2025 Grand National Tips: Horse By Horse Guide & Best Bets

The Randox Health Grand National goes underway at Aintree racecourse on Saturday 5th April 2025. We share our 2025 Grand National betting tips and free predictions to set you apart from the crowd and make you a winner. Find here also a horse by horse guide, pinstickers, the best odds, betting promotions and no deposit free bets on the Grand National 2025!

 
Top Betting Sites to Bet on the Grand National

GRAND NATIONAL TIPS 

The Grand National is the world's most famous chase, a 40-runner cavalry charge over thirty of Aintree's unique fences. It is a handicap, with the better horses carrying the most weight while the outsiders carry the least.

Update: Since last year the field has been reduced to 34 horses for safety reasons.

Joint favourite I Am Maximus won last year edition at odds of 7/1. Willie Mullins' charge defeated the 28/1 shots Delta Work and Minella Indo, while Galvin (40/1) finished fourth. It was a second victory in the world’s greatest steeplechase for Willie Mullins, after Hedgehunter in 2005. 

A £1 million in prize money will be at stake on Saturday April 5th at Aintree for the 2025 Grand National, the 176th edition of the race. The winner receives a cool £561k – a life-changing amount for most horse racing owners.

Betfred is only bookmaker paying 7 places in the Grand National this year!

2025 GRAND NATIONAL PREDICTIONS 

The Grand National 2025 is famed for its unpredictable nature and it's estimated that a quarter of the UK adult population will bet on this year's renewal. Our horse racing professional punters will taken a closer look at this race as soon as the 34 runners will be confirmed and determine which horse is likely to prevail.

GRAND NATIONAL WINNER TIPS

Who will win the Grand National 2025? Here our three recommended bets on the Grand National winner!

WinnerVanillier

 

BEST ODDS

10/1

Place Bet

WinnerHewick

 

BEST ODDS

10/1

Place Bet

WinnerMinella Cocooner

 

BEST ODDS

16/1

Place Bet

GRAND NATIONAL EACH-WAY TIPS

An each-way wager on the Grand National will see you double your stake and place two bets rolled into one. One of the bets is on the horse you’re backing to win the race, the other being on the horse to place.

Each WayKandoo KidEach Way

 

BEST ODDS

22/1

Place Bet

Each WayMinella IndoEach Way

 

BEST ODDS

33/1

Place Bet

Each WayThreeunderthrufiveEach Way

 

BEST ODDS

66/1

Place Bet

Each WayMonbeg GeniusEach Way

 

BEST ODDS

33/1

Place Bet

Are you looking for all the 2025 Aintree Festival predictions? Visit our Aintree betting tips section here!

Don't miss our exclusive Grand National free bets and betting promotions? Click below...

2025 GRAND NATIONAL HORSE BY HORSE GUIDE  

Find below all the runners, riders, trainers and form - all the key details you need to know for Saturday's big race at Aintree.

1. I AM MAXIMUS

I AM MAXIMUSI Am Maximus powered his way to a seven and a half length success over Delta Work last year and will race this year off only an 8lb higher mark. This could prove an issue amongst the key contenders who’ve got plenty of weight in hand. No top weight has won the race since triple victor Red Rum in 1974. Moreover, he has finished down the field at Leopardstown in Grade 1s at Christmas and at the Dublin Racing Festival this season.

 

BEST ODDS

9/1

Place Bet

2. ROYALE PAGAILLE

ROYALE PAGAILLE
Royale Pagaille is the only horse from this year's Cheltenham Gold Cup left in the race. He finished 6th in the feature race at Prestbury Park. He has two Betfair Chases in his CV - including the most recent renewal in November - but has produced two below-par displays in 2025, and two falls in the last seven outings. Considering that he is 5lb wrong at the weights, it is tough to see him as a main contender.

 

BEST ODDS

125/1

Place Bet

3. NICK ROCKETT

NICK ROCKETTNick Rockett finished seventh in the Irish Grand National and third in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown last year, but has dramatically improved this season. He won the Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park in January off a mark of 152 before winning the Bobbyjo Chase last time out.

 

BEST ODDS

25/1

Place Bet

4. GRANGECLARE WEST 

GRANGECLARE WESTGrangeclare West recently finished runner-up to stable Companion Galopin Des Champs at odds of 66/1 in the Irish Gold Cup on February 1st, with Fact To File and Inothewayurthinkin filling the next two places. He was subsequently a bit disappointing when fifth of five over two and a half miles at Navan last time.
        

 

BEST ODDS

22/1

Place Bet

5. HEWICK

HEWICKBought for £800, Hewick won the 2023 King George as well as a US Grand National, a Bet365 Gold Cup and Galway Plate. He's failed to win over fences this season but warmed up for this race with a victory over hurdles at Thurles. He is set to carry 11st 7lb on Saturday, so he will have a very tough task on his hands against some younger, more attractively handicapped rivals.

 

BEST ODDS

10/1

Place Bet

6. MINELLA INDO

MINELLA INDOWinner of the 2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup, Minella Indo has not quite reached those heights since. He has got his head in front just twice since but ran a decent race at last year's National. Minella Indo led at the final fence after jumping and travelling beautifully under Rachael Blackmore but ultimately finished third. He is 12-year-old, he is 1lb lower this season and has been trained for this race.

 

BEST ODDS

33/1

Place Bet

7. APPRECIATE IT

APPRECIATE ITAppreciate It was a runaway Supreme Novice Hurdle winner in 2021 and has finished within hailing distance of Fastorslow a couple of times over two and a half miles. He has recorded his first Graded win over them in the Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase at Thurles in January. Stamina is a concern as he has never won beyond 2m5f.

 

BEST ODDS

66/1

Place Bet

8. MINELLA COCOONER

MINELLA COCOONERMinella Cocooner finished four lengths behind Intense Raffles in the Irish Grand National last year and then scored in the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown in impressive fashion. He was below par in his first three runs this season in Grade 1 company, and then caught the eye in the Bobbyjo Chase in February.

 

BEST ODDS

16/1

Place Bet

9. CONFLATED

CONFLATEDA two-time Grade 1 winner over fences in 2022 (including the Irish Grand National), Conflated was not disgraced in the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last month when he finished eight over an inedaquate trip. He was also third behind Galpin Des Champs in a Gold Cup few years ago but his stamina for this much longer trip is a significant doubt.

 

BEST ODDS

100/1

Place Bet

10. STUMPTOWN

STUMPTOWNStumptown defied top weight to land the Cross Country Chase - with plenty in hand - at the Cheltenham Festival last month. Prior to that he won on his seasonal reappearance at Punchestown in November, and then triumphed in the Crystal Cup at Cheltenham a month later. His trainer Gavin Cromwell enjoyed a brilliant Cheltenham Festival that culminated in him winning the Gold Cup with Inothewayurthinkin.

 

BEST ODDS

9/1

Place Bet

11. HITMAN

HITMANHitman is without a win since November 2022 but has finished second on all three starts this season. He has been almost exclusively campaigned over shorter distances than three miles , so he is completely unproven beyond three miles. Hence, he has a big stamina question to answer. 

 

BEST ODDS

100/1

Place Bet

12. BEAUPORT

BEAUPORTBeauport has made a winning return in the Berkshire National at Ascot in November and will be 12lb higher this time at Aintree. He also scored in the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter last year. Beauport could be a smart each-way bet despite he has been hit hard by the handicapper and looks vulnerable off his new rating.

 

BEST ODDS

28/1

Place Bet

13. BRAVEMANSGAME

BRAVEMANSGAMEGrangeclare West recently finished runner-up to stable Companion Galopin Des Champs at odds of 66/1 in the Irish Gold Cup on February 1st, with Fact To File and Inothewayurthinkin filling the next two places. He was subsequently a bit disappointing when fifth of five over two and a half miles at Navan last time.

 

BEST ODDS

40/1

Place Bet

14. CHANTRY HOUSE

CHANTRY HOUSEChantry House is a former Cheltenham and Aintree winner. He recently broke a losing run of three years when winning a handicap chase at Cheltenham in January, switching back to fences after two seasons hurdling. Subsequently, Chantry House was well-beaten by L'Homme Presse when attempting to regain his crown in the Cotswold Chase on his latest start. He does possess class and if he stays the extra distance but his mark may be high enough against plenty of progressive youngsters in this field.

 

BEST ODDS

100/1

Place Bet

15. THREEUNDERTHRUFIVE

THREEUNDERTHRUFIVEThreeunderthrufive looked as good as ever when beaten by a nose in a valuable handicap chase at Ascot last time out, beaten a nose by Victtorino. That effort was from a mark of 153, the rating from which he will line up at Aintree. In his CV, he has a fourth in the Scottish Grand National two years ago. Harry Skelton's mount has the ability to put in a big performance at a generous price.

 

BEST ODDS

66/1

Place Bet

16. PERCEVAL LEGALLOIS

PERCEVAL LEGALLOISPerceval Legallois disappointed as beaten favourite in Galway Plate and Kerry National early in the season. Since then, he has won two huge field handicaps at Leopardstown this term, the first a Listed Handicap Chase over 3 miles and the last one over hurdles. A big concern is that he is unraced beyond 3m and will have a career-high mark to overcome.

 

BEST ODDS

12/1

Place Bet

17. KANDOO KID

KANDOO KIDKandoo Kid recorded an impressive victory over Broadway Boy in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury in November when upped to 3m2f on his reappearance. He finished a staying on eighth over two-and-a-half-miles at the same racetrack on his latest start. Last season, he finished third in the Topham and second behind Heltenham in the Greatwood. Kandoo Kid remains unexposed as a stayer but has a steadily progressive profile.

 

BEST ODDS

22/1

Place Bet

18. IROKO

IROKOIroko is fresh of a decent trial for the Aintree feature in the Premier Chase at Kelso earlier this month. Two years ago, he won the Martin Pipe at the Cheltenham Festival.  He finished a four-length runner-up to Inothewayurthinkin (off level weights) in the Mildmay Novices' Chase at this meeting last year. Carrying just 10st 11lbs, Iroko could still have plenty left in the tank.

 

BEST ODDS

10/1

Place Bet

19. INTENSE RAFFLES

INTENSE RAFFLESLast year’s Grade 3 Irish Grand National winner Intense Raffles leads the current ante-post market. Early season outings at Navan were underwhelming to say the least. He has since performed well to come second in the Bobbyjo Chase earlier this year, beaten three-quarters of a length behind Nick Rockett on soft ground that day. He looks an ideal type for this four-mile trip. The concerns are that all his winning has been done on soft and heavy ground, and he's very unlikely to get that at Aintree on Saturday.

 

BEST ODDS

10/1

Place Bet

20. SENIOR CHIEF

SENIOR CHIEFSenior Chief was a decent sixth in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury before finishing ninth over hurdles on his latest start in February. Prior to that, he made winning return in a valuable handicap chase at Cheltenham in October. A notable improvement since disappointing when pulled up in the Irish Grand National last year. He remains open to further progression having yet to be fully exposed in handicap company over fences.

 

BEST ODDS

28/1

Place Bet

21. IDAS BOY

IDAS BOYIdas Boy is a lightly raced contender. He is 11-year-old but has made only 10 starts over the larger obstacles. He won the Midlands National at Kilbeggan last year. This season, he ran a solid race in the Galway Plate and then was well beaten in a handicap hurdle at Doncaster in his warm-up for the Aintree showpiece.

 

BEST ODDS

100/1

Place Bet

22. FIL DOR

FIL DORFil Dor is a 7-year-old that has yet to prove his stamina and has yet to run in a handicap chase. He placed in Graded company behind the likes of Dinoblue, El Fabiolo, and Saint Sam but all his victories have come over 2 miles. He's unexposed in handicaps over fences, but  lacks experience in big fields, which is a negative.

 

BEST ODDS

80/1

Place Bet

23. BROADWAY BOY

BROADWAY BOYBroadway Boy won three of his six starts as a novice chaser last season. Nigel Twiston-Davies' charge failed to impress when last seen in the Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival. Prior to that, he finished an excellent second in the Coral Gold Cup, showing that he is capable of competing in top handicap chases on his day.

 

BEST ODDS

80/1

Place Bet

24. COKO BEACH

COKO BEACHCoko beach is a ten-year-old veteran with plenty of experience over the Grand National fences and in Cross Country races at both Punchestown and Cheltenham. He was second over these fences in the Becher Chase in December 2023 but have already run in three Nationals at Aintree and looked to lack stamina on each occasion. This season he has finished third at Punchestown before being soundly beaten by Stumptown, Vanillier and Nick Rockett in the following outings.

 

BEST ODDS

100/1

Place Bet

25. STAY AWAY FLY

STAY AWAY FLYStay Away Fly won both of his first two outings over fences, including in a Sandown Grade Two, and finished a respectable third in the Cotswold Chase behind Capodanno last term. Since then, he has run poorly in all four of his subsequent starts, including at the Cheltenham Festival last time out when he could only manage a distant 11th when behind Myretown. He is tough to fancy despite the big drop in the weights.

 

BEST ODDS

100/1

Place Bet

26. MEETINGOFTHEWATERS

MEETINGOFTHEWATERSMeetingofthewaters finished seventh in last year's Grand National after finishing third in the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham the previous month. He has disappointed so far this season, being off the pace in three outings at Leopardstown.

 

BEST ODDS

20/1

Place Bet

27. MONBEG GENIUS

MONBEG GENIUSMonbeg Genius has som good recent form. He was runner-up to Fontaine Collonges on reappearance at Haydock before finishing 4th behind Val Dancer in the Welsh Grand National. He then beat Richmond Lake by five-lengths on his following outing at Uttoxeter from a mark of 142 and is now rated 147. He was ruled out last year due to a setback but looks to have been trained for this race all season.

 

BEST ODDS

33/1

Place Bet

28. VANILLIER

VANILLIERVanillier finished runner-up to Corach Rambler two years ago but only 14th in last year's edition. He ran a stormer in the Cross Country at Cheltenham last month, finishing third behind Stumptown after his jockey went to take the wrong course before realising his error and hooking Vanillier back into the race.

 

BEST ODDS

10/1

Place Bet

29. HORANTZAU D'AIRY

HORANTZAU D'AIRYHorantzau D'Airy has recorded three solid efforts in competitive handicaps in the first half of the season. After finishing 2nd to Ashdale Bob in a Galway Grade Three, he was only beaten by runaway winner Flooring Porter in the Kerry National, and the he found Real Steel too good when sent off as 13/8 favourite for the Munster National. His recnet form is not that good as he finished 9th in three consecutive races since November. Anyway, he could enjoy the longer trip here.

 

BEST ODDS

100/1

Place Bet

30. HYLAND

HYLANDHyland is three from six starts over the larger obstacles to date. His second to promising chaser The Jukebox Man in the Grade One Kauto Star Novices' Chase was an impressive performance, as well as his 2nd place behind Katate Dori at Kempton under a forced change of tactics. He isn't the most fluent jumper of a fence but looks worthy of a shot at this marathon trip.

 

BEST ODDS

20/1

Place Bet

31. CELEBRE D'ALLEN

CELEBRE D'ALLENCelebre D'Allen is the oldest runner in the field as he is 13-year-old. He has been seen just once this term when beating Pull Again Green by five lengths at Bangor-on-Dee in November. He finished an excellent fourth in the Topham Chase last year. He has plenty of experience over the Grand National fences and his current rating is not impossible but he is vulnerable to younger horses.

 

BEST ODDS

150/1

Place Bet

32. THREE CARD BRAG

THREE CARD BRAGThree Card Brag chased home the likes of Corbetts Cross, Monty’s Star and Spillane’s Tower as a novice. This term he had Now Is The Hour back in 4th when landing a beginners chase at Navan in January and that horse may well have won the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham (off a rating of 139) but for exiting two out. He has since been third in a muddling Grade Two contest.

 

BEST ODDS

20/1

Place Bet

33. TWIG

TWIGTwig finished second to Beacon Edge in a Grade Two over hurdles earlier this season. Prior to that, he was 5th in a handicap at Aintree from a mark of 147. His best performance to date cam last year when he finished four-and-a-half-length second to Chianti Classico in the Ultima Handicap chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Twig is winless since July 2023 and he lacks speed in the closing stages.

 

BEST ODDS

66/1

Place Bet

34. DUFFLE COAT

DUFFLE COATDuffle Coat was running very well before being brought down by a faller in the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last time out. Prior to that, he returned in the Kerry National when pulled up. Last year he won the Mayo National at Ballinrobe - beating stablemate Salvador Ziggy -  and finished a fine second in the Galway Plate, narrowly denied by Pinkerton. Duffle Coat will surely enjoy the ground, so he can't be overlooked.

 

BEST ODDS

66/1

Place Bet

(Racecard number, horse, trainer, jockey, recent form, age, weight carried ie 11st 10lb is top weight. Form: F - Fell, P- Pulled up, U -Unseated rider.)

Grand National Reserves

The complete list of runners and riders for the 2025 Grand National is slowly being pared down as the biggest day in the British horse racing calendar edges ever closer.

The field has been cut to 51 horses, at the five-day declaration stage for Saturday's showpiece at Aintree.

The will be reduced to the final 34 on Thursday 2 April. There will be no reserves this year.

How To Bet On The Grand National  

Betting on the Grand National is many people’s only wager of the year so can prove confusing for many who look to navigate through online bookmakers.

But it really doesn’t need to be a hardship and betting on horse racing can be incredibly simple, particularly the Grand National.

The entire process of placing a bet on the Grand National can be done in just a few clicks. Learn here how to bet a horse on the Grand National!

How To Read The Grand National Racecard 

In horse racing, many things on the Grand National racecard are indicated by numbers, letters, dashes, backslashes, and abbreviations. If you wish to really study the horse racing form a little more than a racecard really can tell you everything you need to know about the horses running the Grand National.

You’ll find various numbers and letters within a horse’s form. The numbers signify the position of the horse in its previous races, while below you’ll find a number of other figures with their meaning…

0 - Didn’t finish the race in the first nine horse’s

F - The horse fell during the race

U - The horse unseated the rider in the race

P - Pulled up and didn’t finish the race

B - The horse was brought down by another horse

R - The horse refused to race or jump during it

Grand National Each-Way Betting  

Every bookmaker will offer Each Way betting on the Grand National, however the number of places in which the top online bookmakers will offer varies.

This applies right across horse racing betting, with varying degrees of payout for placing, with many bookies having promotions throughout major races such as Cheltenham and the Grand National.

Find here all the online bookmakers offering each-way betting for the Grand National 2025

Grand National Free Bets & Offers

Here at Bet & Skill we’ll make sure you’re delivered all the latest Grand National free bets, which can be found in all our horse racing previews and our Promotions page, making sure you don’t miss out on a single one.