Aintree Festival 2026: What to Expect Across All Three Days

Most people think of Aintree as one race on one Saturday afternoon. The reality is that the Aintree Festival is three days of top-class jump racing, with Grade 1 contests on every card before the Grand National closes proceedings on Saturday April 11th. Thursday and Friday at Aintree offer some of the most competitive and well-priced betting of the entire National Hunt season — and because most casual punters are focused on Saturday, the markets are frequently more exploitable on the opening two days. Thursday April 9 — Opening Day Thursday's card at Aintree is headlined by the Betway Bowl Chase, a Grade 1 contest over three miles and one furlong that typically attracts staying chasers fresh from Cheltenham. The Bowl has historically been dominated by horses with strong Cheltenham form — Gold Cup runners who are fresher than their Festival rivals and benefit from the conventional Mildmay fences rather than Aintree's unique National circuit. The Mersey Novices' Hurdle is another Grade 1 on the Thursday card, a key race for novice hurdlers stepping up in class after the Festival. Horses that ran well at Cheltenham in the novice hurdle division often confirm that form here. Aintree's Mildmay Course — used for Thursday and Friday's races — is a conventional left-handed chase track that rewards horses with solid jumping and a high cruising speed. Form from Cheltenham, Newbury and Ascot transfers well here, and horses dropping slightly in class after Festival defeats regularly run their best race of the season on Thursday at Aintree. Friday April 10 — Festival Day Two Friday at Aintree is arguably the best single day of racing outside the Cheltenham Festival itself. The card is headlined by the JLT Melling Chase — a Grade 1 over two miles and four furlongs that is one of the most competitive chases of the spring — alongside the Betway Aintree Hurdle over two miles and four furlongs and the Topham Handicap Chase, which is run over the National fences and is the most important race of the season for identifying Grand National horses who can jump the unique obstacles. A horse that wins or runs well in the Topham on Friday is instantly credible for Saturday's National. The Aintree Hurdle has a strong record of producing Champion Hurdle-quality performances from horses that found the Cheltenham conditions unsuitable but thrive at Aintree's more galloping circuit. It is worth identifying horses that ran below their best at Cheltenham in soft ground and now return to good or good to soft at Aintree — the improvement is often significant. Saturday April 11 — Grand National Day The Grand National itself runs at approximately 17:15 on Saturday April 11th and is preceded by a full card of racing including the Manifesto Novices' Chase — a Grade 1 novice chase over two miles and a half — and other competitive contests. Saturday's earlier races are often overlooked in the rush to focus on the National, but the Manifesto in particular has produced some outstanding performances from horses that go on to be significant chasers. Betting the Festival as a Whole The key to betting the Aintree Festival profitably is understanding that form from Cheltenham three weeks earlier is the most reliable guide available. Horses that ran to a high level at Cheltenham — even in defeat — tend to reproduce that form at Aintree. The combination of similar ground conditions, a similarly demanding course and the freshness of the spring season creates consistent form lines. Horses that disappointed at Cheltenham on ground that did not suit them — those who need good or good to soft rather than soft or heavy — are particularly worth targeting for improvement on the Mildmay Course. Horse Racing Oracle AI will publish daily selections for all three days of the Aintree Festival, with full analysis of Cheltenham form, course suitability and going preferences ahead of each card. Watch the blog from April 9th. Want free AI-powered tips every morning? Sign up free at horseracingoracleai.com → Betting involves risk. Please gamble responsibly. Visit BeGambleAware.org.