The 2020 Grand National Festival begins on Thursday, 2nd of April, at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool. It is the world’s most famous steeplechase, taking place over a grueling four-mile, two-and-a-half-furlong course. The Grand National requires stamina, plenty of jumping ability and just a little bit of luck.
The National is the highlight of a three-day meeting that begins on Thursday, 2nd April and features other top-class races such as the Aintree Hurdle and Topham Chase. Here at BettingTop10 we’ve compiled a guide to the big race, the latest odds for the energy-sapping contest and a guide on where to find the latest offers and promotions from the UK’s best online betting sites. We focus on how to place a bet, where to find the best prices and how to follow all of the action across the three days.
Liverpool Day Races Schedule The first day is commonly known as Grand National Thursday and takes place on the 2nd of April, 2020. There are seven races on the card, five of which are graded. It raises the curtain at the meeting and kicks-off three days of outstanding National Hunt action. The feature race is the Aintree Hurdle which is a Grade 1 contest contested over two miles and four furlongs
Ladies Day Races Schedule The second day at Aintree is known as Ladies Day and takes place on 3rd April, 2020. It focuses on both fashion and racing and is hugely popular with locals. It adds plenty of glamour to proceedings and is one of the most anticipated events on the social calendar in Liverpool. There are seven terrific races on the card including the listed Topham Chase which is staged over two miles and five-and-a-half furlongs.
Grand National Day Races Schedule Grand National Day concludes the three-day extravaganza On Saturday, 4th April and provides five supporting races alongside the world-famous steeplechase. The big race itself goes off at 5.15pm and a bumper crowd is expected to be in attendance.
The Grand National is a hugely popular betting heat and even infrequent punters often enjoy a flutter on the big race. There are a number of ways of getting involved with the steeplechase, including placing a win bet or wagering each-way. Many UK bookmakers such as William Hill also have their own unique request services with example bets including ‘Any Horse to Refuse to Race’ and ‘Will the Winner be Trained in Ireland?’ Types of Bet: Win Bet – This is the simplest way of betting on the 2020 Grand National and simply requires you to pick the winner of the race. There are 40 runners tackling the Aintree fences and the stamina-sapping contest can be hugely unpredictable. The returns for correctly selecting the winner are extremely appealing with previous victors returning prices such as 16/1, 33/1 and 100/1. The selected horse MUST finish in front of all other participants in order for a win bet to successfully land. Many punters split their stakes across a number of different runners and this helps narrow down the field. Each-Way – The most popular way of betting on this fixture is each-way. This allows a little more leeway and horses who finish in the top four in order will help you secure some kind of return. Playing each-way requires double the stake, but it can be hugely profitable if your horse places at big odds. For example, a £10 each-way wager will cost £20 – £10 on the horse to win, £10 on the horse to finish in the top four positions. If the horse wins at odds of 16/1, you will receive £160 + your stake. It’s always advisable to check beforehand and make sure you shop around, but place terms are generally ¼ for the first four places so if your horse occupies one of those positions, it is calculated as 16/1 divided by 4 = 4/1. £10 x 4 = £40. You will make £40 profit if your horse places. Many online bookmakers in the UK will increase their place positions for the big race and it is not uncommon to see some operators offering the first five or six places for each-way bettors. This gives punters an extra opportunity to find some big-priced runners. It is straightforward to place an online bet ahead of the 2020 Grand National and there are a number of online bookmakers who offer outstanding welcome offers and promotions for all new customers and many of these can be used on the big race. Most online betting sites will have the Grand National odds priced up months in advance and the majority of them will advertise the latest odds on their homepage. Simply browse the market and select your chosen horse. If you wish to place an each-way bet, tick the small box next to the stake and this will ensure you’re covered for the first four places.
The Grand National betting market is always hugely competitive and the prices on several of the runners are likely to change during the build-up to the contest. Most runners will go off 10/1 or bigger and previous winners have returned prices of 33/1 and 16/1. There is always value to be found.