Grand National Betting

The Grand National is the biggest betting day of the racing calendar and everyone in the country likes to have a bet on it. It is the unique nature of the race, the massive field, the huge obstacles, the marathon trip and the long tradition of the race which captivates the public.

Each Way Grand National Betting

Most of the Grand National Betting is based on the each way market. That involves a bet on the horse to win the race and a bet on the horse to place in the race. Placing usually involves finishing in the first four although some bookies will offer the first five places which is better for the punter so watch out for that fifth place.

You tend to get the group of horses in the Grand National betting that represent really good each way bets, the horses that are between 10/1 and 20/1 in the grand national odds. Since 1960 roughly half the Grand National winners have had these grand national odds. When doing your Grand National betting it would be sensible to look at horses in this odds bracket as they seem to have a great chance statistically of winning.

One of the best each way bets in the 2010 Grand National appears to be last year's winner Mon Mome. He has completed the Grand National both times he has competed in it and is as good as ever with a third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month.

Mon Mome at 40-1 with Bet 365

Grand National Betting - Win Only

In the Grand National there are usually some horses that are strongly fancied and they will usually be single figure grand national odds, that is shorter than 10/1. Although these invariably run well only nine horses have gone off with single figure odds and won the race since 1960. Considering two or three horses usually start the race with single figure grand national odds each year that’s over 100 horses who have gone off a single figure price and failed to win.

This year it looks like the following will start at the head of the Grand National Betting.

Big Fella Thanks at 29-1 with Betfair

Grand National Betting - The Outsiders

Ordinarily you may think that horses that are over 20/1 would have little or no chance of winning a competitive race but a third of the Grand National races since 1960 have yielded a winner whose odds are bigger than 20/1. Many placed horses also start the race at these sorts of Grand National odds so betting at bigger odds certainly seems a decent Grand National betting strategy.

The best of the outsiders this year might just be Cerium, who finished fifth last year despite sustaining a fractured skull in the race. He has had the same prep this year as last year and could easily run into a place at a massive price.

Cerium at 79-1 with Betfair