Grand National 2026 Betting Preview
Welcome to the SpankTheBookies Grand National Betting Preview.
The 2026 Grand National is once again shaping up to be a proper test — a 34-runner marathon over 4 miles and 2½ furlongs at Aintree. It’s still the ultimate stamina examination, but it’s worth noting how much the race has evolved in recent years.
The fences are now safer with plastic cores, the field size has been reduced from 40 to 34, and the overall quality has improved with a higher minimum rating. What was once chaos-heavy is now much more of a class-and-stamina race — and that’s important when narrowing down the field.
Using trends from the last 11 renewals, I’ve worked this race down to just two each-way selections.
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Trend Breakdown
Age (7–9yo) – 10/11 winners
❌ Rules out: 1, 3, 4, 5, 12, 14, 17, 20, 25, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 37
Irish-trained – 7/11 winners
❌ Rules out: 6, 13, 22, 33, 36
Top 4 finish LTO – 8/11 winners
❌ Rules out: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 18, 21, 24, 28, 35
No previous Grand National run – 10/11 winners
❌ Rules out: 2
At least one Grade 1–3 win – 8/11 winners
❌ Rules out: 26
Ran within last 49 days – 9/11 winners
❌ Rules out: 23
🎯 Final Selections
No.16 – Oscars Brother
A really interesting profile for this race.
We’ve already seen with Noble Yeats that a lightly raced novice can land this, and Oscars Brother fits a very similar mould. He came into the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham as an 18/1 shot and ran a strong race to finish 4th, staying on late in a way that screamed “step up in trip”.
Go back two runs and it’s even more encouraging — he made all over 3 miles at Navan in testing conditions and pulled clear late on. That ability to travel and then find off the bridle is exactly what you want for Aintree.
He ticks every trend box, stays well, and looks very fairly treated off his current mark. With a nice racing weight, he’s got a proper each-way chance.
““All is good with him and he came out of Cheltenham well. I don’t think the extra distance will be a problem for him.””
No.19 – Stellar Story
Another that looks like he’s been trained with this race firmly in mind.
Winner of the 2024 Albert Bartlett, he showed serious stamina and toughness that day, getting the better of The Jukebox Man. He then ran well in last season’s Brown Advisory, finishing behind Lecky Watson.
What stands out is how his campaign has been managed — everything points towards this as the target.
He’s got the class, the stamina profile, and importantly, a very workable weight. For me, he looks like Gordon Elliott’s strongest hand in the race this year.
““I do think he’s well handicapped but I would say he’d prefer softer ground.””
🧾 Summary of Picks
Oscars Brother (No.16) – Progressive, unexposed stayer with a perfect trend profile
Stellar Story (No.19) – Proven stamina, classy profile, and clearly targeted at this race
Both fit the modern Grand National mould — improving horses with stamina upside rather than exposed handicappers.
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