The 2021 Randox Grand National meeting gets underway on Thursday 8th April 2021 and you can claim some exclusive free bets on each race by registering with any featured bookmaker today using the links on this page.
Key Races
Now rebranded as ‘Liverpool Day’, the opening day of the Grand National meeting takes place on Thursday 8th April with the feature race being the Betway Bowl. This is a Grade One contest which takes place over a distance of 3 miles and 1 furlong and has an illustrious roll of honour which includes the likes of Docklands Express, Wayward Lad, First Gold and Silviniaco Conti. Tiger Roll is the one to watch in this race following his winning exploits in the Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham festival last month.
The card on Day One also includes the Aintree Hurdle at 3:25pm, this race featuring some top-class performers such as Buveur D’Air who won the race in 2017. The best juvenile hurdlers in the UK lock horns at 2:20pm in the Grade One Doom Bar Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle while novice chasers pit their talents against each other at 1:45pm in the Manifesto Novices’ Chase.
At 4:05pm we have the first of three races over the Grand National fences at this meeting, 23 runners set to contest the Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase, while the Day One entertainment comes to a close with the Grade 2 Mares’ Bumper at 5:15pm.
Big Names
Certainly the biggest name and the one which most punters will be looking out for is Tiger Roll who will line-up in the Betway Bowl on Thursday afternoon with the likes of Native River, Waiting Patiently and Clan Des Obeaux.
The Shunter gave owners a big pay-day when winning the Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso as well as the Plate at Cheltenham and he will be tackling some top-level opposition in the Manifesto. Dual Champion Hurdle winner Buveur D’Air will look to win the Aintree Hurdle for the second time and grab himself a third victory at this meeting, having also triumphed in the Top Novices’ Hurdle back in 2016.
Jockeys to watch
Who else will we be watching on Day One of the Grand National meeting other than Cheltenham festival champion jockey Rachael Blackmore who has three rides on the opening day. She will take the seat on Jason The Militant in Aintree Hurdle, Jan Maat in Red Rum Handicap Chase as well as Me Too Please in Mares’ Bumper.
Going
With less than 24 hours before the action gets underway on Day One of the 2021 Randox Grand National Festival, the ground is generally good to soft – good to soft on the Grand National course and good in places on the hurdles and chase tracks.
