Betting on the 2022 Grand National

The 2022 Grand National

The Grand National is set to be hosted on April 9th, 2022, at 5.15pm GMT. As per tradition, the race will be held at the 4-mile 514 yards Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, consisting of 30 fences over two laps. This year, the sporting event will be sponsored by Randox Health.

Over the past few years, the Grand National has grown in stature, with the prize fund now standing at a fantastic £1,000,000. This makes it the biggest and most valuable jump race in Europe. In addition, it is watched by 600 million people across 140 different countries and more than 70,000 in attendance at Aintree.

The race consists of 40 horses and their jockeys in the ultimate competition. In fact, the Grand National is known to be the biggest test of a horse’s courage. The fences in the competition are larger than normal. This includes the likes of The Chair, Valentine’s Brook, Foinavon, Becher’s Brook and the Canal Turn.

Runners

When betting on the Grand National, many people resort to picking a horse with a name that appeals. However, this is far from an optimal betting strategy. Instead, it is advised to do a little research about the competitors and their chances of winning. Here you can read a bit about some of the runners and their current odds.

• Galvin is the clear favourite with odds of 14/1 and a 22-212 form. This comes after successfully rounding off last season with 5 successive wins. That included a National Hunt Challenge Cup 1st place finish for the 8-year-old horse. The most recent success was beating A Plus Tard at Leopardstown.
• Any Second Now is second on the list with odds of 16/1 and form of 1221-F. At age 10, Any Second Now is backed to have a successful 2022 whilst majorly improving in 2021.
• Run Wild Fred has also been given odds of 16/1 and his form is 22-212. The 8-year-old horse finished 2nd in the Irish Grand National last year, will he be able to go all the way this time?
• Minella Times is another hot pick with 16/1 odds at a form of 1221-F. The 9-year-old horse was the winner of last year’s Grand National, making history as Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the race. If the two pair up this year again, Minella Times may become the outright favourite.
• Tiger Roll is a good shout at 25/1 odds with a form of 614-P0. The 12-year-old horse knows what it takes to win the Grand National, having previously won two on the bounce. Unfortunately, the 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled or did not take on Tiger Roll, due to top weight requirements. If the veteran horse competes, will it be able to win once again?
• Easyland would be the obvious pick at 33/1 odds with a form of 11/42-. He has been a long-time rival for Tiger Roll but could also not make an appearance at last year’s Grand National due to top weight being withdrawn. The 8-year-old horse has been on extensive training with Jonjo O’Neill and could be an outside bet to finish high in this year’s race.
• Good Boy Bobby would also be a hot pick at 33/1 odds with a form of 2-3121. The 9-year-old horse has not had much experience in races over 3 miles, but has never fallen, unseated his rider or pulled up, giving him a better chance compared to others. He has also snatched 4 wins and four second place finishes from his last 11 starts.
• Noble Yeats is rated at 33/1 with a form of 1469P. Whilst he has never finished a race longer than 3 miles, the runner could be a wildcard. At only 7-years of age, Noble Yeats could be worth taking a risk on.
• Mighty Thunder is a hot pick at 40/1 with a form of 121-4P. The seasoned 9-year-old horse is either fantastic or far from it. Last April, Mighty Thunder won the Scottish Grand National, but later on that year pulled up in the Welsh Grand National. Thus, it can really go either way.
• Discorama at 50/1 odds comes in with a form of 3/257-5. The runner competed in last year’s Grand National and performed quite well, finishing 7th. The major concern was running out of steam towards the latter stages of the race. A year on, can Discorama improve on that run with more stamina? Time will tell.
• Freewheelin Dylan is rated at odds 66/1 and has a form of 1-46UP. Last year, the runner shocked everyone by winning the Irish National whilst being a bookies outside bet of 150/1. Can the 10-year-old horse perform the same feat and win the Grand National at 66/1?
• Mac Tottie comes in at 100/1 odds and has a form of -41FP6. The 9-year-old horse won the Grand Sefton Handicap Chase last November, to ensure a selection for the Grand National. There is a good indication but no guarantee that he could go for more than 4 miles.

How to Bet on the Grand National

The Grand National is just like any other horse race. Placing bets on the event is straightforward and easy to do. All bets should be placed before the race starts, as live betting is not available. Betting on the Grand National does not only mean you have to choose which horse will come first. There are several different betting markets that you can take advantage of allowing you to make predictions about which horses will finish in the places and in what order. By taking advantage of all the betting markets on offer, you are able to put together a betting strategy that covers numerous different eventualities.

Grand National Betting Tips

As discussed above, when planning your Grand National bets, you should start with researching the horses. You will want to look at their recent form and their history in the race. However, there is more that should be taken into account. You should look at how the horses have performed on the different types of services and what the going will be on the day. It is not hard to look these things up and it can make a huge difference.

Another important factor is the horses’ trainers. Some trainers are known for their Grand National prowess and it is always worth keeping a close eye on any horses that they have entered into the race.

Finally, don’t forget to look at the jockeys. Gust as some trainers have favourite courses, so do some Jockeys. You should be looking at the horse/jockey/trainer/surface combinations to see if you can spot any trends. In other words, the more research you manage to do, the better informed your bets will be and the better your chances of picking a winner.