Rowan Ward
The most anticipated jumps race of the year is coming up Saturday, April 9: the £1 million Grand National (G3) at Aintree! Covering four miles and two furlongs, the huge purse and the place in racing history mean that the horse race drew an overflow field this year: 40 horses, plus four on the reserve list. It is a betting race like no other on earth!
The history of the Grand National goes all the way back to 1839, when Lottery won the Grand Liverpool Chase. Some of the best-loved horses over almost two centuries have won this race, none more beloved than three-time winner Red Rum (1973, 1974, 1977). More recently, Tiger Roll (2018, 2019) captured the imagination of the horse racing world.
2021 winner Minella Times will try to join the illustrious ranks of two-time Grand National winners. His most prominent challengers include recent Cheltenham Festival winner Delta Work, Snow Leopardess, and Any Second Now. Will one of these market leaders win, or is there a longshot ready to win jumps racing’s greatest prize? Read on to find out!
Will one of these leading lights win, or will a new star emerge? Read on to find out.
Where to Bet the Grand National
Picking a winner of the Grand National is important. But, it is just as important to sign up for the right place to bet the Grand National online! Different sportsbooks have different offers, and it can feel like a lot to make sure you are getting best odds, the best user interface, and the most profitable incentives. Our experts can help you choose the best online racebook easily!
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Grand National Horses and Odds
This is the official field for the 2022 Grand National in wagering number order, with trainers and jockeys.
- Minella Times (Henry de Bromhead/Rachael Blackmore)
- Delta Work (Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy)
- Easysland (Jonjo O’Neill/Jonjo O’Neill, Jr.)
- Any Second Now (Ted Walsh/Mark Walsh)
- Run Wild Fred (Gordon Elliott/Davy Russell)
- Lostintranslation (Colin Tizzard/Harry Cobden)
- Brahma Bull (Willie Mullins/Brian Hayes)
- Burrows Saint (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend)
- Mount Ida (Gordon Elliott/Denis O’Regan)
- Longhouse Poet (Martin Brassil/Darragh O’Keeffe)
- Fiddlerontheroof (Colin Tizzard/Brendan Powell)
- Two For Gold (Kim Bailey/David Bass)
- Santini (Polly Gundry/Nick Scholfield)
- Samcro (Gordon Elliott/Sean Bowen)
- Excaria Ten (Gordon Elliott/Adrian Heskin)
- Good Boy Bobby (Nigel Twiston-Davies/Daryl Jacob)
- Lord du Mesnil (Richard Hobson/Kielan Woods)
- Coko Beach (Gordon Elliott/Sean Flanagan)
- De Rasher Counter (Emma Lavelle/Adam Wedge)
- Kildisart (Ben Pauling/James Bowen)
- Discorama (Paul Nolan/Bryan Cooper)
- Top Ville Ben (Philip Kirby/Thomas Dowson)
- Enjoy d’Allen (Ciaran Murphy/Conor Orr)
- Anibale Fly (Tony Martin/Luke Dempsey)
- Dingo Dollar (Sandy Thomson/Ryan Mania)
- Freewheelin Dylan (Dermot McLoughlin/Ricky Doyle)
- Class Conti (Willie Mullins/Sam Twiston-Davies)
- Noble Yeats (Emmet Mullins/Sam Waley-Cohen)
- Mighty Thunder (Lucinda Russell/Derek Fox)
- Cloth Cap (Jonjo O’Neill/Tom Scudamore)
- Snow Leopardess (Charlie Longsdon/Aidan Coleman)
- Agusta Gold (Willie Mullins/Danny Mullins)
- Phoenix Way (Harry Fry/Kevin Brogan)
- Deise Aba (Philip Hobbs/Tom O’Brien)
- Blaklion (Dan Skelton/Harry Skelton)
- Poker Party (Henry de Bromhead/Robbie Power)
- Death Duty (Gordon Elliott/Jordan Gainford)
- Domaine de L’Isle (Sean Curran/Harry Bannister)
- Eclair Surf (Emma Lavelle/Tom Bellamy)
- Fortescue (Henry Daly/Hugh Nugent)
- Commodore (Venetia Williams/reserve 1, rider to be named)
- School Boy Hours (Noel Meads/reserve 2, rider to be named)
- Romain de Senam (David Pipe/reserve 3, rider to be named)
- Roi Mage (Patrick Griffin/reserve 4, rider to be named)
Your best bet in the 2022 Grand National is to keep an eye on the odds at the best sportsbooks. When you see an overlay on your chosen horse, a price better than their true odds to win, it is the right time to place your bet.
And, when you bet the Grand National online you can lock in your odds. The odds when you place your bet are the odds you get! This is why betting online is better than betting at the track.
Free Grand National Picks
With your betting account set up, and your eye on the odds, it is time to dive into the field and pick a winner. These are the best horses to bet in the 2022 Grand National:
Grand National Market Leaders
The favorite in most of the betting markets is Snow Leopardess, who has not only won three in a row, including one two back at Aintree. She is well handicapped at 10 stone 9, but no mare has won the Grand National since Nickel Coin in 1951, making her difficult to take at the shortest price in the field.
Delta Work is one of the market leaders after his victory at Cheltenham last month, where he defeated stablemate (and two-time Grand National winner) Tiger Roll in his final career start. He fits well if he holds his form, but also was assigned the second highest impost.
The highweight is Minella Times, last year’s winner. He deserves respect on connections, since trainer Henry de Bromhead and jockey Rachael Blackmore have run roughshod over so many of the top jumps meets recently. But, Minella Times carries 21 pounds more this year than last, and has failed to finish both of his starts leading into his defense.
Grand National Mid-Priced Contenders
Eclair Surf lugged 11 stone 11 when finishing second to Win My Wings at Newcastle in February, going almost as long as this race. Win My Wings franked that form by winning the Scottish Grand National next out. Eclair Surf carries 19 fewer pounds here than he did last out, giving him an excellent chance to hold his form or even move forward.
Longhouse Poet may have been well beaten on the hurdle at Navan last out, but the return to a chase should move him up. He won the Thyestes Handicap at Gowran two starts back, positive both because it shows his stamina and because it is the same race trainer Martin Brassil used to prep Numbersixvalverde, who won the Grand National for him in 2006.
Though Any Second Now deserves some respect after his troubled third in the National last year as well as his recent win, he lugs 13 pounds more than last year. More intriguing in a race where you should be looking for prices is Escaria Ten, the horse he nosed out last time. Escaria Ten carries just 11 stone 1, and should be in peak fitness third off a layoff.
Longer Shots in the Grand National
Two For Gold is a feast-or-famine sort, running in the money or failing to finish the race. He has to answer the Aintree question, since he unseated his rider in the Topham Handicap Chase during the festival last year. But, he has three smart efforts since that race, including a last-out second in a Grade 1 chase at Ascot.
There is also good reason to put Poker Party in deeper exotics. Though he has little recent form to write home about, trainer Henry de Bromhead has fired strongly at the jumps festivals lately. Last year a horse of his with a similar lack of recent form, Balko des Flos, rounded out the Grand National exacta at 100-1 — and the barn is just as hot this year as last.
Grand National Free Picks
With your betting account set up, now that you know the field, it’s time for the fun part: betting the horse race. These are the best bets for Saturday’s 2022 Grand National:
- $20 win: #39 Eclair Surf
- $10 each-way: #12 Two For Gold
- $2 exacta box: #2 Delta Work, #10 Longhouse Poet, #12 Two For Gold, #39 Eclair Surf
- $1 trifecta box: #2 Delta Work, #10 Longhouse Poet, #12 Two For Gold, #15 Escaria Ten, #39 Eclair Surf
- $0.50 superfecta box: #2 Delta Work, #10 Longhouse Poet, #12 Two For Gold, #15 Escaria Ten, #36 Poker Party, #39 Eclair Surf
