The Grand National is the signature jumps horse race in the world, providing prestige and wealth for the winning owner, trainer and jockey. The history of the meet dates back to 1839 and has offered the most daunting of challenges for its competitors over the four miles and 517 yards of Aintree Racecourse. A crowd of 70,000 watches the action as both horse and jockey have to complete all 30 fences of the race before making a charge for the line.
It separates the elite horses from the pretenders and has defined legacies in its prestigious history. The Grand National takes a truly special horse to rise to the occasion, therefore, you have to be very careful with who you pick to win the race with a bet on horse racing.
In the 2022 iteration of the event, Any Second Now is the leading contender for the win at 8/1, but several excellent competitors are in the running. There are several special elements to betting on the Grand National over other races, and we’ll now tell you why you should wager on the event in 2022 and beyond.
Underdogs
The Grand National can be won by an outsider just as easily as the favourite for the race. There have been several cases where the winner of the Grand National has been a rank outsider. Therefore, you can get a great value on your betting odds for the race by picking the so-called unfancied horses. In 2009, Mon Mome won the race out of the yard of Venetia Williams.
His form ahead of the contest resulted in a 100-1 price being placed on him to cross the line in pole position, and punters would have rejoiced after backing Mon Mome as he produced an outstanding performance to win the meet. Mon Mome is not alone to have won at a big price as Auroras Encore produced a similar upset as a 66-1 outsider in 2013.
Challenge
No course demands more of horse and jockey than Aintree due to the difficulty of the fences involved. The race requires flawless technique from the horses and precision execution on the day from the jockey to ensure that his charge lands safely without falling. Fences such as The Chair, Foinavon and Becher’s Brook have ended the hopes of even the best of competitors. Horses and jockeys need to be at the peak of their powers to conquer the jump and the landing to ensure that they keep their chances of winning alive.
Legends
Everyone likes the story of an underdog, but the legends of the Grand National provide the most excitement. The race has witnessed many greats that have won the contest once in their careers, but few horses conquered the National on two or more occasions.
Red Rum is the only competitor in the race’s history to win three Nationals when he triumphed in 1973, 1974 and again in 1977. Tiger Roll came close to matching his feat with victories in 2018 and 2019 but was denied the chance for a third triumph in a row in 2020. Few horses in the history of racing have provided the excitement that these competitors produced at Aintree. We await the next National legend with bated breath.
The Grand National is the greatest horse racing event because of the sheer drama and excitement that it provides yearly. And it should be one you consider placing a wager on in the future.