90 runners remain after the entries stage for the 2025 Grand National.
Grand National 2025
Steve Ryder looks ahead to the 2025 Randox Grand National, run at Aintree on 5th April, for which 90 runners remain after we passed today’s deadline.
You can read more about each of the five most backed runners for the race through oddschecker since the start of the jump season.
Grand National Dates
- Today (28th January) – Deadline for entries
- 11th February – Weights published for all runners
- 25th February – First round of scratches
- 18th March – Second round of scratches
- 31st March – Five-day confirmations
- 3rd April – 48 hour declarations and final field
- 5th April - Grand National starts at 16:00
Grand National Betting Trends
The great race has changed in recent years so it seems prudent to concentrate on trends for the past 10 years.
In 2022 Noble Yeats became the first seven-year-old to win the Grand National since Bogskar in 1940 and apart from himself the age of the winner has been either eight or nine years old since 2015. Irish Grand National winner Intense Raffles and Iroko are both popular in the market to and they could bid to become the second horse in four renewals to win at the age of seven.
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Noble Yeats is also the biggest price winner of the race recently at 50/1 with the other winners since 2017 been well found in the market. Both Tiger Roll (2019) and Corach Rambler (2023) were outright favourites, I Am Maximus (2024) was joint-favourite and Tiger Roll was second favourite in 2018 with One For Arthur the biggest price at an SP of 14/1.
Many Clouds in 2015 won the race off a rating of 160 and since then the lowest rated winners were Minella Times (2021) and Corach Rambler (2023) who both ran off a rating of 146.
Current favourite to win I Am Maximus has an official rating of 169 and he is expected to take a similar route to the race running in the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival at the weekend and the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse in February, a contest that he won prior to victory last year.
Willie Mullins first won the race in 2005 with Hedgehunter and he could hold a strong team again this year. The Closutton trainer was responsible for eight horses last year and he could run the likes of Minella Cocooner, Meetingofthewaters and recent Thyestes Chase winner Nick Rockett as well as last year’s winner.
Owner JP McManus has had a good record in the Grand National recently with I Am Maximus victorious last year, Any Second Now 2nd in 2022 and 3rd in 2021 as well as Minella Times winning in 2021. Currently 2nd favourite for the race is Iroko who has been campaigned with this race in mind all season with connections appearing keen to look after his rating of 152.
Last year’s runner-up Delta Work would have had a prep run in the Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival but it was called off due to being waterlogged and he is expected to use that race as a prep this year. He could face the Gavin Cromwell trained Stumptown in both of those contests who has taken well to the banks and could relish the test of a “New” Grand National.
Less exposed rivals could include Coral Gold Cup winner Kandoo Kid for Paul Nicholls, who won the race in 2012 with Neptune Collonges, and he is said to unlikely to run again before the weights of the race are announced in Tuesday 11th February.
Grand National Ante-Post Tips
Owners Bryan and Philippa Burrough have already won a Grand National back in 1983 with Corbiere and they look to hold strong claims this year with BEAUPORT (best priced at 33/1).
The Nigel Twiston-Davies trained nine-year-old won the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter over 4m2f on heavy ground last season off a mark of 140 before winning the Berkshire National on his reappearance by 31 lengths on good ground over 3m5½f off a mark of 144.
The handicapper deservedly raised Beauport 12lbs for that impressive victory up to a mark of 156 and that forced connections into running him back over hurdles until the weights got published. He rewarded that decision with a brave front-running 3rd in the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot when only beaten 1½ lengths by Crambo, who was winning the race for the second year in a row.
Beauport appears to have improved on both of his runs so far this season and given he has proven stamina over 4m2f on heavy ground, good form on faster ground and is currently thriving, he looks a big price for Aintree in April.
