The Aintree Festival starts today, Thursday April 9th. Racing begins on the track and the going description that emerges from Thursday and Friday's races will be the most accurate available information about what the Grand National field will face on Saturday afternoon. Understanding how to read the ground conditions at Aintree — and what they mean for the specific horses in the field — is one of the most useful pre-race assessments any punter can make.
What the Going Description Means
British racing uses a standardised scale to describe ground conditions, ranging from hard at one end to heavy at the other. For jump racing in spring, the most common conditions are good to soft, soft, and good. Each carries specific implications for how the race is run and which horses are advantaged.
Good ground at Aintree rewards horses with a high cruising speed, horses that travel efficiently rather than grinding through soft footing. It tends to produce faster finishing times and rewards horses that can maintain their pace over the closing stages.
Soft to heavy ground slows the race down, increases the physical demand on every horse in the field, and consistently advantages horses with proven stamina on cut ground over horses whose best form has come on quicker surfaces. In heavy ground, the final mile of the Grand National becomes a test of reserves that eliminates horses whose stamina ceiling is lower than the conditions expose.
How the Ground Changes During the Festival
The going at Aintree is updated multiple times per day during the Festival. Racing on Thursday and Friday cuts up the ground along the running rail and in the landing areas of fences. By Saturday morning, the course will have been raced on twice and the going description will reflect the actual wear rather than the theoretical forecast.
Watch the going stick readings published alongside each Thursday and Friday race — they tell you precisely how firm or soft the ground is at specific measurement points. If the going stick readings are trending softer through Thursday, the ground on Saturday will be softer than Thursday's initial description. If they are trending firmer as dry weather sets in, Saturday's conditions may be faster than expected.
Which Horses It Helps
I Am Maximus won the Grand National on good to soft in 2024. Grangeclare West won the Bobbyjo on heavy ground in February. Nick Rockett won last year's National. The top market leaders have form across a range of conditions. At the deeper end of the going scale — genuinely soft or heavy — Grangeclare West's Bobbyjo form becomes the most directly relevant evidence in the field. At quicker ground, I Am Maximus and horses with flat-track speed profiles come into their own.
Monitor the going updates from Aintree today and tomorrow morning before finalising your Grand National bet.
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