Grand National 2027: How to Bet the Aintree Race

2026: I Am Maximus wins it back

The 2026 Grand National was run on 11 April and won by I Am Maximus, trained by Willie Mullins, ridden by Paul Townend and owned by JP McManus. He started the 9/2 favourite and carried top weight of 11st 12lb, off an official rating of 168. Iroko (18/1) was second, two and a half lengths behind, with Jordans (28/1) third and Johnnywho (12/1) fourth. Sixteen horses completed the course.

The result had history in it. I Am Maximus had already won in 2024, lost his title to Nick Rockett in 2025, and became the first horse since Red Rum to win the race back. He was also the first since Red Rum in 1974 to win carrying top weight.

For grand national betting the lesson was plain. A trend that had held for more than fifty years did not stop the best horse in the race from winning it. Trends describe what happened before; they are a reason to check a price, not a reason to ignore a horse.

Why the National is the each-way race of the year

Standard place terms for a handicap with 16 or more runners pay four places at a quarter of the odds. On the National hardly anyone bets on standard terms. In 2026 the large UK bookmakers paid five, six or seven places at a fifth of the odds, and a few went further with each-way promotions on the day.

That changes the arithmetic of grand national betting. With 34 runners and six or seven places paid, roughly one horse in five returns something on the place half of the bet. A 33/1 shot that finishes sixth pays its place stake at 33/5, which is 6.6 to one, plus the stake back. The win half is lost, but the bet as a whole still shows a profit.

The weights explain why so many horses have a chance. The National is a handicap: the BHA handicapper, Martin Greenwood, gives each horse a weight based on its official rating, so the best horse carries the most and the lowest-rated carry the least. For 2026 the weights were published on 17 February, with I Am Maximus on 11st 12lb and the bottom of the handicap on 10st 4lb. In theory the weights level the field. Over thirty fences and more than four miles, the theory rarely holds, and that is where the long prices come from.

Three habits pay in grand national betting on the day:

• Compare place terms, not only win prices. For a horse you expect to run well rather than win, one extra place is often worth more than a point on the odds.
• Read the conditions of an extra-places offer. They can be limited by stake, bet type or the time the bet is struck.
• Price in withdrawals. A big field brings more late non-runners, and each one triggers a Rule 4 deduction on fixed-odds winnings.

Ante-post betting and non-runner no bet

Grand national betting starts long before April. Ante-post markets on the next race are available months in advance, and prices on the leading horses tend to be at their longest before the weights appear. The catch is simple: an ante-post bet is lost if the horse does not line up, and a horse can miss the National through injury, a change of plan or simply failing to make the cut.

The cut is the hidden danger. Only the 34 highest in the weights among the final declarations get a run, so a lower-rated horse can be a non-runner just because too many horses above it stay in. For an ante-post bet on a horse near the bottom of the handicap, that risk is real.

Non-runner no bet (NRNB) removes it: if the horse does not run, the stake is returned. Many sites switch NRNB on for the National in the weeks before the race, and prices under it are shorter. The choice looks like this:

• Early, without NRNB: the longest price, and the full risk of losing the stake to a non-runner.
• Under NRNB: a shorter price, with the stake back if the horse misses the race.
• On the day: the shortest prices on the fancied horses, but the best place terms, a known going and a final field.

An early view of the 2027 Grand National

This is our view in October, not a forecast, and early grand national betting should be read the same way. Nothing about the 2027 field is settled until the weights are published early in the year and the declarations are made in April. We name only horses whose 2026 run at Aintree is on the record.

• I Am Maximus has won the race twice. After the 2026 win, Willie Mullins said he hoped to bring him back and that JP McManus was keen on another National. He will be eleven in 2027 and is likely to be at or near top weight again. Our view: the obvious horse, with a price that leaves little room for an early bettor.
• Iroko was second as an eight-year-old carrying 11st 1lb, for Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero. Our view: a young horse that has already handled the course, and a natural candidate to come back.
• Jordans was third as a seven-year-old on 10st 8lb, for Joseph O'Brien. Our view: the kind of young, lightly weighted horse worth watching through the winter, since a rise in his rating could still leave him with a workable weight.
• Johnnywho finished fourth at 12/1 off 10st 4lb, for Jonjo and AJ O'Neill, close to the bottom of the handicap. Our view: exactly the type exposed to the cut if he stays low in the weights.

Our pick at this stage: Jordans each way, but only once NRNB terms are available. Treat it as an opinion for October, not a selection for April.

Every operator we rate is compared on the main page, where the betting sites that don't ask for ID are sorted by when ID checks start and how much they pay out.

Related pages: The Masters.

Where to watch the Grand National

In the UK the race is shown live by the national broadcaster that holds the racing rights, and the Jockey Club publishes replays of past Nationals on its own channels. Outside the UK, coverage depends on each country's racing broadcasters. A number of betting sites also show live pictures of races to signed-in players inside the account. Some of the sites on our list do this, but which meetings they carry differs from site to site, so look at the racing section before race day.

More racing to bet on

The National is one race in a long season, and most of what makes it different is explained in our horse racing betting guide, from place terms to Rule 4. The Cheltenham Festival comes first, in March, and is the biggest jump meeting of the year. Across the Atlantic, the Kentucky Derby follows on the first Saturday in May. For every other sport, start at the sports betting hub. However you approach grand national betting, set a budget for the day before you look at the prices; our responsible gambling page explains how.

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