Senior Chief Grand National Odds 2025: Can he win without Blackmore aboard?

The chances of Senior Chief winning were watched closely by the betting public as they awaited who would ride him. With Henry De Bromhead having two entries in the Grand National, one would be ridden by Rachael Blackmore, and whichever horse got that nod would attract money.

Blackmore has chosen to keep her partnership with former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner intact, so let’s assess the Grand National Odds of Senior Chief even without one of the most well-known jockeys on board…

It was undoubtedly the most eagerly-awaited jockey decision ahead of the Grand National. Blackmore jumped on board Senior Chief last time out in a Pertemps Network Qualifier over at Naas and that combination did not go great, finishing ninth and the eight-year-old showed little extra.

That may have tipped the scales for her to stick with Minella Indo, a horse that she’s had immense success with in the past even though the market suggests that Senior Chief is the better bet in the Grand National on Saturday afternoon.

A lot of the reason behind some thinking this horse has a better shot is what we saw at the start of the season at Cheltenham. A game victory in a Class II at 11/1 suggested that there was a good little jumper here with enough stamina to go the distance in a race such as the Grand National.

Victory there came on the back of a really strong 2023 and early 2024 with wins at Navan and Punchestown along with placing three times in that span.

Some of the question marks, though, arose after a disappointing run at the Irish Grand National in the spring of last year. He went off at 10/1 but at one point was right there with Nick Rockett and Intense Raffles in the betting - possibly the Blackmore effect once more showing itself. On that day, however, the horse showed very little before being pulled-up two out.

With Blackmore choosing Minella Indo and Darragh O’Keeffe getting the ride, I fully expect Senior Chief to drift to a point where he becomes a solid each-way bet. The two poor rides since that Class II win in October are certainly concerning but the price may well present itself as a real betting opportunity if he continues to drift beyond his current odds.

Senior Chief Grand National Odds & Chances:

As of the opening of the betting market at midday on Thursday, the odds of Senior Chief winning the Grand National are 22/1 on Betfred. If we turn that price into implied probability, that equates to a 4% chance of winning the race based on the betting price.

Bet on Senior Chief to win the Grand National:

You can, of course, bet on Senior Chief to win the Grand National with us at Betfred. If you are a potential New Customer, just click on the sign-up banner below and you can join Betfred today.

For Existing Customers, hit that Grand National Odds button below and you’ll be taken to the Grand National Betting Market on betfred.com, where you can get all the latest prices and of course - place your Grand National Bets.

Betfred Grand National Offer:

Betfred are paying out seven places on the big race for each-way bets at 1/5 odds for those betting on the Grand National. You can do so by following either the Grand National Odds link above or if you want to bet on Senior Chief, just click on either of the banners at the top or bottom of the article and you’ll be sent to the market page on betfred.com with your selection already loaded into your betslip.

Our Grand National market goes live with the confirmed 34 runners from midday on Thursday, April 3, 2025 and you can bet each-way and get seven places all the way through to 16:00 on Saturday, April 5, 2025, which is when the race will get underway live on ITV1.

You can check out all of our Grand National Tips as well as the profiles for all the other horses running in the race on our main Grand National page…