Bet Storm
RacingBetter News
Friday 24th April 2026
   

Grand National 2026 — A Guide to Each-Way Betting

Do you bet on a horse that already won two years ago? Now it carries top weight, faces 33 rivals, and the ground and weather are far from ideal. What are the chances? Bookmakers offered 7/1. But the horse still came first.

I Am Maximus, ridden by Paul Townend

On April 11, 2026, Aintree Racecourse witnessed something British horse racing had not seen for more than half a century. I Am Maximus, ridden by Paul Townend, won the Grand National for the second consecutive year — matching the legendary Red Rum, who last defended his title back in 1974. A victory under top weight, a full field of 34 runners, “Good to Soft” going — and a triumph that analysts called “one of the smartest races of the decade.” Let's take a closer look at how this win will affect the upcoming series of major races.

The buzz around the 2026 Grand National

This event turned the conversation about each-way betting from merely relevant into absolutely essential. On race day, the excitement ran so high that traffic on British betting platforms more than doubled on average. The frenzy surrounding the race swept across almost every European platform — from Scotland's high-street bookmakers and English betting exchanges to any online casino like Inside Ireland with a sportsbook section. An ordinary April Saturday gave way to a real betting boom!

Those who understand the logic of each-way betting, especially on long-distance races with large fields, now view the upcoming starts in a completely different light. And they have the 2026 Grand National to thank for that.

I Am Maximus — What Lies Behind This Victory

To understand the scale of what happened, you need context. I Am Maximus won the Grand National in 2024. In 2025, he lost to Nick Rockett by a literal final-stretch margin. Then he returned to Aintree in 2026 as a ten-year-old gelding carrying top weight — a burden that almost no one wins with in this race.

Historically, horses under maximum weight win the Grand National roughly once every 15 to 20 years. Trainer Willie Mullins took this risk deliberately. According to him, owner JP McManus convinced him not to run the horse in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but to focus entirely on Aintree — because the handicapper had positioned I Am Maximus well, and the horse was peaking at exactly the right time. The calculation proved precise.

Jockey Paul Townend delivered a flawless race: he conserved the horse's energy on the first circuit, did not push hard at the tricky fences, and only made his move when the field began to fall apart. A winning margin, all horses returned safely — for the Grand National, that detail matters too. For McManus, this marks his fourth victory in the race, making him the most successful owner in the event's history. Mullins now equals Ginger McCain and Fred Rimell — also four-time winners.

Why the Grand National is the Best Race for Each-Way Bets

An each-way bet combines two bets into one: a bet on the win and a bet on the place. With 34 runners, most bookmakers in 2026 paid out for the first six places at 1/4 of the win odds. This large-field format makes the Grand National the ideal race for this type of bet, for three reasons:

  1. A large field creates long odds. Genuine contenders often go off at 14/1 to 20/1 — there is genuine place value even among strong horses.
  2. The course mechanically eliminates favourites. 30 fences over 4 miles and 2.5 furlongs — every year, 30–40% of runners do not finish. This means a place does not only go to obvious favourites.
  3. The middle of the market is historically overvalued. Horses priced between 12/1 and 25/1 deliver the best each-way ROI over the National's long distance — data from the last 20 years confirms this.

How to Read the Market? Five Working Principles

  1. Follow the market movement. If a horse moves from 20/1 to 12/1 without a new race result, inside money has arrived. I Am Maximus shifted from 10/1 to 7/1 in the last ten days before the start. That was a readable signal.

  2. Check the going. The Grand National is extremely sensitive to ground conditions. In 2026, the going was "Good to Soft" — optimal for stamina horses with clean jumping technique. At least two or three results on similar ground serve as a mandatory filter when selecting an each-way candidate.

  3. Weigh the weight. I Am Maximus's victory under top weight represents the exception that proves the rule. All else being equal, an each-way bet on a horse carrying 10 stone 7 pounds to 11 stone 2 pounds is mathematically superior — statistically, such a horse has a higher chance of finishing in the top six.

  4. Compare bookmaker terms. In 2026, the variation was significant. Some firms paid six places at 1/5 of the odds, others paid five places at 1/4. At odds of 16/1, the payout difference reaches 30%. That is not a small detail.

  5. Take NRNB on ante-post. Non-Runner No Bet insures you against horse withdrawal. Most top UK bookmakers offer this option on National ante-post markets. Without it, an ante-post bet represents unjustified risk.

Algorithm for Selecting an Each-Way Horse

  1. Eliminate horses without experience over 3+ miles with comparable fence jumping — they are out of consideration.

  2. Find odds with real value: target range 12/1 to 22/1. Below that, weak place return. Above that, too few chances of reaching the finish.

  3. Check form on similar going and distance — at least two relevant starts in the last 12 months.

  4. Do not spread your stake across five or six horses. This creates an illusion of coverage but mathematically destroys ROI. One or two selections — maximum.

What April 2026 Tells Us About the Race's Future

I Am Maximus's victory is not an anomaly. It signals that the Grand National increasingly rewards class and precise preparation — not merely stamina and luck. Mullins, Townend, and McManus did not guess; they calculated. That is exactly how a smart bettor should operate: find a horse where the market underestimates its chance of finishing in the top six, compare bookmaker terms, and place an each-way bet with a cool head.

Ante-post markets for Aintree 2027 are already open. The lessons of this April apply right now.