The Grand National 2025: Betting Guide & Festival Preview

The legendary Aintree racecourse in Liverpool will host one of the world's greatest horse racing festivals over the next three days – The Grand National Festival!

More than just a horse racing event, the Grand National Festival is a three-day spectacle that combines adrenaline, tradition, thrilling competition, and unforgettable moments.

The Grand National is the world's biggest steeplechase race and one of the most popular betting festivals, including tether.bet clients.

Grand National Festival – More Than a Horse Racing Event

The history of the Grand National dates back to the early 1800s. Established as the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase, Lottery became the first-ever winner in 1839 of what we now know as the Grand National.

At that time, horses had to jump a stone wall, cross a stretch of ploughed land, and finish over two hurdles.

Owner and trainer Edward Studd placed back in 1866 £1,000 punt at 40/1 on his horse, securing a £40,000 win. Adjust it for today's values - equivalent of £3,000,000!

Mr Edward William Topham, a respected handicapper, transformed the Grand National into a handicap race in 1843, after it had been a weight-for-age race for its first four years. The Topham family owned vast lands around Aintree, and in 1949, they purchased the course outright from Lord Sefton, who had leased the land since the racecourse’s opening in 1829.

The current course, featuring traditional fences and hurdles, opened in 1839.

Today, Aintree is a place where horse racing history is made. It is a national institution in the UK, attracting a global audience for three days of excitement.

The Grand National Festival Schedule

Just imagine – standing on a sunny day, surrounded by hundreds or thousands of fellow racing enthusiasts, feeling the ground tremble as the world’s finest horses thunder past you. Add a little wager on your favourite, and you’ve got an experience like no other!

The Grand National Festival has something for everyone, making it a festival like no other.

It all starts with Opening Day, bringing thrills on and off the track, setting the perfect stage for the rest of the festival and the grand finale on Saturday.

Next is Ladies Day, dedicated to elegance and glamour, as women spend weeks preparing to shine. Of course, it’s not just about fashion and the social scene – seven thrilling races await, offering both entertainment and a chance to win some money.

But everything builds up to Saturday – Grand National Day. The festival’s crown jewel, featuring the legendary race where the winner takes home £500,000!

More than just prize money, the trainer, jockey, and horse will cement their place in racing history.

Grand National Day is one of the biggest and most prestigious betting events in the world of horse racing, and every race from this spectacular festival is available on tether.bet!

You might like this: How to Bet on Horse Racing – Tips and Strategies for Winning

The Grand National 2025 Favourites

There’s no doubt that every day of the Grand National Festival 2025 brings plenty of excitement, but all eyes are ultimately on Saturday and the Randox Grand National Handicap Chase.

Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin was the favourite just a few days ago and looked set for a famous double. However, he was one of 11 horses withdrawn at the second declaration stage, while several others pulled out at the five-day confirmation point.

That left the door open for other contenders who were previously considered outsiders compared to the horse owned by John P. McManus.

Last year’s winner I Am Maximus is back again this season. Willie Mullins’ horse will attempt to become one of the rare few to win the Aintree race twice.

Tiger Roll became the first dual winner since Red Rum, and between their respective victories in 1974 and 2019, some 24 horses failed to defend their crown – although seven did place.

Stumptown is among the leading contenders after winning the Glenfarclas Chase.

Last year’s Irish Grand National winner Intense Raffles is said by experts to be in perfect condition heading into Aintree. He won the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham on 12 March, clearly showing he’s in great form.

Also near the top of the favourites list is Iroko.

“Still lightly raced and open to improvement now his stamina for a marathon will be tested for the first time, he boasts form in Grade 1 chases and is a Cheltenham Festival winner over hurdles."

"He has been specifically trained for the race and completed his Aintree preparation with an excellent second to the 162-rated Grey Dawning at Kelso this month. It's hard to believe Iroko doesn’t have several pounds in hand of his 152 rating and he looks ready to peak on racing’s biggest stage.” – Richard Birch via Racing Post

The Grand National Festival 2025 - Numbers

The three-day festival at Aintree draws the attention of 150,000 attendees and an estimated 600 million TV viewers worldwide, broadcast in over 140 countries.

The 2024 Grand National field has been reduced from 40 to 34 runners, reflecting a commitment to improving safety for horses and jockeys.

A Special Honour in 2025 – Joshua Duckworth

Nine-year-old Joshua Duckworth has been named the honorary 35th runner for the 2025 Grand National on Saturday.

A proud Aintree local and huge Liverpool FC fan, Joshua comes from a racing-loving family. Over the past year, he has met Grand National-winning jockeys Sir AP McCoy, Ruby Walsh, and Rachael Blackmore.

In November 2023, Joshua was diagnosed with 4H Leukodystrophy (POL3B-related hypomyelinating leukodystrophy), a rare white matter brain disease that affects movement, communication, hearing, and vision. There are only around 200 confirmed cases worldwide, with just 4-5 in the UK.

Dickon White, Regional Director North West and Aintree at The Jockey Club, said:

“We are delighted to welcome Joshua as our 35th runner for the 2025 Randox Grand National. It’s extra special that he comes from Aintree and is such a massive racing fan.

The honorary runner position has played a huge role in highlighting the brave battles of some truly extraordinary youngsters and the incredible work of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Charity, which Aintree Racecourse has proudly partnered with for 23 years.”

Horse Racing Betting

The horse racing betting options and offer types in horse racing can confuse players new to racecourse action.

In fact, the situation is quite simple, and the potential gain is significantly higher than in some other sports, such as football or basketball, as mainstream sports.

In addition to the Win, Place and Show bets, horses also offer other options, which are some of the most popular types of bets in horse racing.

• Exacta: In exacta betting, the player picks the horses that will finish first and second in the exact order.

• Trifecta: as the name suggests, this horse racing bet means you have to guess the correct order of the first three horses. Of course, the risk is much higher, but this is always accompanied by a great potential for gains.

• Superfecta: in this type of bet, the aim is to guess the first four horses. The winning potential is HUGE!

• Swinger bet: A swinger bet in horse racing means you pick two horses that should finish in the top three positions, but the order does not matter. This type of betting gives better sports betting odds than place beta and lower risk than exacta.

Online Horse Betting

People have been betting on horse racing for centuries. Whether Class 1 races or smaller events, betting at the track has always involved big money. And where there is big money, there are chances for big wins.

Horse racing has become one of the main segments of online betting. Major platforms in the world can only do with betting on the races in its offer.

Great excitement and the potential for big wins are the perfect combination.

This sport has become very popular in online betting. The combination of watching live races and online betting gives many benefits.

Why bet The Grand National Festival at tether.bet?

Horse racing is one of the most popular sports for tether.bet clients.

With us, you can always find all the biggest races of the day and a large selection of bets.

Also, all new clients receive a welcome bonus on their first deposit, and in addition to cryptocurrencies, tether.bet now also accepts fiat currencies such as the British Pound, American and Canadian Dollar, and Euro...

As the largest stablecoin sportsbook and casino, tether.bet offers its clients numerous benefits over traditional betting.

First and foremost there are minimal costs. Thus, clients have minimal or no withdrawal and deposit costs.

In addition, the speed of transactions is fantastic, allowing you to deposit and payout in minutes. This is very important in the world of placing bets on horses, where we have races every 15 minutes when we are talking about a certain festival.

Through blockchain technology, the security of transactions is guaranteed.

Security, speed of transactions, along with unsurpassed anonymity and security are the main features of tether.bet.

Our friendly team is available 24/7 through customer support, which shows that everything is subordinated to a pleasant client experience.