2022 Grand National tips & previews
The Grand National is the world’s most famous steeplechase. It takes place annually in April at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool. Millions tune in around the world to watch the race, while over 70,000 racegoers attend the meeting.
This race is unique because it is run over a marathon distance of four miles and 514 yards (4m2½f). There is a maximum field of 40 runners for the Grade Three handicap race, whilst the obstacles they need to jump are much bigger than standard fences in National Hunt racing.
There are a total of 30 fences for the Grand National field to navigate. The field has two circuits of the track at Aintree to navigate. There are 16 different types of fences, including the Chair (the tallest at 5ft 3in), Becher’s Brook and Canal Turn. The latter is a key stage of the race, as the runners jump the fence at an angle that allows them to make a 90-degree turn on the course.
With this race being a handicap contest, the 40 runners are handed weight allocations based on their official ratings. This ensures that, on paper, they all have an equal chance of success in the race.
Aintree Festival 2022
The Aintree Festival 2022, or Grand National Meeting, takes place at Aintree Racecourse. It is scheduled for 7th-9th April. The feature race of the three days is the Grand National, which is set for the 9th of April at 17:15.
This meeting is one of the highlights of the jumps season in the UK. There are several Grade One races across the three-day event. The Grand National Course is used not just for the feature contest, but also the Topham Handicap Chase and Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase.
Aintree Festival Day 1 tips
Day one (Liverpool’s NHS Day) of the Aintree Festival in 2022 takes place on Thursday, 7th April and it features seven races. It is an excellent start to the meeting with four Grade One contests. They include the SSS Super Alloys Manifesto Novices’ Chase, Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle, Aintree Bowl and Aintree Hurdle.
The Grand National fences are used for the first time at the meeting in the Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase. The Grade Three Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase is the penultimate race of the day, while there is a bumper for mares to conclude the afternoon.
Hour |
Day 1 Races |
Distance |
Grade |
Class |
Y |
13:45 |
SSS Super Alloys Manifesto Novices' Chase |
2m4f |
Grade 1 |
1 |
5YO plus |
14:20 |
Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle |
2m1f |
Grade 1 |
1 |
4YO |
14:55 |
Betway Bowl Chase |
3m1f |
Grade 1 |
1 |
5YO plus |
15:30 |
Betway Hurdle |
2m4f |
Grade 1 |
1 |
4YO plus |
16:05 |
Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase |
2m5f |
n.a |
2 |
6YO plus |
16:40 |
Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase |
2m |
Grade 3 |
1 |
5YO plus |
17:15 |
Goffs UK Nickel Coin Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race |
2m1f |
Grade 2 |
1 |
4-6 YO |
Aintree Festival Day 2 tips
Day two (Ladies Day) of the Aintree Festival 2022 takes place on Friday, 8th April. There are four Grade One races on the programme. They include the Top Novices’ Hurdle, Mildmay Novices’ Chase, Marsh Chase and Sefton Novices’ Hurdle. Some of these are likely to include horses who featured at the Cheltenham Festival.
There are two Grade Three races on day two, including the Randox Topham Handicap Chase, which takes place around the Grand National Course. The card finishes with a handicap hurdle contest for conditional jockeys and amateur riders.
Hour |
Day 2 Races |
Distance |
Grade |
Class |
Y |
13:40 |
Orrell Park Handicap Hurdle |
2m4f |
Grade 3 |
1 |
4YO plus |
14:20 |
Betway Top Novices’ Hurdle |
2m½f |
Grade 1 |
1 |
4YO plus |
14:55 |
Betway Mildmay Novices’ Chase |
3m1f |
Grade 1 |
1 |
5YO plus |
15:30 |
Marsh Chase (Melling Chase) |
2m4f |
Grade 1 |
1 |
5YO plus |
16:05 |
Randox Topham Handicap Chase |
2m5f |
Grade 3 |
1 |
5YO plus |
16:40 |
Sefton Novices’ Hurdle |
3m½f |
Grade 1 |
1 |
4YO plus |
17:15 |
Lydiate Handicap Hurdle |
2m½f |
n.a |
2 |
4YO plus |
Aintree Festival Day 3 tips
The Randox Grand National is the feature race on day three of the Aintree Festival 2022. It takes place on Saturday, 9th April. The feature race comes at 17:15 and it is the penultimate race of the day on the seven-race card.
The 40 jockeys and horses parade before the big race. They then line up across the track at the start of the 4m2½f distance, and when the starter is happy, they let the tape go for the race.
Three Grade One races support the Grand National on what is one of the biggest days of the year in horse racing. They are the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle, Maghull Novices’ Chase and Liverpool Hurdle.
The action of the afternoon begins with the Eft Construction Handicap Hurdle, a Grade Three contest over the extended 3m trip.
There is a handicap chase over 3m1f ahead of the Grand National, while a bumper after the big race brings the three-day meeting to a close this year.
Hour |
Day 3 Races |
Distance |
Grade |
Class |
Y |
13:45 |
EFT Construction Handicap Hurdle |
3m½f |
Grade 3 |
1 |
4YO plus |
14:25 |
Betway Mersey Novices’ Hurdle |
2m4f |
Grade 1 |
1 |
4YO plus |
15:00 |
Maghull Novices’ Chase |
2m |
Grade 1 |
1 |
5YO plus |
15:35 |
Liverpool Hurdle |
3m½f |
Grade 1 |
1 |
4YO plus |
16:15 |
Betway Handicap Chase |
3m1f |
Grade 3 |
1 |
5YO plus |
17:15 |
Randox Grand National Handicap Chase |
4m2½f |
Grade 3 |
1 |
7YO plus |
18:20 |
Weatherbys NHSStallions.co.uk Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race |
2m1f |
Grade 2 |
1 |
4-6YO |
2022 Confirmed Grand National Runners
The runners for the 2022 Grand National were announced in February at the official weights launch. 107 horses entered the iconic race at Aintree. Only 40 of these will eventually line up on Saturday, 9th April.
Last year’s winner Minella Times was one of the entries for this year’s race. He is joined by Any Second Now and Burrows Saint, the horses who came home in third and fourth place respectively in 2021.
Unfortunately for supporters of the horse, dual winner Tiger Roll will not attempt a record-matching third win. He was one of the initial entries, however, his connections opted to pull him out as they did not feel his weight allocation was fair.
The highest rated horse currently still on the Grand National list is Chris’s Dream. Henry De Bromhead’s runner has a rating of 162. If he remains in the declarations, he will carry the top weight of 11st 10lb this year.
The final declarations for the 2022 Grand National will be revealed on Friday, 8th April at 1 pm. This will include the final 40 runners, along with two reserves.
Grand National Favourites
Any Second Now is the favourite on the Betfair Exchange for the 2022 Grand National. Last year’s third has experience of getting around the Grand National Course. Many pundits feel Ted Walsh’s runner will go two places betting this time around.
The Irish horse recently won the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse in his final prep run before he heads to Aintree. He battled on well in the closing stages of that Grade Three contest to score for the first time this season.
Escaria Ten was just a nose behind Any Second Now at Fairyhouse. Gordon Elliott’s runner was third in the National Hunt Chase at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival. He has proved he has the stamina for the Grand National. The eight-year-old will likely receive weight from many of his rivals at Aintree, including the horse who just denied him a victory last time out.
Delta Work goes into the Grand National fresh from his success in the Cross Country Chase, where he denied Tiger Roll a fairytale ending. Based on that performance, he is in with a great chance in this marathon race.
Elliott’s chaser has featured at the highest level this season, so he would be one of the classiest horses to line up. He would also look to give his trainer a fourth win in the race.
Snow Leopardess is bidding to become the first mare to win the Grand National since Nickel Coin in 1951. Charlie Longsdon’s runner already has a victory over the bigger fences this season, as she won the Becher Handicap Chase back in December
Enjoy D’allen is another Irish raider who is fancied to run a big race. He was third in the 2021 Irish Grand National and is set to be off a low weight at Aintree.
Previous Grand National winners
The roll of honour at Aintree for the Grand National includes some great chasers. Red Rum holds the record for the most wins. He was successful in 1973, 1974 and 1977. The most successful recent horse has been Tiger Roll. He was victorious in 2018 and 2019.
Minella Times ensured Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the race when the pair were successful in 2021.
Neptune Collonges was one of the highest rated horses to win the Grand National when he scored in 2012. He got the decision following a photo-finish along with Sunnyhillboy.
Year |
Winning Horse |
Age |
Weight |
Trainer |
Jockey |
2021 |
Minella Times |
8 |
10-3 |
H De Bromhead |
Rachael Blackmore |
2019 |
Tiger Roll |
9 |
11-5 |
Gordon Elliott |
Davy Russell |
2018 |
Tiger Roll |
8 |
10-13 |
Gordon Elliott |
Davy Russell |
2017 |
One For Arthur |
8 |
10-11 |
Lucinda Russell |
Derek Fox |
2016 |
Rule The World |
9 |
10-07 |
Mouse Morris |
David Mullins |
2015 |
Many Clouds |
9 |
11-09 |
Oliver Sherwood |
Leighton Aspell |
Get Grand National 2022 ante post tips & predictions
You can find tips and predictions for the Grand National 2022 here at Betting.Betfair . Expert tipsters have studied the entries and have come up with a conclusion as to who they feel will come out on top at the end of the 4m2½ contest this year.
A full preview of the race, which includes a breakdown of the chances of all the leading contenders, can be found on the site.
Who will win the 2022 Aintree Grand National?
When it comes to trying to find the winner of the 2022 Aintree Grand National , there is a range of criteria that should be considered. Here is a look back over the winners of the race to identify what to look out for.
No horse which is aged seven or younger has won the Grand National since 1940. Equally, no 13-year-old or above has been successful in the race. The most common aged winner is between 8-10 years old. 15 of the last 20 winners fall into that category.
Weight in the Grand National is vital, which is why so much focus goes into the official weights launch in February. Only one horse in the last 50 years has carried top weight to victory. That was the great Red Rum in 1974.
Six of the last eight winners of the Aintree feature have been below 11st in weight. Only Many Clouds and Tiger Roll were able to win with 11st or more on their back in that period.
Past performances at Aintree are not something which are vital in this race. With few races taking place over the Grand National fences, many arrive in the contest with no experience of any of the bigger obstacles. However, horses who have form on the Grand National course should receive a big tick towards their chances, as they have proved they can handle the fences they will encounter.
Many trainers opt to have a light campaign with their horse ahead of the Grand National. They aim to have them peaking just in time for Aintree. This method also ensures they don’t give too much away to the handicapper.
Don’t be surprised to see Grand National contenders feature over hurdles before this race. Tiger Roll won the Grade Two Boyne Hurdle in 2019 before prevailing in the 40-runner chase, while Rule The World was a maiden over fences when he won the 2016 Grand National.