2026 Grand National Festival day 1 predictions and preview

THE Grand National Festival does not ease you in gently, and that is exactly how it should be. Day one at Aintree arrives with four Grade 1s, deep handicaps, and enough Irish firepower to make it feel less like an away day and more like a full-scale raid across the Irish Sea.

The headline act is the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle, where Brighterdaysahead renews rivalry with The New Lion in what looks like one of the races of the meeting. But if you think Thursday is just a warm-up for the bigger days to come, think again. From smart juveniles and novice chasers to hardened handicappers and hunter chase specialists, this is a card stacked with betting angles from top to bottom.

And that is what makes Aintree day one such a punter’s card. It is not just about finding winners — it is about spotting where the market has got lazy, where Cheltenham form might be overplayed, and where Irish runners can make their presence felt. With that in mind, let’s get into the best bets, strongest opinions, and our essential Grand National day 1 predictions for the 2026 Festival.

🏇 2026 Grand National day 1 tips

*Odds are subject to change

Grand National 2026 Day 1: Preview, predictions & tips (Thursday, April 9)

There is serious quality on show from the first race to the last on Grand National Festival day one, and unlike plenty of so-called “festival openers”, this is not a card padded out with filler. Thursday at Aintree is full of races that matter, horses with proper future prospects, and betting contests where strong opinions can pay.

Some favourites look solid, some look vulnerable, and a few races may be far more straightforward than the market is making out. Below, we run through all seven races on the card and pick out the best betting angles, strongest fancies, and where the real value lies on Aintree’s opening day.

1:45 pm – Grade 1 Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle Race (2m 1f)

The Triumph Hurdle form is front and centre here, with three of the first four home set to clash again, and there is every chance the result can be shaken up, and the one to side with is MINELLA STUDY.

Trained by Adam Nichol, Minella Study went to Cheltenham unbeaten after winning all three of his starts, and there was no disgrace at all in losing that perfect record. If anything, his effort there may have been slightly underappreciated. He stuck to his task well and was only denied second by Maestro Conti in the final strides.

Back at a flatter, less punishing track, there is every reason to think he can reverse that form. Aintree tends to reward rhythm and tactical pace a little more than Cheltenham, and that should suit him much better. The danger is obvious enough in the shape of the Willie Mullins-trained Selma De Vary, who was not far behind at Cheltenham and remains open to plenty of improvement.

That was just her second start for the master of Closutton, and she is exactly the type to take a sizeable step forward. Still, if you are looking for the horse most likely to improve on what we saw in the Triumph, Minella Study is the one.

• Selection: Minella Study 7/2
• Danger: Selma De Vary 11/4

➡️ Bet on MINELLA STUDY for the Grade 1 Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle Race at 7/2 with bet365

2:20 pm – Grade 1 William Hill Manifesto Novices’ Steeple Chase (2m 4f)

Only five go to post for the second Grade 1 of the afternoon, and if we are being honest, this looks a race where punters can keep things simple rather than trying to be too clever. On paper, it revolves around two. Lulamba steps up in trip after finding things happening a bit too quickly at a key stage of the Arkle, where he shaped like a horse who would be better served by a stiffer test. Visually, this trip looks far more suitable, and he should run well.

But the stronger play is KOKTAIL DIVIN for Henry de Bromhead. Unlike Lulamba, Koktail Divin is dropping back in distance after failing to fully get home in the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham. That bare finishing position does not tell the full story. For a long way, he looked to be travelling as well as anything in the race before his stamina ebbed away late on.

That matters because this return to 2m4f could be exactly what he wants. His Leopardstown Christmas Festival demolition job, where he won by 21 lengths, remains one of the standout novice chase performances of the season, and he did that over a trip only marginally further than this.

Back on a sounder surface and over a sharper test, he looks overpriced if anything. This is not the race to overcomplicate. If Koktail Divin gets into a jumping rhythm, he should take plenty of beating.

• Selection: Koktail Divin 11/4
• Danger: Lulamba 8/13

➡️ Bet on KOKTAIL DIVIN for the Grade 1 William Hill Manifesto Novices’ Steeple Chase at 11/4 with Betfred

2:55 pm – Grade 1 Aintree Bowl Steeple Chase (3m 1f)

Another Grade 1, another small field, and if we are calling it straight, this is not exactly a vintage renewal of the Aintree Bowl. With just five runners and two of them now aged 11, this race may not take a monster performance to win. In fact, it looks like a very fair opportunity for JANGO BAIE to get back to winning ways.

There is a long-standing stat hanging over horses coming here after running in the Gold Cup, and usually, it is the kind of angle worth respecting. But trends can only take you so far, and sometimes the form in front of you matters more than the historical figures. Jango Baie, the current Gold Cup runner-up, brings by far the strongest recent form into this race. More importantly, this 3m1f trip looks much more suitable than the brutal stamina examination he faced at Cheltenham.

This is still a proper staying test, but it should allow him to travel and use his class without being stretched to the limit. If he turns up in the same form, the others may simply be running for places. The obvious backup option is Impaire Et Passe, who is a course winner and has enough class to capitalise if the favourite underperforms. But on pure ability, Jango Baie should be too good.

• Selection: Jango Baie Evens
• Danger: Impaire Et Passe 4/1

➡️ Bet on JANGO BAIE for the Grade 1 Aintree Bowl Steeple Chase at Evens with bet365

3:30 pm – The Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase (2m 5f)

The first race over the famous Grand National fences always brings a different kind of tension, and the Foxhunters is no exception. It is usually messy, dramatic, and full of hard-luck stories, which is exactly why course form counts for so much, and former winner ITS ON THE LINE ticks a lot of boxes.

The Cheltenham Foxhunters winner and runner-up meet again here, but there are solid reasons to think the form can flip. Barton Snow got the better of him at Cheltenham, but Aintree is a different test entirely, and this course and distance looks much more in the wheelhouse of Its On The Line. He has become almost frustratingly easy to not trust at Cheltenham, but this track has brought out the best in him before. When he won this race, he did it with authority, and that effort remains one of the strongest pieces of course form in the field.

Yes, he can be quirky. Yes, he can find trouble. But this race is often won by the horse with a touch of class, and he has exactly that. At higher prices, Thunder Rock, Famous Clermont, and Joker De Mai are all interesting enough for each-way players, while Unexpected Party looks the main danger after his recent revival. Still, if you are trusting one to handle the unique test best, Its On The Line is the call.

• Selection: Its On The Line 9/2
• Danger: Unexpected Party 10/3

➡️ Bet on ITS ON THE LINE for the Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase at 9/2 with Betfred

4:05 pm – Grade 1 William Hill Aintree Hurdle Race (2m 4f)

This is where day one properly catches fire. The Aintree Hurdle looks one of the races of the meeting, with Champion Hurdle form colliding once again and enough quality in behind to make this far more than a two-horse race. Golden Ace, El Fabiolo and Alexei all add depth. But if we are cutting through the noise, it could end up a battle of the Champion Hurdle second and third, so it is hard not to see it boiling down to The New Lion and BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD.

The Gordon Elliott-trained mare may have come off second best in the Champion Hurdle, but there are reasons to strongly fancy her upholding the form here over The New Lion. For starters, this track and trip could suit her much better. One of the best performances of her career came over this very course and distance, and she has already shown she can travel powerfully and finish strongly around Aintree.

Then there is the weight. She gets 7lb from all bar one of her rivals, and in a race of this quality, that is not a throwaway detail, it is a major edge. In truth, it may prove decisive. If Brighterdaysahead runs to her mark, asking the others to concede that amount to a top-class mare could simply be too much. This is a proper Grade 1, but she looks the one to beat.

• Selection: Brighterdaysahead 2/1
• Danger: The New Lion 2/1

➡️ BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD for the Grade 1 William Hill Aintree Hurdle Race at 2/1 with bet365

4:40 pm – The Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Steeple Chase (2m)

A proper Aintree handicap now, and this is the sort of race where punters can often talk themselves into six or seven horses before eventually backing the wrong one. Sometimes, though, the obvious answer is still the right answer. That may be the case with SANS BRUIT, who bids to complete a hat-trick in this race.

Course specialists are gold dust at a meeting like this, and Sans Bruit has already shown twice that he knows exactly what is required in this contest. Crucially, the handicapper has not been overly harsh either. He lines up just 3lb higher than for his previous wins in the race, which gives him every chance of repeating the feat. His prep run at Windsor in January was exactly the kind of quiet but encouraging effort you want to see before a likely target race.

This has all the look of a long-term plan, and if that is the case, expect him to arrive fully tuned for another bold front-running effort. If he gets into a rhythm, he could make this very uncomfortable for plenty of these in behind. For those looking beyond the favourite, Jasko Des Dames, Brooke, and Javert Allen all appeal as each-way players. But if Sans Bruit is on song, this could be his race again.

• Selection: Sans Bruit 10/3
• Danger: Javert Allen 8/1

➡️ Bet on SANS BRUIT for the Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Steeple Chase at 10/3 with talkSPORT BET

5:15 pm – Grade 2 Goffs Nickel Coin Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (2m 1f)

The curtain comes down on day one with a typically tricky 20-runner bumper, the sort of race where guesswork and stable whispers tend to collide. That said, there is one at the prices who makes plenty of appeal, and TI’MAMZEL looks a very fair each-way bet.

Lightly raced horses in bumpers always come with a degree of uncertainty, but Ti’mamzel has already achieved more on the track than many of these. She has won two of her three starts and, in truth, you could make a fair case that she should be unbeaten coming into this. Her latest success at Sandown was particularly taking. She travelled well, found plenty when asked, and shaped like a horse that still has more to offer.

If she improves again, and there is every chance she will, then these odds could look generous by the time they jump. However, the race is not short on dangers. Fairy Park, Nan’s Choice, Seven Stars, and market leader Princess Day all bring strong claims, and no one should be pretending this is a simple punting heat. But if you want one at a workable price with upside, Ti’mamzel is a strong way to finish the day.

• Selection: Ti’mamzel 6/1 (each way)
•  Danger: Nan’s Choice 6/1

➡️ Bet on TI’MAMZEL for the Grade 2 Goffs Nickel Coin Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race at 6/1 with Betway

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