Grand National Festival 2025: Dates, how to watch on TV, trainers and jockeys to watch
The excitement is building for the 2025 Grand National Festival, and Sports News Blitz is here to guide you through the biggest storylines.
Here, Callum Close tells all there is to know as Aintree prepares for another thrilling edition of this iconic event.
The road to Aintree
Thousands will descend on Merseyside in just over two weeks’ time when the 2025 Grand National Festival gets underway.
The event will see three days of prestigious racing at Aintree racecourse precede Europe’s most valuable jump race - the Randox Health Grand National.
Just over four miles and two furlongs is the distance that separates the starters’ flag and the shadows of the winning post, with two laps of the iconic course and 30 fences in between.
It is an event that is prominent in British culture and the race is popular amongst many people who do not normally watch or bet on horse racing at other times of the year.
From the thunderous hooves to the roar of the crowd to the gathering of families around televisions and sweepstakes amongst colleagues, there really is nothing like the Grand National.
READ MORE: Grand National 2025 news: Inothewayurthinkin will miss Aintree, says Gavin Cromwell
When is the Grand National Festival?
Thursday, April 3 is the day that will see racing's elite gather in the North West of England.
The first race of 21 at the Festival is the Grade One EBC Group Manifesto Novices’ Steeplechase - it will come under starters’ orders at 13:45 GMT.
Day one will also feature the Aintree Bowl, a race which typically attracts horses that ran in the Cheltenham Gold Cup - as well as the Aintree Hurdle, won in 2023 by then Champion Hurdle winner Constitution Hill.
The second day is ‘Ladies Day’ and it plays host to four Grade One races, including the Melling Chase which normally boasts a field of runners who ran in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
The festival's three days of action-packed racing culminate in the Grand National Steeplechase on Saturday, April 5, it will run at approximately 4pm.
Trainers to watch
Where better to start than with last year’s Grand National-winning trainer Willie Mullins?
The Irishman will arrive at Aintree off the back of a Cheltenham Festival which saw the 100/1 winner of the Triumph Hurdle - Poniros - hail from his yard.
Emphatic successes of Fact To File in the Ryanair Chase and Lossiemouth in the Mares Hurdle highlighted the Festival for Mullins - who trained a record-equalling 10 winners at the Festival and retained his Champion Trainer crown for the seventh consecutive year.
However, it is English trainer Nicky Henderson who has coached the most winners at the Grand National meeting since 2014.
Over the past 10 years, he has trained 28 winners at the meeting and had 63 placed runners. Meanwhile, Mullins has trained eight fewer winners and had 15 fewer places.
Interestingly, they both trade at a loss to £1 stakes so it may pay dividends to follow Scottish trainer Lucinda Russell.
Russell doesn't run many at the Aintree meeting (25 since 2014) but has a winning strike rate of one in five - including the 2017 and 2023 Grand National.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Premier League Darts news: Night 7 preview and predictions
Jockeys to watch
The ever-pragmatic seven-barrow stable jockey Nico de Boinville tops the list of winners since 2014 (12) and will ride again for Henderson despite having only one winner at the Cheltenham Festival.
Fellow Englishman Harry Cobden has saddled nine winners in the same time frame at the Aintree Festival.
The same goes for Irishman Mark Walsh, who is synonymous with owner JP Mcmanus’ green and gold silks.
However, none of the three have ever won the Grand National. Therefore, it may be fruitful to follow the ever-reliable Paul Townend - Mullins’ stable jockey.
He retained Champion Festival Jockey at Cheltenham for the fourth year in a row, after he saddled four winners to victory.
How to watch the Grand National Festival?
The 2025 Grand National Festival will be shown live and for free on UK terrestrial TV via ITV.
More ‘hardcore’ racing fans have the option to subscribe to Racing TV - a dedicated horse racing broadcaster that is also screening the Festival.
READ NEXT: The stats behind Newcastle United’s historic Carabao Cup final victory over Liverpool
