Grand National Horse Generator – Pick Your Horse for 2026
The Grand National attracts a different type of customer from the norm. For one day every year the UK and many places around the world, will come to a standstill and have their one and only annual bet.
The Grand National Horse Generator page from Coral, helps guide you through the process of choosing a horse for the race and placing a bet online in a fun and interactive way.
Try it for yourself using the link above; once a horse is selected you can select a stake amount and see how much it would return when you click through. Your selection is retained on the betting slip so it’s nice and simple, especially for those new customers who are not regular punters!
BUT! You don’t necessarily have to back your grand national horse with coral, make sure you compare the odds with any of these top bookies.
Alternatively, if your not just a once a year gambler or prefer to try and make your own pick; to see if you have what it takes to beat the bookies. We asked our resident Horse Racing expert to put together this Grand National Betting Guide.
Did you know you could back a horse using mobile phone credit?
Place a Bet on the Grand National
The Grand National is one of the biggest betting events in the UK, attracting millions of punters each year. If you are new to horse racing betting, placing your first wager on the race is straightforward once you understand the basic steps.
- Choose a Horse
The first step is deciding which runner you want to back. Some punters study the form, looking at previous race results, trainer performance, and ground conditions. Others prefer a simpler approach, such as backing a well-known horse or using a Grand National horse generator to randomly select a runner for a bit of fun.
- Pick a Betting Site
Once you have your selection, you will need to choose a bookmaker. The best horse racing betting sites usually offer special promotions for the Grand National, including enhanced odds, extra each-way places, and free bet offers around the race.
Having an account with more than one bookmaker can also help you compare prices and find the best available odds before placing your bet.
- Select Your Bet Type
Most new punters place either a win bet or an each-way bet on the Grand National.
- Win bet: your horse must finish first to win the bet.
- Each-way bet: your stake is split into two bets — one for the horse to win and one for it to finish in the places.
Each-way bets are particularly popular for the Grand National because the race usually features a large field, giving outsiders a realistic chance of finishing in the top positions.
- Enter Your Stake
After selecting your horse and bet type, you simply enter the amount you want to stake. Even small bets can make the race more exciting, which is why many casual bettors place a modest wager during the Grand National.
- Confirm Your Bet
The final step is confirming your bet through your chosen bookmaker. Once your wager is placed, you can follow the race live and see whether your selection can navigate the famous Aintree fences and reach the finish line.
For new punters, the Grand National is often the perfect introduction to horse racing betting. Whether you carefully analyse the runners or let a horse generator pick your selection, placing a bet on the race is a simple way to join in with one of the UK’s most famous sporting events.
How Your Occupation and Where You Live Determines How You Pick Your Horse
It was the number one googled events last year and once again on Saturday 11th April 2026, millions will tune in for the world’s most famous horse race, The Grand National.
In a survey of 2000 adults by bookmaker Coral, your occupation and where you live could determine how you choose your winner.
According to the survey, the further north you go, the more likely you are to get technical with your bet, with a quarter of Geordies (25%) and Scots (19%) preferring to study the form or follow a newspaper tipster. At the other end of the country, southerners are more likely to use a lucky number (19%) or amusing name (31%).
Your occupation can also offer clues as to how you will bet, with almost half of students (44%) picking their horse based on an attention-grabbing or amusing names, whilst a third of housewives like to get personal, picking their bet based on a name that means something to them (33%). Marketers and graduates are the most likely to pick their horse based on the colour of a jockey’s silks (15%), while architects are most likely to have a favourite jockey (14%).
Pilots, air stewards or travel agents, are twice as likely (46%) as someone working in IT (23%) to use a lucky number and to stick to the same number each time, while half of househusbands either use their own birthday or the combined age of their kids to pick their lucky number.
Simon Clare, PR and Broadcast Director at Coral comments: “Although the individuals stakes are low, the sheer volume means the Grand National is always a bumper time for bookies.” Clare adds, “Whether you’re a builder in Yorkshire or a teacher in London, it seems that we all like to have a punt on the race and we’re hoping for another record-breaking year.”
Age can be a factor too when picking your horse, the older you are, the more likely you are to leave everything to chance by sticking a pin in the paper; with a fifth of retired Brits (19%) using this method. People in their 30s are most likely to have a favourite jockey, while those in their 20s enjoy an amusing name.
