If you’re looking to have a punt with Paddy Power on today’s Grand National at Aintree, then it’s fair to say you probably already have your own method for picking your horse.
Some will go with their favourite name, while others will firm up their fancy based on the silks. Quite frankly, whatever floats your boat then good luck to ya! But before you place your bet, it’s worth leafing through the history books to see if your selection meets some key winners trends.
The nature of the Grand National has changed in recent years due to safety modifications and an increasing prize pot attracting classier types, which means some trends have developed but other classic clues still stand true.
A summary of the key race trends can be found below, otherwise the latest Grand National odds are on the Paddy Power website and Paddy Power app.
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Grand National Trends
AGE
One of the key Grand National trends to have developed is that horses under the age of 10 are dominating the race.
Pineau De Re was the last veteran to win the big one in 2014 before a run of eight and nine year olds scored until Noble Yeats made history last year as the first horse aged seven to win the Grand National since World War II.
CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL
While a number of Cheltenham Festival runners have performed poorly at this year’s Aintree meeting, five of the last 10 winners of the Grand National took in the March mega meeting before scoring in the world’s greatest steeplechase.
EXPERIENCE
Despite the unique nature of Aintree’s iconic spruce fences, a first timer can be viewed in a positive light as nine of the last 12 winners had never tackled the challenging Grand National course before.
FORM
Ideally, you want to look for a horse that has been first past the post this season as seven of the last nine winners had already been successful that term before scoring at Aintree.
IRISH
Irish-trained horses have dominated the Grand National in recent years, with five victories from the last six renewals.
As the majority of the field are trained in Ireland, Aintree honours could be crossing the Irish Sea once again.
ODDS
The average starting price of the last 10 winners of the Grand National is around 27/1. In that period, Tiger Roll was the only favourite to oblige when landing the race for a second time in 2019.
WEIGHT
A horse being lumbered with more than 11st used to be considered a negative but Many Clouds (11st 9lbs) and Tiger Roll (11st 5lbs) are among the recent winners to have defied that.
The winning weights in the 21st century range from 10st 3lbs to 11st 9lbs which suggests those at the very bottom and top of the handicap face a tough ask.
Grand National Tips
- Horse Racing Tips: Paddy Power’s complete Aintree cheat sheet for Saturday’s races
- Grand National Tips: Our ultimate cheat sheet for Aintree 2023 marathon
- Matt Chapman’s horse racing tips for Saturday at Aintree
- Ruby Walsh’s horse racing tips for Grand National Saturday at Aintree
Read These Next on the Grand National 2023
- Gallop over to Paddy Power News for all the latest horse racing tips
- When is the Grand National? Aintree date, start time, runners and betting
- Grand National horse list and runner-by-runner guide to today’s big race
- The full list of Grand National weights for Aintree 2023