First Day Racing at Aintree Festival

Some valuable information for punters at the Aintree Festival is to take advantage of these amazing betting promotions.

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Aintree 1.45 Tips – Day One Aintree Festival

The Aintree 13:45 Betting Odds show the race to be an open affair.

Our NAP selection for the Aintree 1.45 race is
Our dark horse selection for the Aintree 1.45 race is

The Manifesto Novices’ Chase is a Grade 1 event for horses aged five and above. It is the first race of the day, starting at 1.45 with a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs.

Aintree 2.20 Tips – Day One Aintree Festival

Our NAP selection for the Aintree 2.20 race is
Our dark horse selection for the Aintree 2.20 race is

The 4-Y-O Novices’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle for horses aged four years and up. It is run at 2:20 on day 1 of the festival, covering a distance of 2 miles and 1 furlong.

Aintree 2.55 Tips – Day One Aintree Festival

The Aintree 14:55 Betting Odds show the race in the betting market to be wide open with several big chances.

Our NAP selection for the Aintree 2.55 race is
Our dark horse selection for the Aintree 2.55 race is

The Aintree Bowl race is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase for horses aged five and above. It is 3 miles and 1 furlong and is run at 2.55 on the 1st day of the festival.

Aintree 3.30 Tips – Day One Aintree Festival

Our NAP selection for the Aintree 3.30 race is
Our dark horse selection for the Aintree 3.30 race is

The Aintree Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle competition for horses aged four and higher. It is raced at 3:30 on the first day of the Aintree Festival over a distance of approximately 2 miles and 4 furlongs.

Aintree 4.05 Tips – Day One Aintree Festival

The Aintree 16:05 Betting Odds show the race to be the most open race of the day, with some bookmakers paying top six places for each-way bets.

Our NAP selection for the Aintree 4.05 race is
Our dark horse selection for the Aintree 4.05 race is

The Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase is a National Hunt steeplechase available to horses aged six and up. It is raced over a distance of approximately 2 miles and 5 furlongs on Day 1 at 4:05.

Aintree 4.40 Tips – Day One Aintree Festival

The Aintree 16:40 Betting Odds show many horses to have EW chances, and online bookies are paying top five places in the betting market.

Our NAP selection for the Aintree 4.40 race is
Our dark horse selection for the Aintree 4.40 race is

The Red Rum Handicap Chase is a Grade 3 National Hunt steeplechase for horses aged five and up. It is held over approximately 2 miles at 4:40 on the first day of the festival.

Aintree 5.15 Tips – Day One Aintree Festival

The Aintree 17:15 Betting Odds show the race to have Paul Nicholls at the head of the betting market, which is no surprise in flat national hunt races.

Our NAP selection for the Aintree 5.15 race is
Our dark horse selection for the Aintree 5.15 race is

The Mares’ NH Flat Race is a Grade 2 National Hunt flat race for fillies and mares aged four to six years old. It has a distance of approximately 2 miles and 1 furlong and is the last race on day 1 at 5.15.

Aintree Festival Day 1 Double

Our Double picks for Aintree Festival Day 1 Races are:

Aintree Festival Day 1 Lucky 15

Our Lucky 15 Tips for Aintree Festival Day 1 Races are:

With many of the races on the opening day of the Aintree Festival being very open in the betting markets, we recommend backing the Lucky 15 bets as an each-way bet type.

Given the prices of the horses, we have tipped that you will only need one winner to make a decent return.

Summary of Aintree Day One Tips

The first day of horse racing at the Aintree Festival has so many outstanding racehorses competing at the highest level.

Horse Racing on Thursday is an excellent start to the three-day event, and many punters will be researching how the course is riding in terms of ground conditions for the huge races over the weekend, like the Grand National 2026 main event.

Here are all the related articles to the Aintree Festival 2026.