No matter what side of the pond you live on, you’ve surely heard of the Grand National and the Kentucky Derby. But depending on whether you are in the U.K. or America, you might not be as familiar with the race run on the other continent. So what are the main differences between the two races? And more importantly what are some things to know when it comes to Grand National online betting as compared to if you want to bet the Kentucky Derby?
First, let’s look at the history of both races. As you might expect, the Grand National, which is held at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England, has the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs beat in terms of age, although maybe but not as wide a margin as you might think. This is among the most popular races in the US, especially for sports betting Indiana. The first Run for the Roses was held in 1875, which is a few decades after the first Grand National was held back in 1839.
The distance of the two races are also quite different, as the Grand National is a shade over four miles long and is run over 30 fences, while the Kentucky Derby is only a mile and a quarter on a flat track. That means the Grand National is run in about nine minutes, while the Kentucky Derby is over in about two. And the Grand National is normally held in late March or early April, while the Kentucky Derby is run on the first Saturday in May.
But of course the two marquee events do have quite a bit in common as they are almost national holidays in their respective countries and they are races in which just about everyone wants to watch and wager on.
When it comes to wagering, the betting favorites have done quite well in the Kentucky Derby in recent years, but the same cannot be said about the Grand National. In fact, less than 10 favorites have won the Grand National since World War II and it’s not uncommon at all for longshots at odds of 30-1 or more to win. It was only a decade ago that Mon Mome won at the astounding odds of 100-1.
When it comes to wagering on the Grand National, keep in mind that fixed odds are available, which is not generally the case for the Kentucky Derby. Also keep in mind that as many as 40 horses can race in the Grand National, compared to only 20 in the Kentucky Derby, so that can also make it a very attractive betting race!