When is the Grand National 2024?

Aintree will once again take centre stage this weekend as the world's biggest Jumps race is upon us.

The 176th running of the Grand National is the highlight of the three-day Aintree Festival, which runs this year from Thursday, April 11 to Saturday, April 13. Corach Rambler stormed home for victory in 2023, and he's bidding to do what only two horses have achieved in the last 50 years – win back-to-back Grand Nationals.

What time does the Grand National 2024 start?

The 2024 edition of the Grand National is set to take place on Saturday, April 13 and the start time has been brought forward to 16:00 from 17:15, in order to improve the likelihood of good ground. You can watch the race live on our website if you’ve placed a bet of £1 or more. We’ll also be showing the world-famous race live on Betfred TV, and it will also be broadcast live in the UK on ITV1.

Where is the Grand National 2024 held?

The race takes place at Aintree Racecourse, on the outskirts of Liverpool. Since the first edition of the race in 1839, it has never officially been held anywhere else.

How many horses run?

For 2024, the total number of horses in the Grand National has been reduced from 40 to 34, in order to improve the safety of the race. The highest number of entrants was 66, back in 1929, but the race also featured as few as 10, in 1883.

The final 34 runners will be confirmed on Thursday at 10:00. Just like last year, if a horse withdraws after the 48-hour declarations, it will not be replaced.

Only a certain number of horses fulfil the criteria needed to be allowed to enter the Grand National. Among the qualifications, they must:

• have an official rating (OR) of 130 or more,
• be aged seven or older,
• have completed three or more steeplechases,
• have completed one steeplechase in the current season,
• have finished between first and fourth in a steeplechase over two miles, seven-and-half furlongs or further.

What is the race distance for the Grand National?

The distance of the race has traditionally been described as a 4 1/2-mile race, however, the official distance has been listed as four miles, two furlongs and 74 yards, making it the longest jump race held in the United Kingdom. The race usually lasts around nine minutes, with the course record being eight minutes and 47.8 seconds, which is held by Mr Frisk (1990). There are 16 individual fences in the race, 14 of which are jumped twice, making the race a total of 30 jumps.

Grand National Day - Saturday, April 13, 2024

• 13:20 - Handicap Hurdle - ITV
• 13:55 - Novices' Hurdle - ITV
• 14:30 - Handicap Steeple Chase - ITV
• 15:05 - Liverpool Hurdle - ITV
• 16:00 - Grand National Steeple Chase - ITV
• 17:00 - Maghull Novices' Steeple Chase - Racing TV
• 17:35 - Standard Open National Flat Race - Racing TV

Our team here at Betfred Insights will keep you updated throughout the build-up to the event as we follow the betting markets closely and will report on the entries as the 81 horses who have been entered are whittled down to the newly-reduced maximum of 34, who will contest the race.

Find all the latest Grand National Betting Tips at Betfred Insights