Grand National Day: Betfair's ultimate guide to Saturday at Aintree

Countdown to Grand National Festival Day 3

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Aintree (Merseyside) Real Time Weather - Four Day Forecast

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Aintree Going Updates

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Listen to Racing...Only Bettor's Aintree Day 3 Preview...

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How can I watch Day 3 of the Grand National Festival?

ITV Racing will broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX on all three days of the Grand National Festival, showing the first six races on each of the three days. This means that free-to-air viewers can watch 18 of the 21 races at no extra cost to their current TV package.

ITV are likely to come on air at around 12:30 on Saturday 11 April to commence their coverage of Grand National Day, with six races set to be shown live with the first contest getting underway at 12:45 and the feature race of the whole meeting, the Randox Grand National, set to start at 16:00.

Racing UK will show all 21 races live on their subscription channel, while if you're on the go and have a funded Betfair account, then you can watch all 21 races free of charge using a smart device or laptop. 

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Where can I get tips for Day 3 of the Grand National Festival?

You can get tips, insight and previews for this year's Grand National Festival right here.

Betfair Ambassador Paul Nicholls will have loads of runners during the three days, and we'll have previews for all his intended runners right here on betting.betfair. Check out Paul's dedicated page for his latest columns.

We also have our top team of tipsters including Katie Midwinter, Sam Turner, Mark Milligan, Alan Dudman and the team at Timeform who will be providing, among other things, antepost tips, a full runner-by-runner guide to Saturday's Grand National, and those all important daily tips.

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Listen to Racing...Only Bettor's 2026 Aintree Grand National preview

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Grand National Festival Day 3 Races - Grand National Day

The final day of the Grand National Festival, Grand National Day itself, is on Saturday 11 April and features three Grade 1 contests, a Grade 2 National Hunt Flat race, and three handicaps including the most presigious handicap in the National Hunt calendar, the Randox Grand National.

The Grade 1 actions starts at 12:45 with the Maghull Novices' Chase, followed 70 minutes later by the Turners' Mersey Novices' Hurdle at 13:55 and then the Liverpool Hurdle at 15:05, which is the final Grade 1 contest of the Grand National Festival.

But although the Grade 1 action may be over, the feature race of the meeting, the Randox Grand National, is still to be contested and the tapes are due to go up at 16:00 when a full field of 34 runners will set out for two laps of the world famous Grand National circuit.

Below we have Saturday's race schedule with the name of last year's winner and starting price, and further down we have stats and trends for every race, while we'll keep you up to date with the latest news, confirmed entries and relevant information on a regular basis from now until the first race of the day.

Saturday's race schedule:

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Rolling News

Keep checking back for the latest news including significant market changes, jockey injuries and suspensions, confirmed runners and big-name horses that will miss this year's Grand National Festival.

- 10 Apr: Dan Skelton's Panic Attack backed into 13/27.50 favourite for the Grand National

- 9 Apr: Splillane's Tower, first reserve Pied Piper and Nick Rockett all out of the Grand National

- 9 Apr: Last year's Grand National winner Nick Rockett ruled out of this year's renewal

- 8 Apr: Market headed by I Am Maximus but he's drifted to 7/18.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook

- 8 Apr: A full field of 34 declard for the 2026 Grand National. Six reserves also declared

- 6 Apr: Field headed by 2024 winner I Am Maximus at 6/17.00. 2025 winner Nick Rockett is 14/115.00

- 6 Apr: A total of 49 remain in the Grand National at th five-day entry stage; 34 can run

- 6 Apr: Mares' Hurdle winner Wodhooh installed 2/13.00 favourite for the Liverpool Hurdle

- 1 Apr: Ventia Williams-trained L'Homme Presse ruled out of the Grand National due to being lame

- 1 Apr: Former Grand National winner I Am Maximus shortens to 6/17.00 to win this year's race

- 27 Mar: Mark Walsh confirmed to ride leading Grand National fancy Jagwar

- 23 Mar: 2024 Grand National winner I Am Maximus shortens to 13/27.50 fav to regain his crown

- 23 Mar: Popular mare Panic Attack guaranteed a run in Grand National after latest scratchings

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Day 3 Stats and Trends (last 11 winners)

16:00 - The Grand National

At A Glance Winners - Last 12 Years:

SP = Starting Price, OR = Official Rating

Year	Winner	SP	Age	Weight	OR
2025	Nick Rockett	33/134.00	8	11st 8lb	163
2024	I Am Maximus	7/18.00 JF	8	11st 6lb	159
2023	Corrach Rambler	8/19.00 F	9	10st 5lb	146
2022	Noble Yeats	50/151.00	7	10st 10lb	147
2021	Minella Times	11/112.00	8	10st 3lb	146
2020*	NO RACE	-	-	-	-
2019	Tiger Roll	4/15.00 F	9	11st 5lb	159
2018	Tiger Roll	10/111.00	8	10st 13lb	150
2017	One For Arthur	14/115.00	8	10st 11lb	148
2016	Rule The World	33/134.00	9	10st 7lb	148
2015	Many Clouds	25/126.00	8	11st 9lb	160
2014	Pineau De Re	25/126.00	11	10st 6lb	143

*The 2020 Grand National was cancelled due to the Covid 19 pandemic

12-Year Trends:

• 11/11 had run at least three times that season
• 11/11 had previously run at least seven times over fences
• 10/11 were aged between 7yo and 9yo
• 10/11 had previously run at least five times over 3m or further
• 10/11 had previously won at least once that season
• 9/11 had an Official Rating between 146 and 160
• 9/11 had raced within the last 49 days
• 8/11 had previously won a Graded race
• 8/11 had a starting price of 10/111.00 or higher
• 6/11 had previously run at least once at Aintree

Record of the Favourites:

Three winners in last 11 renewals at odds of 4/15.00, 7/18.00 and 8/19.00.

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Grand National Course Flyover

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Saturday's other races

12:45 - Maghull Novices' Chase

• 11/11 had run at least four times that season
• 11/11 were in the first three in the betting
• 11/11 had a starting price of 5/16.00 or shorter
• 11/11 had previously run at least six times between 2m and 2m1f
• 10/11 were aged between 6yo and 8yo
• 10/11 had previously won at least two times that season
• 10/11 had raced within the last 42 days
• 9/11 hadan Official Rating of at least 150
• 9/11 had previously won a Graded race

Record of the Favourites:

Five winners in last 11 renewals at odds of 1/81.12, 2/131.15. [2,11], 11/82.38 and 3/14.00.

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13:20 - William Hill Handicap Hurdle

• 10/11 were aged between 6yo and 8yo
• 9/11 carried a weight of 11st 5lbs or lower
• 9/11 had previously had at least five runs over hurdles
• 9/11 had previously won at least two times over hurdles
• 8/11 had an Official Rating of between 126 and 138
• 8/11 had run at least three times that season

Record of the Favourites:

Thre winners in last 11 renewals at odds of 9/25.50, 6/17.00 and 7/18.00.

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13:55 - Turners' Mersey Novices' Hurdle

• 11/11 had run at least three times that season
• 10/11 were aged either 5yo or 6yo
• 10/11 had raced within the last 35 days
• 10/11 were in the first three in the betting
• 8/11 had an Official Rating of 148 or higher
• 7/11 had previously won a Graded race

Record of the Favourites:

Seven winners in last 11 renewals at odds of 3/101.30, 6/52.20, 5/42.25, 5/23.50, 3/14.00, 3/14.00 and 9/25.50.

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14:30 - William Hill Handicap Chase

• 10/11 had run at least three times that season
• 10/11 had previously run at least four times over fences
• 10/11 had an Official Rating of 136 or higher
• 9/11 carried a weight between 10st 7lb and 11st 7lb
• 9/1 had raced within the last 31 days
• 8/11 were aged between 6yo and 9yo
• 8/11 had previously run at least once at Aintree
• 8/11 had previously won between 2m7f and 3m1f

Record of the Favourites:

Two winners in last 11 renewal at odds of 11/43.75 and 3/14.00.

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15:05 - Liverpool Hurdle

• 11/11 had previously won at least three times over hurdles
• 10/11 had previously run at least eight times over hurdles
• 9/11 were aged between 6yo and 8yo
• 8/11 had an Official Rating of 155 or higher
• 8/11 had previously run at least once at Aintree
• 8/11 had raced within the last 41 days
• 8/11 had run at least three times that season

Record of the Favourites:

Three winners in last 11 renewals at odds of 2/71.29, 9/43.25 and 5/23.50.

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17:00 - Weatherbys NH Flat Race

• 11/11 were aged between 5yo and 6yo
• 11/11 had previously won at least one NH Flat race
• 9/11 had at least two runs that season
• 9/11 had previously run at least twice between 2m and 2m1f
• 8/11 had an Official Rating of 116 or higher
• 6/11 had a starting price of 14/115.00 or higher

Record of the Favourites:

Two winners in last 11 renewals at odds of 2/13.00 and 10/34.33.

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Betting on the Grand National Festival

There are many ways you can bet on the 2026 Grand National Festival, either on the Betfair Exchange or on the Betfair Sportsbook, with the most popular and traditional way being to back on individual races via either win or each-way bets.

The three races contested over the Grand National fences are now priced up for ante-post purposes and we will soon have ante-post market for all the major Grade 1 races. The 'day of the race' markets typically appear around 48 hours before racing should you want to wait until the final declarations (runners and riders) are known.

And you don't just have to back singles. You can include more than one selection in what is called a multiple.

A selection in two different races combined in a multiple is called a double, three races it's a treble, and four or more races is often referred to as an acca (accumulator).

Closer to the races Betfair will be enhancing odds on certain horses, enhancing the place terms for each-way betting on some races (six places paid instead of four for example), and providing plenty of 'specials' which can include a boosted price for a jockey to ride 2+ winners, or a horse to win by over 5 lengths, among many other specials.

And keep an eye out for the daily Betfair Superboost, where the Betfair Sportsbook will select a strongly-fancied odds-on shot - whether it be a horse to win or a horse to finish in a certain number of places - and superboost the price to 1/12.00 or even bigger.

From the Horse Racing section on the Betfair Sportsbook, simply click on the Specials tab to see all the offers for that day, Betfair Exchange specials can be found here.

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Betfair Safer Gambling: A range of tools to help

Betfair is committed to safer gambling and here you can find out about the tools that help you set your budget, keep track of your spend, take a break when you need it, and more. Click here for full details.

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Betfair Education - Betting Explained

We understand and appreciate that not everyone betting on this year's Grand National Festival will be familiar with how it all works, and that to some new customers it may appear a bit daunting at first.

With so much information already given in this guide you might just want to jump straight in and place some bets. If that's the case, then we have you covered.

Within our excellent Betting Explained section on betting.betfair.com you will find all the educational pieces that you will need to place a bet.

You might just want to know what the simplest types of bets are available to you, or how betting odds work, and even how to place a bet on either the Betfair Sportsbook or Betfair Exchange.

Click the links below for some popular Betting Explained articles for beginners.

- What are the simplest types of bet? Click here.

- How do odds work? Click here.

- How to place a bet on the Betfair Exchange. Click here.

- How to place a bet on the Betfair Sportsbook. Click here.

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Horse Racing Jargon Buster

When it comes to betting, no sport has its own jargon more than Horse Racing.

From an Acca to a Yankee (we can't think of a term that starts with Z), taking in a Jolly and a Steamer, racing is full of weird and wacky terminology that you'll hear and read on a daily basis.

But what does it all mean? Fear not, we have you covered with our in-depth jargon buster below.

Accumulator (Acca)

In simple terms an accumulator is a bet consisting of at least two selections (legs) where all parts of the bet must be successful to secure a payout, with the winnings from the first part of the acca rolling onto the next part and so on.

However, a bet containing just two selections is referred to as a double, while three selections is called a treble, so the term Accumulator or Acca usually refers to a bet that contains at least four selections.

Ante-post

A betting market that appears well in advance of a race's scheduled start time, often meaning you can get bigger odds about your selection.

Back

A 'back' bet on a horse means you're backing that horse to either win or place if it's an each-way bet.

Banker

A horse that is very likely to win, or a horse that is by far your strongest selection if backing more than one, is considered to be a banker.

Betting Exchange

A platform through which gamblers can bet directly against each other on a peer-to-peer betting network, rather than a bookmaker. Betting exchanges like the Betfair Exchange allow lay bets to be made, as well as win and place bets, meaning that gamblers can bet on hores to lose.

Bookmaker

A bookmaker is the organisation that provides odds on the outcome of horse races in order to accept bets based on predictions by customers.

Cash Out

The process of taking a payout offered by your bookmaker before the full completion of the bet.

Dead Heat

When two or more horses cross the winning line at exactly the same time a dead heat is declared the result, meaning both (or all) horses are deemed the winner.

Double

A bet that contains just two horses in two different races whereby both horses must win to guarantee a return.

Drifter

A horse that is regularly getting bigger in price (its odds are lengthening) is referred to as a drifter.

Each-Way

An each-way bet is available in horse races that feature a winner and a number of other horses finishing in a sequence of places.

The bet involves a single selection but is comprised of two bets: a 'win bet' and a 'place bet'. The same horse is thereby backed to win the event at set odds, and backed to finish within a range of places at different odds. The each-way bet will provide a payout if either part of the bet proves successful.

Favourite

The shortest priced horse in the race, the market leader.

Fell (F)

Signified by a letter F in a form line, fell means that a horse tripped up, or didn't clear an obstacle in jump racing.

Flip-flop

When a favourite in a race drifts in price and/or the second favourite shortens in price meaning they swap positions at the head of the market, the favourites are said to flip-flop.

Forecast

A bet consisting of two horses where both must finish first and second in the order that you predict to guarantee a return.

Gamble

A gamble is a term used for a horse that has been significantly backed, whether it be by just a small number of punters for large stakes, or by many punters for smaller stakes, resulting in the horse's odds shortening considerably.

Going

The term used to describe how soft or hard the ground is on turf racing. In the UK the going ranges from Heavy (very soft ground) to Firm (hard ground) though the latter is a going you will rarely get these days because of horse welfare and the ability for racecourses to add water to the ground to make it less firm.

In-Running (In-Play)

A form of betting that has become hugely popular through online betting sites, and involves placing a bet on a horse after the racet has started but before the race concluds, hence betting In-Running. It is also referred to as In-Play, especially in sporting events other than horse racing.

Jolly

Another term used for the favourite in a horse race.

Jumps

The code of racing whereby most races are contested on a racecourse that contains 'jumps' in the form of hurdles and fences. Officially it is called National Hunt racing, but jumps is a more commonly used term. The jumps season usually runs from mid autumn to late spring.

Lay

On a betting exchange a customer can play a lay bet, which effectively means that you're backing a horse NOT to win. Laying a horse to win a race for example means that you're betting that it doesn't win the race and therefore every other horse in the race is on your side.

Long-shot

A horse who appears to have a low chance of winning and therefore is priced at big odds, 33/134.00 for example.

Lucky 15

A popular form of bet consisting of four different horses in four different races, making up 15 bets (4 x singles, 6 x doubles, 4 x trebles and 1 x four-fold). Just one horse must win to guarantee a return.

Market Mover

A horse that significantly moves in price, either by shortening - 10/111.00 into 3/14.00 for example - or by lengthening in price - 2/13.00 out to 6/17.00. A horse that significantly shortens in price is called a postive market mover while a horse that significantly lengthens in price is classed a a negative market mover.

Nap

A 'Nap' is often used by tipsters and simply means what is, in their opinion, their strongest fancy if they have put up two or more selections.

Non-Runner

Non-Runner means that a horse that was originally due to take part in a race is no longer going to take part, hence being a non-runner.

Non-Runner Money-Back

Non-Runner Money-Back (NRMB), also known as Non-Runner No-Bet (NRNB), is a concession that bookmakers will offer on some ante-post markets and simply means that should you back a horse that doesn't take part in the race, then you will get your stake back.

Odds

Also referred to as the price. Odds are the returns a bookmaker offers for a horse to win.

Odds-against

A price where the odds are bigger than 1/12.00 (fractional) or 2.01/1 (decimal); 2/13.00 for example.

Odds-on

A price where the odds are less than 1/12.00 (fractional) or 2.01/1 (decimal); 1/21.50 for example.

On the nose

To back a horse to win only without any consideration to backing it each-way. The term is derived from the fact that to determine the winner of a horse race, the first body part of a horse used when crossing the winning line is the nose.

Outsider

A horse who is deemed to have the least chance of winning in a race and therefore has the biggest betting odds.

Photo Finish

When two or more horses cross the winning line in very close proximity and it's not obvious which one won, a photo finish is declared, meaning a photograph (or a digital image) is required to determine who crossed the line first.

Pillar to Post

A term used for a horse that leads all the way (from start to finish) and wins a race.

Place Bet

A place bet involves backing a selection to finish in a particular place, or within a range of places, in a horse race.

Price

Also referred to as the odds. Price is the returns a bookmaker offers for a horse to win.

Pulled-Up (P)

Signified by a letter P in a form line, pulled-up means a horse was prevented from finishing a race by its jockey. This usually occurs when a horses gets injured in a race or is so far behind in a race that for its welfare it is better to pull it up rather than continue to race.

Punter

The individual or customer who places a bet.

Return

The money to be returned to the customer if a bet is successful.

Rule 4

A rule that allows a bookmaker to deduct a percentage of a customer's winnings should a horse become a non-runner AFTER the customer has backed a horse at a certain price.

Single

The simplest of all bets and means to back just one selection, whether to win or each-way, in a particular horse race.

Starting Price or SP

The starting price is the odds for each hose at the time of a race commencing, and is used to determine the payout to a customer if they didn't take an earlier price.

Stake

The amount of money that you bet on a horse.

Steamer

Similar to a gamble, a steamer is a horse that is being backed regularly meaning a significant shortening in the price.

Tailed Off

The term used for a horse that is a huge distance behind the rest of the runners during a race, and therefore has very little or no chance of winning.

Tip

A selection that is put up or advertised by a respected tipster. A tip can also be valuable but not widely known information about a horse - an owner telling a friend that his horse has been training really well for example, and therefore has a good chance of winning a race.

Trainer

The official name given to a person who holds a license to train horses and is therefore responsible for planning and entering horses into races.

Treble

A bet that contains three horses in three different races whereby all horses must win to guarantee a return.

Tricast

A bet consisting of three horses where all must finish first, second and third in the order that you predict to guarantee a return.

Unseated Rider (UR)

Signified by a letter U in a form line, unseated rider means a jockey came out of the saddle and fell of the horses during a race. This usually happens when a horse makes a mistake at a hurdle or fence but doesn't actually fall itself, it just unbalances the jockey resulting in an un-seat.

Void bet

A bet which is declared invalid. The stake is returned to the customer without deduction.

Yankee

A popular form of bet consisting of four different horses in four different races, making up 11 bets (6 x doubles, 4 x trebles and 1 x four-fold). At least two horses must win to guarantee a return.

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