Grand National Betting Preview
For much of the general population, the sport of horse racing rumbles on in the background, only rarely intruding on the public consciousness. However, that all changes on Saturday afternoon as racing explodes into the spotlight – making headline news on the front and back pages.
The reason for such clamour is the arrival of the biggest betting race of the British season, as the Randox Grand National rumbles into view. With its iconic obstacles, including The Chair, Canal Turn, and Becher’s Brook, “The National” has become a cornerstone of British sporting culture and is the one race of the year when everyone – from the shopkeeper to the milkman and on to great auntie Elsie has a bet.
With the public punting in their masses, it would seem rude not to join them. Here, we look at the key considerations when navigating the vast Grand National field and pick out our three best bets ahead of the 2025 edition of the Aintree spectacular.
Grand National Key Factors
- The Going - An often overlooked factor when assessing the Grand National is the state of the ground at the Merseyside venue. Many horses excel on good to soft or quicker ground but struggle on soft or heavy going, whilst others need the mud to fly to display their best form. With the ground at the track currently described as good to soft and little rain expected, we will focus our attention on those runners who prefer a quicker surface
- Stamina - It may be stating the obvious, but staying power is one of the number one requirements for Grand National success. With so few races taking place over 4m+, this can be difficult to assess in advance. However, eight of the past ten winners had hinted at staying this far with a previous win over at least 3m
- The Jockey - Don’t forget the man or woman in the saddle. Few, if any, races present such a challenge as the Grand National and its 30 formidable obstacles. A proven ability to successfully navigate the course can count for plenty
- Trainer Form - Over the course of a season, many yards enjoy hot and cold spells – seemingly unstoppable at times and under a cloud at others. We will take the common-sense approach here and side with those trainers who arrive at Aintree in decent heart
2025 Grand National Best Bets: Three Against the Field
There is no shortage of strong challengers in 2025, but the following trio tops our list of runners with the most appealing combination of ground suitability, stamina, jockey ability, and trainer form.
Hewick – 10/1 with bet365
This pocket rocket from the Shark Hanlon operation has emerged as one of the most popular horses in training and is already coming in for strong support ahead of the big race. With nine of his ten career wins coming on good to soft or quicker, the ground looks to be in his favour this year, whilst the fact that he has won twice over 3m5f augurs well for his ability to see out the trip.
Shark Hanlon has been operating at a solid 17% strike rate over the past fortnight, whilst jockey Gavin Sheehan knows what it takes to prevail around here, having partnered Blaklion to success in the 2017 Becher Chase. Already boasting wins in the King George VI Chase and US Grand National on his CV, Hewick looks worth backing to add the English version to his haul.
Kandoo Kid – 20/1 with Betfred
Paul Nicholls claimed this race for the only time in 2012 when saddling Neptune Collonges to victory. The 14-time champion trainer looks to have solid claims of doubling his tally with Kandoo Kid, whose two chase wins have come on good to soft ground.
Significantly, the best effort of this horse’s career came over the longest trip he has encountered when staying on strongly to claim the 3m2f Coral Gold Cup at Newbury. Unlike many, he has also displayed an aptitude for these fences, having finished a fine third in the 2024 Topham Chase.
Turning to the trainer and jockey, Paul Nicholls hit the mark with two of his first five runners in April, whilst Harry Cobden won back-to-back editions of the Topham Chase over these fences in 2017 and 2018.
Threeunderthrufive – 66/1 with William Hill
It would be a shame to let the Grand National pass by without having a punt on one at a really big price. Despite those long odds, Threeunderthrufive has much to recommend him. Also hailing from the in-form Paul Nicholls operation, he has the services of Harry Skelton, who claimed the 2022 Becher Chase with Ashtown Lad
Threeunderthrufive has scored seven times over three miles, six times on good to soft or quicker going and ran a fine prep for this when going down by just a nose in the Swinley Handicap Chase at Ascot. Having completed 15 of 16 outings over fences, he’s a reliable jumper and an appealing price to hit the frame.
Top 20 Betting Offers
|
New customers only. 7 days to place qualifying bet of £10 at 1/1 (2.0) to receive 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 x £10 football, 1 x £10 horse racing & 2 x £10 Bet Builders. Free Bets cannot be used on e-sports and non UK/IE horse racing. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. 18+. T&Cs apply. |
|||||
|
New Customers Only. Sign up with bonus code: EB20. Bet £20 and get £20 in Free Bets. Paid as £5 Free Bet on Soccer, £5 Free Bet on Horse Racing, £5 Free Bet on Multiples and a £5 Free Bet on any Market. Terms apply 18+ gambleaware.org. |
|||||
|
Min Stake: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football, Racing, Tennis, Cricket or Basketball multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. 100 Free Spins on More Unusual Suspects (£0.10 per spin) credited on settlement of qualifying Acca bet. No wagering requirements on free spin winnings. Offer valid 7 days from account opening. 18+ GambleAware.org. Full Terms apply |
|||||
|
T&Cs apply. 18+ New customers only. You must place a single win-only bet of £10 or more with odds of evens (2.00) or greater to qualify. Money back as £10 in free bets. Free bet is credited the day after the qualifying bet has settled. Must use code B10G10 when creating an account. |
|||||
|
New customers online only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Only valid with code B10G40 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 50 Free Spins on Big Bass Bonanza 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 apply. |
|||||
|
New customers only. Register with BETFRED50. Deposit £10+ via 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. |
|||||
|
18+ New customers only. Opt in via mobile or app and bet £10 on any sports market (odds of 2.00+) within 7 days of registration. Get 3x£10 Free Bets on selected sports markets, which expire in 7 days. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly |
|||||
|
Place a £10 fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1/2 and get 3 x £10 free fixed odds bets, 3 x £5 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x £5 Winning Favourites spread bets and a £1 racing Race Index spread bet.18+ www.gambleaware.org. |
|||||
|
Full T&Cs apply. New UK customers only. The qualifying bet should be either a Single or Acca (2+ selections) bet, start at £20, have 1.9 or greater odds and must be settled within 7 days of opt-in. 3 Free bets include: 1 x £20 Free bet Racing (Horse Racing or Greyhound Racing); 1 x £20 Free Bet Live Football; 1 x £20 Free Bet Live. Max payout – £500. 7-day expiry. To unlock the offer, complete the first deposit via the banking app (Open banking). 18+. BeGambleAware.com |
|||||
|
New customers place a £10 fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1/2. Get 2 x £10 free bets. 18+ begambleaware |
|||||
|
18+. New Customers Only. Max 1 x £10 Free Bet. Qualifying bets at Odds of 1/1 or greater. Paid as Bonus Token Min 4/5 Odds Req. Skrill, Neteller, Paypal not eligible. T&Cs Apply. Please gamble responsibly. |
|||||
|
New Customers Only. £10 in real money. Bets placed on sports at odds of 2.00 or more. Bets must be placed within 24 hours of registration. £10 free bets must be wagered on sports. UK residents. Full terms apply. Gambling can be addictive, play responsibly. 18+ |
|||||
|
#AD | Welcome bonus for new players only | Maximum bonus is 100% up to £100 | Min. deposit is £10 | No max cash out | Wagering is 40x bonus | Maximum bet with an active bonus is £5 | Eligibility is restricted for suspected abuse | Skrill & Neteller deposits excluded for welcome bonus | Cashback when offered, applies to deposits where no bonus is included | Cashback is cash with no restrictions | T&C's apply |Free bet: Min odds: 2.0 - Free bet value will be deducted from free bet winnings | 18+ | BeGambleAware.org | Gambling is addictive, please gamble responsibly! |
|||||
|
New bettors; Code SPORT; Wager deposit & bonus 8x; Max qualifying bet stake=initial bonus; Valid 60 days; Min odds, payment method exclusions apply; New customers only. T&C apply; 18+ Please gamble responsibly. |
|||||
|
18+. New Customers Only. Min deposit £20. Maximum one £10 Free Bet & two £5 Bet Builder Free Bets. Qualifying bet must be placed at odds of Evens (2.00) or greater. Paid as bonus tokens: Token 1 Min odds Req: 4/5 (1.80). Token 2 & 3 are valid for Bet Builder products only and are subject to min odds of 2/1 (3.00). T&Cs Apply. Please gamble responsibly. |
|||||
|
New Players Only. Free bet - one-time stake of £40, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Valid for 7 Days from receipt. Limited to 1 sport & 5 casino brand/s within the network. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Progress Play network Full Terms Apply. |
|||||
|
18+. BeGambleAware.org. New customers only. Min. £10 deposit, debit card only. Up to 50x wagering, game contributions vary, max. stake applies, 7 day expiry. See full terms. #AD |
|||||
|
18+ New Customers Only. Opt in and bet £10 on football (odds 2.00+) within 7 days. Get 4x£5 Free Bets for set markets and a £10 Slot Bonus for Big Bass Splash, 30x wagering, to withdraw max £250. Rewards expire in 20 days. Full T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly |
|||||
|
18+. Play Safe. New customers only, using promo code T60. Valid from 13/04/2022. Online play. Get £60 Bonus split between Vegas & Sports in the following manner – (i) Deposit £10 to unlock £20 Vegas Free Bet on Selected Games (72hr expiry, wagering reqs apply); then (ii) bet £10+ (odds 1/2+) with cash (excl. £10 deposit) or Vegas winnings (after wager reqs met). Once settled, receive £40 Sports Free Bets excluding Virtual Markets (4x £10, 7 days expiry). Full T&Cs apply. #ad |
|||||
|
New UK Customers. Register using code BETGETSPORTS. Must bet £10 in total on 4+ legs, min odds 4.0. £20 awarded as 4 X £5 free bets once settled, AND 50 Free Spins to use on Big Bass Splash (valued at 10p per spin). Free bet T&Cs Apply. 18+. BeGambleAware.org |
