Grand National Offers, Promotions and Schedule

In the UK, the Grand National is known as the ‘People’s Race’ attracting betting interest from many once a year bettors. Millions of Brits who would otherwise not place a bet on horse racing bet on the winner of the Grand National. Bookmakers see this as an opportunity to attract new customers and they will do this by offering Grand National free bets and other promotional offers. They will also offer free Grand National bets related to the race which takes place in April, generally three weeks after the Cheltenham Festival and near Easter weekend but never over that weekend. There is a forum and blog about the race.

The Grand National is unique in terms of the race distance and the design of the fences. Some of the fences have names such as Becher’s Brook, the Canal Turn and the Chair. The race is run at a peak viewing time on Saturday afternoon on free-to-view television so is ideal for bookmakers offering Grand National free bets and other Grand National related promotional offers. The Grand National is a steeplechase over 4 miles, three and a half furlongs and last about nine minutes. The race gives bookmakers ample scope to promote Grand National free bets and free Grand National bets.

The BBC sports website features all the news about the Grand National leading up to the race in April. This will include running plans and the current odds so you can keep up to date with the latest horse racing news from the BBC.

Grand National Offers & Promotions 2018

Customers new to Ladbrokes can benefit from Grand National offers. New players must specify the bonus code MAXSPORT in order to take advantage of the current new customer offer and Grand National offers for 2018. Please follow this link to open an account with Ladbrokes and receive your new customer offer and view all current Grand National offers.

Ladbrokes Grand National Offer

New customers can receive a £50 bonus bet when they open an account with Ladbrokes. This is a matched free bet equal to the stake of your first bet with Ladbrokes, with the initial bet at odds of 1/2 (1.50) or bigger after an initial deposit of at least £5.

Significant T&C: _ 18+. New customers only. Promo code ‘F50’ required. Certain deposit methods excluded. Min £/€5 on win or each-way bet excluding Tote or pools = match max £/€50 free bet. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Bet must be made within 14 days. Free bet valid for 4 days. Free bet stake not returned. Single bets only. Free bet cannot be used on certain markets. T&Cs apply

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Betfair Grand National Offer

New customers at Betfair can receive a welcome bonus of up to £100. When you open an account with Betfair you can benefit from not only this great welcome offer but also Grand National offers and enhanced odds throughout the festival.

Place five £10 bets at odds of at least 1.50 within 30 days of opening your account and you will receive a £20 bonus bet. You can repeat this process five times to receive the full £100 in bonus bets.

“New customer offer. Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100 bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. T&Cs apply.”

Join Betfair today!

There will be many Grand National offers and promotions for the race in 2018. Customers new to Ladbrokes will be able to use their welcome bonus bet of up to £50 on the Grand National. New account holders with Betfair who are given the opportunity to earn up to £100 in bonus bets can use some of that bonus as Grand National free bets. All the major online and High Street bookmakers will offer free Grand National bets at the time of the race.

Grand National racing betting offers are more about marketing than trading. In some cases the odds on offer are increased several fold but small stakes only are allowed. Some bettors take advantage of their free Grand National bets by trading the race on Betfair which means they can’t lose regardless of the race outcome. The industry is aware of this practice but continue with the matched free Grand National bets as they can attract new business.

Several leading firms are also offering racing best odds guaranteed and non runner/non bet is now standard across the industry. The ongoing promotions are still running alongside the Grand National betting offers and free Grand National bets. The more experienced operators who know all about the concept of matching bets will benefit as a by-product of the mad dash for new customers. The Grand National brings lapsed punters out of the woodwork so there are inducements to start betting again.

Here are some special free bets and offers associated with the Grand National that will probably be offered for the Grand National in 2018:

• Grand National free bets
• Free Grand National bets
• Money back as a free bet if your horse finishes second
• Money back as a free bet if you lose in the first race each day
• Free bet for horses 2nd or 3rd to SP favourite
• Free bets of £30 after backing a 3/1 plus winner on any day
• Best odds guaranteed
• Best odds guaranteed plus
• Enhanced odds for leading jockey
• Enhanced odds for leading trainer
• Price boosts on certain horses
• Ladbrokes up to £50 in bonus bets for new customers
• Betfair up to £100 in bonus bets for new customers
• Number of horses that finish
• Number of fallers at the first fence
• Starting price favourite
• Will a specific trainer train the winner
• Finishing position of a selection of horses

More Grand National offers and updates will be announced on a blog nearer the time of the 2018 Grand National.

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Grand National Meeting 2018

The Grand National is the highlight of the three day Grand National Meeting that takes place on a date early in April each year at Aintree. The meeting is the second most prestigious and lucrative after the Cheltenham Festival. Some horses run at both meetings, especially now there is a three week gap between the meetings. Cheltenham is an undulating track while Aintree is flat which means horses may be more suited to one or the other but rarely both.

Both tracks are right handed and in many other ways different. Some horses bypass Cheltenham and are targeted at Aintree due to the contrasting demands of each venue. Following form from Cheltenham at Aintree is not always the best policy especially when there are Grand National free bets on offer. In the past the Grand National meeting was mainly about the Grand National but there is now a high quality programme of racing for the best hurdlers and chasers. The meeting attracts large crowds from across the UK and from around the world. The results are reported in the racing and National Press.

Facts And Figures

Here are some interesting facts and figures about the Grand National:

• The first Grand National was in 1839. The winner, called Lottery, was 5-1.
• Last year’s race was won by One For Arthur at the price of 14-1.
• The 2017 favourite was Many Clouds who won the race in 2015 at odds of 16/1
• Horses jump 30 fences over four miles, three furlongs and 110 yards.
• Some famous fences are named such Becher’s Brook, Valentine’s, the Chair and Canal Turn
• The Aintree Grand National Meeting attracts about 164,000 race-goers over three days, with 80,000 watching the Grand National live itself.
• The UK live television audience will be about nine million people and 600 million around the globe.
• There are about 80 bars at the track and drinkers consume a quarter-of-a-million pints, 38,000 vodka shots and 5,000 cocktails.
• They’ll also get through 3,500 rumps of lamb and 75,000 cups of tea and coffee.
• The 2017 race was the 170th. It was cancelled during the two World Wars and in 1993 when there was a false start.
• In 1956 the Queen’s Mum’s horse Devon Loch lost out when it fell while in the lead – just 50 yards from the finish.
• No more than 40 runners are allowed this year. The most ever was 66, in 1929.
• Five 100-1 outsiders have won – Mon Mome in 2009, Foinavon in 1967, Caughoo in 1947, Gregalach in 1929 and Tipperary Tim in 1928. The shortest-price for a winner was Poethlyn at 11-4 in 1919.
• Red Rum won a record three times in 1973, 1974 and 1977 and is buried at the winning post.
• The fastest time is Mr Frisk’s 8 minutes, 47.8 seconds, in 1990.
• Charlotte Brew was the race’s first female jockey on Barony Fort in 1977.
• One in three punters betting on the race is female. Nearly half of Britons have a flutter.
• The oldest-winning horse was Peter Simple, who was 15 when he won in 1853.
• Aged 17, Bruce Hobbs was the youngest jockey to win the Grand National, on Battleship in 1938. Dick Saunders was the oldest, aged 48, when he won in 1982.

Grand National Date 2018

In 2018 the three days of the Grand National Meeting are as follows:

Thursday April 12th

Here is the race card guide for Thursday of the Grand National Meeting 2018:

• 13:45 Manifesto Novices’ Chase (Grade 2)
• 14:20 Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 1)
• 14:50 Betway Bowl Chase (Grade 1)
• 15:25 Aintree Hurdle (Grade 1)
• 16:05 Fox Hunters’ Chase (National Course)
• 16:40 Red Rum Handicap Chase (Grade 3)
• 17:15 Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat Race (Listed)

The runners and riders updates and time for the races appear in the Press.

Friday April 13th – Ladies Day

Here is the race card guide for Friday of the Grand National Meeting 2018:

• 13:40 Alder Hey Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3)
• 14:20 Top Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2)
• 14:50 Mildmay Novices’ Chase (Grade 2)
• 15:25 Melling Chase (Grade 1)
• 16:05 Crabbie’s Topham Chase (Listed)
• 16:40 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
• 17:15 Champion Standard Open NH Flat Race (Grade 3)

The runners and riders updates and time for the races appear in the Press.

Saturday April 14th – Grand National Day

Here is the race card guide for Friday of the Grand National Meeting 2016: (Something similar is expected in 2017 and 2018):

• 13:45 Aintree Handicap Hurdle (Grade 2)
• 14:25 Mersey Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
• 15:00 Maghull Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
• 15:40 Betway Handicap Chase (Grade 1)
• 16:20 Stayers Hurdle (Grade 1)
• 17:15 Grand National Chase (Grade 2)
• 18:10 Conditional Handicap Hurdle (Listed)

The runners and riders updates and time for the races appear in the Press.

2017 Grand National Review

The 2017 renewal of the Aintree Grand National saw the emotional victory of Lucinda Russell’s One for Arthur, showing a tenacious attitude to fend off a series of challengers and bring the great race back to Scotland for the first time in 38 years.

Sadly the hero has suffered an injury and is not back to defend his crown in 2018, but plenty of those in behind will be returning, with perhaps the smooth travelling Blaklion the most dangerous if the ground conditions improve from the heavy conditions that sap his stamina at marathon trips.

Runner-up Cause of Causes saw things out typically strongly and is sure to be back in 2018 for another bid, despite disappointing in the Cross Country at the Cheltenham Festival in March. His trainer Gordon Elliot knows what is required to win this prestigious prize, with Silver Birch winning at 33/1 in 2007 the one who first put him on the map as he set out on his meteoric training career.

After eight winners at Cheltenham in 2018 Elliot comes here with his tail up and his runners are entitled to huge respect, while arch rival Willie Mullins could risk his Cheltenham Gold Cup faller Total Recall if all is well after his unfortunate mishap (usually a sound jumper with proven stamina).

The Aintree management were delighted to see that 19 of the 40 strong field completed the course, with the safer and less demanding fences clearly taking less of a toll. With racing always under the spotlight with welfare issues, this move to limit fallers and carnage was surely a sensible one.

Grand National Records

Winners list and results since 2007 (Year, Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Owners and Winners Starting Price odds):

Grand National Records

Leading horse:

Red Rum – 3 wins (1973, 1974, 1977)

Leading jockey:

George Stevens – 5 wins (Freetrader, 1856; Emblem 1863; Emblematic, 1864; The Colonel, 1869, 1870)
Leading trainers:
George Dockeray – 4 wins (Lottery, 1839; Jerry, 1840; Gaylad, 1842; Miss Mowbray, 1852)
Fred Rimell – 4 wins (E.S.B., 1956; Nicolaus Silver, 1961; Gay Trip, 1970; Rag Trade, 1976)
Ginger McCain – 4 wins (Red Rum, 1973, 1974, 1977; Amberleigh House, 2004)

Leading owners:

James Octavius Machell – 3 wins (Disturbance, 1873; Reugny, 1874; Regal, 1876)
Noel Le Mare – 3 wins (Red Rum, 1973, 1974, 1977)
Trevor Hemmings – 3 wins (Hedgehunter, 2005; Ballabriggs, 2011, Many Clouds, 2015)

Other Records

Fastest winning time on winners list: Mr. Frisk (1990); 8 minutes 47.8 seconds
Oldest horse on winners list: Peter Simple (1853); aged 15
Youngest winning horse: Alcibiade (1865), Regal (1876), Austerlitz (1877), Empress (1880), Lutteur III (1909); all aged five
Oldest winning jockey: Dick Saunders (1982); aged 48
Youngest winning jockey: Bruce Hobbs (1938); aged 17
Longest odds winner: Tipperary Tim (1928), Gregalach (1929), Caughoo (1947), Foinavon (1967), Mon Mome (2009); all 100/1
Shortest odds winner: Poethlyn (1919); 11/4
Largest field: 66 runners (1929)
Smallest field: 10 runners (1883)
Most horses to finish: 23 (1984)
Fewest horses to finish: 2 (1928)
Most rides in the race: 20 (A. P. McCoy, 1995-2015), (Richard Johnson, 1997-2016)
Most rides without winning: 20 (Richard Johnson, 1997-2016)

Grand National Trends

Here are some trends for the winners list over the last 10 years which can be useful in identifying the horses to back using your Grand National free bets:

• Winners have been aged 8, 9 (two), 10 (four) and 11 (three).
• Winners have carried between 10-3 and 11-9.
• Winners have been rated between 137 and 160.
• Winners were priced between 7/1 and 100/1 with four at 14s or under and eight at 33s or less.
• Eight winners ran between four and seven times during the current season.
• Six winners ran over hurdles during the current season.
• All winners had their prep race after mid-February.
• Seven winners were running over the National fences for the first time.
• Two winners had contested the previous season’s Grand National.
• All of the winners had run at least 10 times over fences.
• Eight winners had won or been placed over at least three and a half miles.
• All of the winners had won a class two handicap chase or above.
• Nine winners had won or been placed in a race of at least 19 runners.

Tickets and Hospitality

Tickets for the 2018 Grand National will go on sale after the 2017 running of the race. The three day meeting is usually sold out which means there are many touts selling tickets near the course. The Grand National is a great occasion for hospitality and many business entertain their clients and invite them to Aintree. There is a formal dress code.

The Grand National is very good for the local economy as there are visitors from other parts of the country and from around the world. The race provides good publicity for Liverpool and Merseyside and presents the city and area in a positive way on television and in pictures. Men and women must adhere to the dress code.

Many racing fans write comments on a Grand National blog. Many pictures of the meeting appear in the Press and are the meeting is covered on television.

Media Coverage

The Grand National is the most watched race in the world on television. It is beamed live in TV pictures to more than 600,000 million people around the world. The race is by some distance the most watched in the UK and attracts a television audience of about 10 million people.

The Grand National is extensively covered in the specialist racing Press and in the National Press. The newspapers report on the race and the social element of the occasion. Betting companies promote their odds for months before the race and there is a big ante post market for the Grand National.

The race is also broadcast live on the radio and there are previews and a race commentary. The winning connections are interviewed after the race and the jockey becomes very familiar in the media. Newspapers and TV channels all around the world report on the Grand National and print pictures and the race is the most famous in the world.