2024 Grand National Weights Announced: Hewick to carry 11st 12lbs at Aintree

It’s that time of year again -  the Grand National weights 2024 are in! 

The traditional weighing ceremony took place in Liverpool and saw King George winner Hewick set to carry the top weight, with a hefty 11st 12lbs, more than a stone difference compared to the current betting sites favourite Vanillier!

In 2023, Vanillier weighed in at 10st 6lbs and took second in an extremely strong finish. This year, he’s tipped the grand national odds and upped his weight by 2lbs.

When and where is the Grand National?

If you’re lucky enough to get tickets for the racing event of the year then you’ll be off to Aintree Racecourse, in Liverpool. The three-day festival runs Thursday 11th to Saturday 13th April, with the prestigious main event, the Grand National, set to start at 4pm on the Saturday.

How does the weight system work?

The weighing of the horses is based on a handicap system. The idea of this is to give less-fancied horses (or those with lower odds) a better chance to compete with stronger competitors.In order to achieve this, the top-rated horses are given extra weight to carry. The lowest amount a horse is permitted to carry is 10st 2lbs (this includes the weight of the jockey).The British Horseracing Authority calculates this formula based on each horse's individual rating. The last horse to win with the largest handicap was in 1973, when Red Rum won the race whilst carrying the top weight of 12st.

Latest Grand National odds

Here’s a little insight on the best Grand National odds we’ve pulled from William Hill and Unibet. At the moment, both sites are offering ⅕ the odds for five places! Check the odds below…

What do the next few weeks look like?

Now that the grand national weights have been announced, we can take a look into some of the horses and riders to see what the next few weeks could look like for them.

There are a number of horses running in the Cheltenham Gold Cup that will also be taking the course at the Grand National this year.Grand National 2023 winner Corach Rambler will be among those racing, with betting sites William Hill and Unibet promoting 16/1 odds.

In a surprising twist, our King George champ Hewick was also due to be racing, however, trainer Shark Hanlon has revealed that he will no longer be participating due to soft ground conditions. Hanlon walked the ground on Thursday before coming to the decision.

Favourite Galopin Des Champs is heavily expected to take first place with odds of Evens so, it’ll be interesting to see how Corach Rambler fares against the favourite, especially with his odds at the best horse racing betting sites much better for the National.

Check out this top betting offer from Unibet

Horses to watch

If you’re looking to take advantage of William Hill or Unibet’s ⅕ odds offer, then here are a few horses to keep your eye on while scrolling through your horse racing betting apps…some may just surprise you.

Corach Rambler

• Trainer: Luncinda Russell
• Age: 10
• Odds: 12/1

Okay, maybe not all of them will surprise you. It’s hardly a surprise that we’d list last year’s winner in our list of horses to watch.It’s unlikely we’ll be able to assess how Corach Rambler is riding at the minute, seeing as he’s been pulled out of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, however, with reports of a strict regime and thorough training, we still wouldn’t rule out this horse. We’re not convinced, even with his win last year, that we’ve seen him at his best.

Conflated

• Trainer: Gordon Elliot
• Age: 10
• Odds: 40/1

Conflated, despite never having run in the Grand National, is definitely a horse to watch if he’s confirmed. A little bit more of a chancer as he was unseated in his last two starts. However, he took third in last year’s Gold Cup and has won an Irish Gold Cup and Savills Chase.

We also can’t turn our noses up at those odds!

Stattler

• Trainer: WP Mullins
• Age: 9
• Odds: 33/1

With credentials such as winning the National Hunt Chase, Stattler is a stamina king. He also did well in the Irish Gold Cup against Galopin Des Champs.We think he may thrive in the rhythm of the Grand National, as he seemed to struggle slightly during the Cheltenham Gold Cup…Perhaps a little too fast for him?However, we certainly wouldn’t discount him, especially with those delicious odds.

When are the final horses announced?

Thursday 11th April is the date for your diaries! The final 34 horses will be confirmed then, 48 hours before the race takes place. A recent change to the National means that if a horse is withdrawn after these final names are tallied, they won’t be replaced.

What qualifies a horse?

Not every horse qualifies for the Grand National. They must meet the following criteria to be considered:

• Be aged 7 or older
• Have competed in three or more steeplechases
• Have an official rating of 130 or more
• Have completed a steeplechase recently (within the ongoing season)
• Have a placing of between 1st-4th in a steeplechase over 2 miles.

The bets are on…

So what do you think? Will Vanillier take first place like the betting sites believe? Will Hewick follow in Red Rum’s footsteps and take it, despite the hefty handicap? Maybe wildcard Conflated will zoom in to win, defying those 40/1 odds.It’s only a waiting game now! We’ll be eagerly watching (from our sofas unfortunately!) on 13th April to see the action. Taking advantage of Unibet and William Hill’s 1/5 odds offer is the icing on the cake for what’s sure to be an amazing day; what’s more, you can pick up some tasty betting bonuses from both bookies right now.

More great bookmakers for your Grand National bets