The Grand National result is one of those things horse racing betting fans want instantly – but can’t always get right away. Annoyingly, it can sometimes take a while for the full, official result of the Grand National to filter through to spectators at Aintree, and those watching at home.
It’s a frustration that you’ve probably experienced if you’ve ever bet on the Grand National previously – especially if you have an Each Way bet and don’t see who has come in fourth, fifth and sixth.
In fact, Each Way bets are usually the biggest driver of post-race searches for the Grand National result. While of course we love to praise the race winner, for many with bets it’s all about who secured a place.
So why does it sometimes take so long to get the final result? Well, Paddy Power is here to explain all in our latest Grand National guide…
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Why the Grand National result is so slow
You’d think in 2023 it would be easy to instantly get Grand National data straight to your phone or computer, and know if you’re won your bet. After all, in other sports they have billions of data points tracking players and athletes all over the place, and real-time stats are filtered back to betting sites.
So why doesn’t this happen in horse racing? Well, here are a few reasons…
It’s too close to call
Horse racing doesn’t use GPS like in football or rugby to track the runners and riders, or VAR or anything like that. There is no semi-automated technology available other than photo finishes to determine exactly which horses cross the line first.
And so when it’s a tight race there’s sometimes a wait while the stewards confirm who has won, and who has placed. This pause can take a good few minutes if the photo finish is particularly close.
Of course, there may be more than one photo finish in a race. Grand National organisers need to know the final result of the whole field, so might need time to wade through the place finishes and confirm final positions for Each Way bets.
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There’s an enquiry
Stewards in horse racing act as the referees on the racecourse, and are there to judge foul play and assess other incidents during the race. Because of this, they can sometimes be called upon to officiate a complaint, or may spot an infringement themselves. With 40 horses vaulting 30 fences, it’s possible there will be a stewards enquiry at the Grand National.
And this can delay the final result by some time if connections are required to discuss racing incidents. This happened in 2014 when the start descended into chaos.
Focus on the winner
TV broadcasters naturally focus on the winner of the Grand National but have an annoying habit of cutting away from the horses crossing over the line for the place positions, to instead track the winning horse and its celebrating jockey. You’ll often see teary close-ups of the horse’s owners too.
All this means you might not actually see the runners-up cross the line. You then have to wait either for the betting data to filter through to the bookmakers, or for the TV coverage to provide the result. This can take minutes and is agonising if you’re banking on a horse to place.
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THE PADDY POWER GUIDE TO RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW