Grand National Tipping

The Grand National is an annual steeplechase held at Aintree in April over the distance of 4m4f. It is a unique test as the obstacles used on the National Course are bigger than the normal fences in the sport.

It is also the race that all pundits like to target throughout the season by finding a horse to tip up to win the contest. Along with the Cheltenham Gold Cup, it is regarded as one of the highlights of the national hunt calendar. There are trial races over a slightly shorter trip earlier in the campaign that offer clues to the event.

The weights for the famous steeplechase usually come out in February and this has a significant impact on what horses the experts in the sport, and everyday punters, like to tip up.  Backers need to take into account what each runner will have to carry on their backs in April. No horse since Red Rum in 1974 has carried top weight to victory in the Grand National. He was also the last to win with 12 stone or more.

Most tips in the Aintree showpiece tend to be at the age of 11 or below. Only two 12-year olds have won in the last 23 years, while the last horse aged 13 to score came in 1923.

Due to the large number of runners in a Grand National, tipsters usually advise backing their selection each-way. This means that if it does finish in the top four, you will pick up some returns for your stake. The maximum number in the field is now set at 40 due to the latest safety measures introduced to look after the welfare of both horses and jockeys. This number is normally met as there is a long list of reserves ready to fill the place of entries that withdraw before the day of the race.

Donald McCain has been the most successful trainer in the last couple of decades of the Aintree contest. In 2004 he helped win it with his late father Ginger when they saddled Amberleigh House. The 12-year-old prevailed at odds of 16/1. Then, in 2011, Ballabriggs won for Donald when running in the colours of Trevor Hemming.

After the achievements of Ginger McCain, Donald's runners are often tipped up in the Grand National as he looks to continue the family's association with the race.  

For all the latest Grand National Betting Tips place check out the comprehensive tipping area in the Horse Racing section of betting.betfair