Article
William Hill are the official title sponsor of the 2026 Grand National Festival at Aintree. New customers can claim £40 in free bets by placing a £10 bet across the three-day meeting. Here's how to claim, plus race analysis and existing customer promotions.

Day one of the Aintree Festival is underway, and as the official title sponsor of the meeting, William Hill has one of the best Grand National offers this week.

Their name is on the Manifesto Novices’ Chase at 14:20 today and the Aintree Hurdle at 16:05, among others. The Grand National itself goes to post at 4 pm on Saturday.

William Hill Grand National sign up offer: Get £40 in free bets

The main William Hill Grand National offer for new UK customers is Bet £10, Get £40 in free bets. That’s four £10 tokens, and the qualifying conditions are straightforward.

To claim:

  1. Sign up via the “Get £40 in free bets” link at the top of this page.
  2. Deposit £10 or more using a UK debit card.
  3. Place a £10 cash single bet at minimum odds of 1/2 on any sportsbook market.
  4. Once your bet settles, four £10 free bet tokens are credited to your account.

Free bets are valid for 7 days. With today’s Thursday card, Friday’s Ladies’ Day and Saturday’s National all still to come, there’s plenty of time to use them across the festival.

William Hill pays 6 places each-way on the Grand National, which is double the standard terms for a race of this type. NRNB is also available on the race. If your selection doesn’t make the final line-up, your stake is returned as cash rather than lost.

William Hill Grand National sign up offer: Get £40 in free bets

William Hill Grand National analysis (Saturday, 4 pm)

I Am Maximus heads the market and the weight of public money. The 2024 winner and last year’s runner-up carries top weight off 168, but he handles Aintree better than almost anything in the field and Paul Townend takes the ride at this top horse racing betting site.

Grangeclare West (9/1) and Jagwar (10/1) are the next two in the market. Panic Attack at 12/1 is worth noting. Dan Skelton’s mare has earned over a quarter of a million in prize money this season alone, and the yard has a strong record in big-field handicaps at the festivals.

Johnnywho (14/1) is hard to ignore either. His Cheltenham Ultima win came on his first run back from a wind operation, which is the kind of form that’s easy to underrate. He gets in off a workable weight and has the stamina for the trip.

William Hill’s price boosts for today’s supporting card are already live. On Thursday’s 13:45 opener at Aintree, the Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle, the Racing Post verdict highlights a fascinating rematch between Selma De Vary, Maestro Conti and Minella Study after their Triumph Hurdle collision at Cheltenham.

Willie Mullins’ Selma De Vary is the one they single out, given she was switched in the closing stages at Cheltenham and arguably didn’t get the clearest run. Current boosts include:

  • Selma De Vary and Lulamba both to win at 5/1 (was 9/2)
  • Selma De Vary to win by over 3 lengths at 13/2 (was 9/2)
  • Maestro Conti to win by over 3 lengths at 17/2 (was 13/2)
William Hill Grand National analysis (Saturday, 4 pm)

Lulamba is the 4/7 top bet for the 14:20 Manifesto Novices’ Chase, with Jango Baie at 11/8 for the Bowl Chase.


William Hill Grand National offers for existing customers

William Hill are the official betting partner of the Grand National Festival at Aintree and have promotional offers running across all three days, including Extra Places on the Grand National itself. Best Odds Guaranteed covers every race at the meeting.

If your selection’s starting price is bigger than the price you took, you’re paid at the higher odds automatically. The Extra Places icon appears throughout the festival on handicap races, with additional finishers paid on selected contests.

Keep an eye on the app across Thursday and Friday for race-specific boosts similar to those running today.