/ Editor / 13 April 2007 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

Betfair's Grand National Specials are taking shape with the winning distance market proving the most popular.

The Special markets allow punters to trade on such things as the distance between the first placed horse and the last; whether an Irish horse will win the race; the number of finishers; trading on whether a particular horse will finish; the winning time; and the winning distance.

Despite six out of the last ten winners of the race passing the post in excess of ten lengths of their nearest pursuer, the favourite in the winning distance market is for the victor to score by less than 7.5 lengths (1.6). Over 9.5 lengths can be traded at 3.25, while between 7.5 lengths and 9.5 lengths is available at 7.

Good ground tends to see more runners get round and the 'Number of Finishers' market reflects this, with less than 12 finishers trading at 7. Statistically, five out of the last ten Nationals have seen less than 12 finishers.

The favourite in this market is 12-18 finishers - a figure which has been achieved four times in the past decade - while more than 18 finishers (only happened once in the past ten years and not since 1999) is available at 2.68.