Expert horse racing betting tips for w/c Saturday, April 11th 2026

It's Grand National weekend, and you can feel the excitement in the air! The focal point of the Aintree Festival will draw an estimated television audience of 600 million people. Who will prevail victorious in the 2026 renewal?

Our expert team of racing tipsters are back to give their views on the racing coming our way, along with some valued opinions on the latest issues impacting the sport of kings.

Introducing the Odds Now Horse Racing Punters Panel

Before we get stuck in, here’s a little bit more on the five experts answering our key questions this week:

SD - Races Now's tipster extraordinaire who has shot to prominence over the last year with his engaging content and stellar betting record.

Adam Smith - A betting industry veteran, flat lover and one half of our Races Now double act.

Harry Fowler - Another of Odds Now’s regular racing contributors, currently working in the industry.

Craig Talbot - Owner of Ursa Major Racing, providing affordable and rewarding syndicates for racing fans.

Joe O'Donnell - Racing lover and long-time Races Now viewer, contributor and supporter.

Who is your bet for the Grand National?

SD: I think it is between Captain Cody, Stellar Story, and High Class Hero. Each of them has an upside from a handicap point of view and is pretty unexposed in determining their ceiling. I will be backing them all each way.

AS: I will be backing two. Firstly, Imperial Saint. His Peter Marsh win was decent, and I think that’s good form. He loves Aintree over the standard obstacles, and you can put a massive line through his Ultima run, where he was badly hampered.

HF: I like Monty’s Star. I think this has been the plan all season. Both his runs in Ireland, I felt there was a feeling that he almost got too close to running well.

CT: I’ve been very strong on Grangeclare West. It’s proving a good trial for the National is the Bobbyjo. I really think he can go two places better than last year here.

JOD: Firstly, I really hope we don't see the shambolic starts that beheld Cheltenham at Aintree! Although a lot of people think Jagwar is a professional loser, I am prepared to give the horse one more chance and fancy it strongly to win the National. I think the Mullins team are more exposed this year and is not in quite the same form. The easier national fences, the longer trip and a long straight will all help Jagwar stay in a better position. It has form in big field chaotic races, and is still improving to my eye.

And a National runner at a massive price?

SD: See above. High Class Hero went off a gambled on the favourite in last year's Whitbread, which may have been a sighter into the perceived ability of the Mullins yard inmate.

AS: My first and second choices are the same price (50/1 at the time of writing). Banbridge, I think, is a class act and I just cannot leave him unbacked at such a price, even though there are big stamina question marks.

HF: High Class Hero would be the one I’d nominate. Ran a great race at the end of last season at Sandown over 3 1/2 miles on spring ground. All his runs this season have been on soft/heavy ground, which I don’t think sees him to beat effect. Back on spring ground, I think he could run a big race.

CT: Lecky Watson has some smart novice back form, and despite a poor season to date, I think we could see a much-improved performance on Saturday.

JOD: Yes, I'm also double-dipping. The two I like are Favori De Champdou and Firefox. The latter is an unbelievably huge price and has good form in both the Irish and Cheltenham Gold Cups.

Read More: Racing Weekly - Reviewing Aintree's three day Grand National meeting

The Grade 1 Liverpool Hurdle is also on the Aintree card. Who do you fancy there?

SD: Honesty Policy has had the petrol tank run dry on his last two starts. However, the expectation of improvement, allied too by a much flatter track, could ensure he lasts a little longer this time.

AS: I tipped Home By The Lee on our Cheltenham preview at 40/1, so I will be cheering him again. But a shocking Aintree record and drying ground are not ideal for him. Honesty Policy looks the best bet to me here.

HF: I am expecting Honesty Policy to be too good in the Liverpool Hurdle. The likes of Strong Leader just aren’t horses for this level, really. Honesty Policy has a big future over these trips, and at a track he won at last season, I think he will win.

CT: Hiddenvalley Lake at anything around 11/2 looks a stonking each-way bet to me.

JOD: I like the look of Hiddenvalley Lake. A recent pipe opener at Navan will have blown away the cobwebs for him, and I'm expecting a big run from this lightly-raced gelding.

Plus, two Grade 1s for the Novices on Saturday. Any bets?

SD: Mariabad is at any price you like in the opener, but he has shown on more than one occasion this term that he has a touch of class; he looks worth a small interest each way in an 8-runner affair. If you were kicked before you ran a race, you wouldn’t do very well, and Ballyfad suffered that misfortune prior to his run at Cheltenham. His yard has won this for the last 4 years, and he can make it number 5.

AS: Ballyfad (1:55) for me, as I really rate his form from the Dublin Racing Festival, where Talk The Talk was in front, and Turners winner King Rasko Grey was behind.

HF: In the 1:55pm, Ballyfad, kicked at the start at Cheltenham, ran a below par race there, but you can excuse him. He beat the winner of the Turners the time before. Gordon Elliott has trained the winner of this race for the last four years, and I can’t see why he can’t continue that streak here.

CT: Masked Man each-way in the Hurdle at around 16/1 must be value. Meanwhile, I'd suggest the favourite will win with a bit in hand in the chase.

JOD: In the Hallgarden at 12.45pm. I'll be backing Kala Conti. I think the drop back in trip is a positive, and a prominent bold showing is expected. Meanwhile, in the Turners at 1.55pm, I'll be on Ballyfad. Gordon Elliott has a tremendous record in this race.

Anything taking your eye elsewhere on Saturday?

SD: Watch SD’s daily YouTube tips from 8am Saturday, and you can find out!

AS: The five-day entries for the Craven meeting are filtering through. That’s all that matters after 4pm on Saturday!

HF: Not as much for a bet, but Yarmouth looks to have some quality looking Novice races, which could see a few nice ones for the summer ahead.

CT: From a personal point of view, I would like to see Push The Button run well in the 3-mile hurdle on the card.

JOD: Nothing further for me. I'm concentrating my efforts on Musselburgh after Aintree, who race on Sunday.

Earlier this week, 500 'racing figures' signed an open letter to the culture secretary opposing affordability checks. After the horse has bolted, or what?

SD: That is a loaded question. I signed this as I do feel that something needs to be done, and moaning about the expediency of any attempted logistics change is just moaning for the sake of it.

AS: The sleepwalk into oblivion continues. Individual bookmakers are conducting affordability checks at wildly varying degrees in fear of large fines (there have been many), but on the backdrop of no official guidelines from the regulator. Is it £500 a month for a check? £10,000 in a day? No one knows. Oh, and the BHA have said and done absolutely nothing for years and years about account restrictions and other ill practices from bookmaker to punter. Now they want us all to get together behind them on affordability checks. The consequences of Axe The Racing Tax went well, didn’t they?

HF: Yeah, not quite sure what is expected to happen here. The battle was lost long ago, and these sorts of rules don’t tend to come in and then get taken away.

CT: I'm afraid it feels like we are again somewhat behind the eight ball, with no obvious route out.

JOD: No comment!