed well in one of the five races on the Grand National course in the past, as this hints at an ability to handle the unique fences. The five races held over the fences each year are the Grand National, the Becher Chase, the Grand Sefton, the Topham Chase and the Foxhunters’ Chase.
How weights and handicapping works
The Grand National is one of the most famous handicap races in the world, which essentially means that each horse will carry a different race on the day. The purpose of a handicap is to try and have each horse running on equal terms to each other and the playing field is levelled by deciding different weights for each runner â the better horses will carry more weight than the weaker horses, thus creating a level race in theory.
Each horse has a rating which is calculated by a handicapper and says how good they are at that moment in time, with the best horses in training having the highest ratings. For example, last year’s Grand National winner I Am Maximus will carry top weight in this year’s race thanks to his sensational win 12 months ago.
The jockey and trainer
Another huge factor is the personnel behind each horse. Every runner at the Grand National will have a trainer who looks after them and keeps them fit on a daily basis, while they will also have a jockey who is booked to ride them on the day. Like with every sport, some are better than others and some key Grand National trainers to consider are Gordon Elliott, Willie Mullins and Paul Nicholls, who have all won the race before. Some of the very best jump jockeys around at the moment are Rachael Blackmore, Paul Townend, Harry Skelton and Harry Cobden.
What to know about Aintree
The Grand National is a horse race like no other. It presents the ultimate test to both horse and rider, with 30 obstacles to be jumped over a total distance of four and a quarter miles. The race is a test of speed, jumping ability and stamina that can’t be replicated anywhere else and the unique fences on the National Course will catch out any runner that doesn’t respect them.
If you are new to racing, you may not realise that there are two different codes within the sport, Flat racing and Jumps racing. The Flat tends to take part in the summer (though both codes operate all year) and these races tend to be all about speed over shorter distances, with major events being the Epsom Derby and Royal Ascot.
Jumps racing is generally run over much further, with a minimum race distance of around two miles. It tests completely different aspects of a horse’s ability, with obstacles needing to be jumped. Like the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Grand National is the pinnacle of the sport though it is a handicap, which means horses of different abilities face each other.
To level this out, the better horses will carry more weight than their inferior rivals and due to the huge difficulty of Aintree’s course, this opens the door to shocks and surprises that you don’t see anywhere else.
How to bet on the Grand National
With so much information to digest, placing a Grand National bet can feel daunting if you’re not used to it. To help you out, we’ve put together a quick step-by-step guide.
How to follow the action
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