Grand National Betting Offers & Free Bets 2026
The Grand National is the biggest betting event of the year in the UK. There are plenty of Grand National betting offers up for grabs ahead of the big race. The 2026 Grand National takes place on Saturday, 11 April at 4 pm at Aintree Racecourse, and bookmakers are already falling over themselves to hand out free bets, enhanced odds, and all sorts of bonuses to get your attention. Below, we’ve rounded up the best Grand National free bets for 2026.
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Best Grand National Betting Offers for 2026
With more than 30 bookmakers offering promotions ahead of the Grand National, you’re not short of options. Here are some of the top Grand National betting offers currently available:
bet365 – Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets
Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. #ad. Registration Required.
Betfred – Grand National 6 Places on Each-Way Bets
Online Only. 6 Places @ 1/5 Odds. Single & multiple bets placed 12:00 08/04/26 – 16:00 11/04/26. Win or Each-Way market only. Best Odds Guaranteed does not apply. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply.
Tote – Bet £5 Get £20
New customers online only. Register between 9/4/26 and 12/4/26 and bet a min £/€5 at odds of 1/1 (2.0) or greater across sports or racing within 7 days of registration to qualify for. Receive £/€10 Tote Credit, £/€10 Free Sports Bet within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool or sports bet added to bet slip. Voided/non-runner bets will not qualify; subsequent bet will be qualifying bet. 7-day expiry. 18+. One per customer. Selected customers only. Full T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org.
Spreadex – £60 in Free Bets when you Bet £10
Place a £10 fixed odds single or £10 each-way bet at minimum odds of 1/2 and, once your qualifying bet has been settled, get 3 x £10 free fixed odds bets, 3 x £5 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x £5 Winning Favourites spread bets and a £1 racing Race Index spread bet. 18+ www.gambleaware.org
talkSPORT BET – Grand National Special £5 Free Bet
18+ New Customers. Opt in, deposit and bet £10 on any Horse Racing market (Odds 1/1+) within 7 days of sign up. Get 1 x £5 in Free Bets for any Horse Racing markets. Free Bets expire in 7 days. T&Cs Apply. GambleAware.org. Please gamble responsibly.
William Hill – Best Odds Guaranteed
Online only. Opt-in req. Applies 08:00 day of race until start. Valid on Race Winner market. £25k daily cap applies to additional winnings. Full T&Cs apply.
NetBet – Get £20 in Free Bets when you Bet £10
New players only. Bet £10 min. odds 1/1 (2.00) to get 4 x £5 Free Bets: 1 x £5 Football Bet Builder, 1 x £5 Football Acca, 1x £5 Horse Racing Acca & 1 x £5 Tennis In-Play. Valid 7 days. Exclusions and T&Cs apply.
JeffBet – Bet £10 and Get £30 Free Bet
18+ | New Players Only. Min £10 qualifying bets, stake not returned. Free bet – one-time stake of £30, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion; £200. Free bets and Bonuses are valid for 7 days. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Full T&Cs apply.
18+ Gambling Can Be Addictive. Please Play Responsibly. Registration Required. GambleAware GamStop Gambling Commission
How to Claim Grand National Free Bets
Claiming your Grand National betting offer is easy! The process is basically the same across all major bookmakers:
- Pick your offer: Choose the sign-up deal that suits your budget.
- Create your account: Click through to the bookmaker and fill in your details. Name, address, date of birth.
- Make your first deposit: Deposit the minimum amount required for the offer. Most Grand National betting offers need between £5 and £20.
- Place your qualifying bet: This is where you need to pay attention. Most offers have a minimum odds requirement. If you don’t meet this, you won’t get your free bets.
- Receive your free bets: Once your qualifying bet is placed (or settled, depending on the bookmaker), your free bets will land in your account, usually within minutes.
- Use them on the Grand National: Now is the fun part!
One thing to note: most UK betting offers need you to use a debit card (Visa or Mastercard) to make your qualifying deposit. Certain e-wallets, like Skrill or Neteller, are often excluded, so check the terms before you deposit to avoid missing out on your promo.
Types of Grand National Betting Offers
Bookmakers don’t just throw out one type of deal; they compete to offer customers something different that helps them stand out from the crowd. Here are the most common Grand National betting offers you’ll come across:
Bet and Get Free Bets
This is your classic sign-up bonus. Deposit and bet a certain amount, then receive free bets once your qualifying bet settles. These tend to be the most generous offers available, and most of them don’t even have wagering requirements.
Enhanced Odds
Bookmakers will boost the odds on specific outcomes to attract attention. These are common across all sportsbooks, but during seasonal events like the Grand National, they pop up even more. Odds boosts change frequently and only apply to select wagers at most sites, so we recommend checking in regularly to see what’s available.
Money Back Offers
These promise to return your stake if certain things happen; e.g. your horse falls, refuses, or finishes just outside the places. Money-back guarantees usually return your money as free bets. Still, some deals will return your stake as withdrawable cash, so keep an eye out for them!
Extra Places
This is one of the best betting specials for the Grand National. Standard each-way terms typically pay 4 places. Then again, many bookmakers push this out to five, six, or even seven places for the National.
Non-Runner No Bet
Horses are removed from races for all sorts of reasons. This includes: last-minute injuries, illness, the condition of the jockey, temperament, and even the weather! NRNB lets you place a bet safely, knowing that if your horse doesn’t run, you’ll get your money back. Bear in mind that this doesn’t include refusals or falls.
How to Place a Bet on the Grand National
If you’ve never placed a bet before, don’t worry, it’s straightforward. Just find a reputable online betting site, sign up, deposit some money, and you’re ready to go. Here’s the step-by-step:
- Choose a bookmaker from our recommended list above.
- Register your account and make a deposit.
- Find the horse racing section and find the Grand National market.
- Select the horse you want to back and choose your bet type (win, each-way, forecast, etc.).
- Enter your stake amount and confirm the bet.
That’s it. If your bet wins, the profits are added to your account balance, and you can withdraw them whenever you like. If you’ve claimed a free bet, remember that the stake isn’t returned; only the winnings are paid out.
Understanding Grand National Bet Types
There are plenty of different ways to bet on the Grand National. Below are the most common bet types you’ll encounter:
- Win: The simplest bet there is. Pick a horse to win the race, choose your stake, and confirm. If your horse crosses the line first, you collect the profits. If not, the bookmaker keeps your stake.
- Each-Way: An each-way bet is actually two bets; one on your horse to win and one on it to finish in the places. This means you double your stake, so a £5 each-way bet costs £10.
- Forecast: A forecast asks you to predict the first and second horse in the correct order.
- Tricast: The next level up from a forecast. You’re predicting the first 3 horses to cross the finish line in the correct order.
- Place: A straight bet on your horse to finish in the places rather than win. With enhanced each-way terms paying out 5 or six places at many bookmakers, place betting can be a smart approach for the Grand National.
- Ante-Post: This is where you place your bet before the final declarations are known, sometimes weeks or even months in advance.
How Grand National Odds Work
If you’re new to betting, odds can look confusing, but they’re actually pretty simple once you get the hang of them. They tell you two things: how likely the bookmaker thinks an outcome is, and how much you’ll win if your bet lands.
Fractional odds (the traditional UK format) work like this: if a horse is 10/1, you win £10 for every £1 you stake, plus your stake back. A horse at 4/1 wins you £4 per £1 staked. The bigger the number on the left, the less likely the bookmaker thinks the horse is to win.
Decimal odds work slightly differently. A horse at 11.00 (equivalent to 10/1) means your total return is £11 for every £1 staked, including your original stake.
For the Grand National, even the favourites tend to have relatively big odds compared to most other races. That’s because with 34 runners and all the unpredictability of a four-mile steeplechase, there’s a huge amount of uncertainty. The 2022 winner, Noble Yeats, came in at 50/1, and the 2025 winner, Nick Rockett, was 33/1. Grand National favourites are often priced between 6/1 and 12/1. This is exactly why the each-way bet is so popular for this race.
Grand National 2026: Key Race Details
The 2026 Grand National takes place on Saturday, 11 April at 4 pm at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool. It’s the centrepiece of a three-day festival that kicks off on Thursday, 9 April.
The race itself is a handicap steeplechase run over 4 miles and 2½ furlongs, featuring 30 fences, many of which are so famous they have dedicated names, such as Becher’s Brook, The Chair, and the Canal Turn. Up to 36 horses can run, making it comfortably the biggest field of any race in the UK calendar.
The Grand National is the crown jewel of UK horse racing betting, drawing in viewers and bettors from around the world. It’ll be broadcast live on ITV, with coverage running throughout the afternoon.
Grand National 2026 Contenders and Favourites
The final field for the 2026 Grand National won’t be confirmed until closer to the race. Still, the antepost market is already taking shape. Following his remarkable 1-2-3 in 2025, Willie Mullins is expected to have a strong hand again. Nick Rockett, the 2025 winner, could return to defend his crown, though history tells us that repeat winners are exceptionally rare in this race.
Keep an eye on horses from the yards of Gordon Elliott, Paul Nicholls, and Lucinda Russell, all of whom have strong Grand National pedigrees. Key trials like the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown, the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse, and the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury will help shape the market in the months ahead.
We recommend checking in regularly as the race draws closer. Odds shift constantly as horses run in trials, weights are announced, and the going at Aintree becomes clearer. You can find the latest Grand National odds and runners on our dedicated race page.
Tips for Picking Grand National Horses
The Grand National is a notoriously difficult race to find the winner of. With 34-plus horses to choose from and so many variables, even the sharpest tipsters can have as many problems as once-a-year pinstickers. That said, here are some things you can research to help make better Grand National bets:
Horse Form and Track Record
Always take a look at a horse’s past performance before backing them. One of the best indicators of success has historically been how contenders performed at Cheltenham and in key trials.
Trainer and Jockey
How successful have they been in the past? A horse is shaped by its trainer. On the flip side, even the most impressive racer is useless without a skilled jockey. Willie Mullins has dominated recent renewals for obvious reasons.
Age
Nine of the last 10 winners have been aged between 8 and 9. Eight-year-olds dominate this stat, providing four of the previous seven champions.
Weight
The Grand National is a handicap race, so all horses carry different weights to level the playing field. Traditionally, horses carrying lighter weights have performed better than those carrying the heaviest loads.
The Going
This is the condition of the track, and it can change everything. Some horses love soft ground; others want it firm. Keep an eye on the weather forecast heading into race week.
First-Timers
Experience isn’t everything. The last five Grand National winners before Tiger Roll were running in the race for the first time. You’d be forgiven for thinking race experience would help with such a tricky track and trip, though, perhaps it’s a case of “once bitten, twice shy” for many horses.
Grand National Festival Schedule 2026
Before the main event gets underway, there’s plenty of action to look forward to at Aintree, with three days of racing across the festival.
Opening Day – Thursday 9 April 2026
| Time: | Race: | Distance: |
| 13:45 | The Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle Race | 2m 4f |
| 14:20 | The William Hill Manifesto Novices’ Steeple Chase | 2m 1f |
| 14:55 | The Racing Welfare Bowl Steeple Chase | 3m 1f |
| 15:30 | The Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase | 2m 5f |
| 16:05 | The William Hill Aintree Hurdle Race | 2m 4f |
| 16:40 | The Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Steeple Chase | 2m |
| 17:15 | The Goffs Nickel Coin Mares’ Standard Open National | 2m 1f |
Ladies Day – Friday 10 April 2026
| Time: | Race: | Distance: |
| 13:45 | The William Hill Handicap Hurdle Race | 3m 1f |
| 14:20 | The William Hill Mildmay Novices’ Steeple Chase | 2m 4f |
| 14:55 | The THATPRIZEGUY Top Novices’ Hurdle Race | 2m ½f |
| 15:30 | The JCB Melling Steeple Chase | 2m 4f |
| 16:05 | The Randox Topham Handicap Steeple Chase | 2m 5f |
| 16:40 | The Oddschecker Sefton Novices’ Hurdle Race | 3m ½f |
| 17:15 | The Debenhams Handicap Hurdle Race | 2m ½f |
Grand National Day – Saturday 11 April 2026
| Time: | Race: | Distance: |
| 12:45 | The Hallgreen and Novum Wines Maghull Novices’ Steeple Chase | 2m |
| 13:20 | The William Hill Handicap Hurdle Race | 3m ½f |
| 13:55 | The Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle Race | 2m 4f |
| 14:30 | The William Hill Handicap Steeple Chase | 3m 1f |
| 15:05 | The Jet2 Liverpool Hurdle Race | 3m ½f |
| 16:00 | The Randox Grand National Handicap Steeple Chase | 4m 2½f |
| 17:00 | The Weatherbys NH Stallions Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race |
Responsible Gambling at the Grand National
While betting on the Grand National is a lot of fun, it’s always important to keep your gambling habits in check. It’s easy to overspend at exciting events, so sticking to your budget is imperative, especially since this event attracts so many new gamblers.
Lucky for you. Online betting sites provide plenty of responsible gambling tools like deposit limits, time-outs, reality checks, and self-exclusion to keep you on track. Use them. Set a budget before the day and stick to it.
This is why it’s important that you only bet with reliable, licensed sportsbooks. UKGC regulations require online betting sites to monitor user spending and ensure customers aren’t betting beyond their budgets.
Grand National Betting Offers FAQs
Can I claim more than one Grand National free bet offer?
Yes. You can claim one welcome offer per bookmaker. That means you can sign up to multiple betting sites and claim each of their Grand National promotions, as long as you’re a new customer with each one.
What happens if my horse is a non-runner?
If your horse is declared a non-runner, your stake is usually refunded. For free bets, the stake is returned as a free bet again. If the race is abandoned entirely, bets are void and refunded in accordance with the bookmaker’s rules.
Do Grand National free bets expire?
Some do. Many Grand National free bets expire within 7 days, while others last 30 days. Always check the expiry window so you don’t miss out, especially if you plan to use them on races later in the festival.
Can existing customers get Grand National offers?
Absolutely. Bookmakers often run special promotions for existing customers during the Grand National, including extra places, odds boosts, free bets for placing qualifying wagers, and money-back specials.
Who’s offering the best Grand National odds?
Odds vary between bookmakers, but bet365, Betfred, and William Hill are traditionally known for offering strong Grand National prices. It’s always worth comparing odds before placing your bet.
When is the 2026 Grand National?
The 2026 Grand National takes place on Saturday, 11 April at 4 pm, live on ITV. The three-day festival begins on Thursday, 9 April.
City AM is committed to responsible gambling. Please gamble responsibly and only bet what you can afford. To gain help, support and advice for a person struggling with gambling, contact the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133. If you are worried about your gambling or that of a friend visit gambleaware.org.
