Thousands of racegoers head to Liverpool for the Grand National meeting at Aintree racecourse (3–5 April in 2025) each year. But if you’re not heading there in person, there is no need to miss any of the action, as every single race from the meeting is available if you know how to watch the Grand National on TV or via the live streams that are available.
How to watch the Grand National on TV
ITV and the ITVX streaming service will be showing most races from the Aintree Grand National meeting for free in the UK. If you’re abroad, and trying to watch ITVX like you normally would back in the UK, then you can use a VPN. Check out NordVPN, where you can get 70% off, plus a 30-day money back guarantee, and follow the instructions below.
To help you prepare for the big race, our armchair viewing guide to the Grand National meeting includes a complete form guide for all 34 of the Randox Grand National runners, expert Grand National tips, and a free Grand National sweepstake kit to add to the fun while you are watching the action on your TV or live stream.
Where can I watch the Grand National?
Those of you with a Racing TV subscription can enjoy all the races live but for everyone else in the country, tune in to the main ITV Channel, where the ITV Racing team will take you right to the heart of the action. The live Grand National meeting coverage will also be simulcast on ITV X, on web and app for viewers to watch online or if you’re on the move you can still keep up to date by listening to BBC Radio 5 Live.
Presented by Ed Chamberlin, alongside a team of some of the sport’s best pundits, ITV Racing will broadcast five races a day of top class racing across the three-day Festival, with an extended show on Grand National Day.
ITV’s BAFTA-winning team include Grand-National winning jockeys Sir Anthony McCoy, Ruby Walsh and Mick Fitzgerald.
Joining them covering all the action around the whole course will be Rishi Persad, Alice Plunkett, Adele Mulrennan and Matt Chapman. Brian Gleeson will be in the betting ring with Luke Harvey down at the starts. Oli Bell will interact with viewers at home and look at stats in the “social stable” and the three big race commentators will be Richard Hoiles, Mark Johnson and Stewart Machin.
There will also be a full review of the big race on Saturday with Ruby Walsh alongside Oli Bell taking us through his analysis of what happened fence by fence.
What time does the Grand National start?
The ITV Racing coverage from the Grand National meeting will show racing between 1.30pm and 5pm on Thursday 3 and Friday 4 April and 12.45pm and 5pm on Saturday 5 April, with the Grand National itself getting underway on Saturday at 4pm.
ITV Racing’s The Opening Show will be shown between 9.30am and 10.30am on Thursday and Friday on ITV4 and 9.30am and 10.30 am on the main ITV channel on Saturday.
The full 2025 Grand National meeting racecard is as follows.
Thursday 3 April
1.45pm: EBC Group Manifesto Novices’ Chase (Grade One)
2.20pm: Boodles Anniversary 4yo Juvenile Hurdle (Grade One)
2.55pm: Brooklands Golden Miller Chronograph Bowl Chase (Grade One)
3.30pm: William Hill Aintree Hurdle (Grade One)
4.05pm: Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase (Grade One)
4.40pm: Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase
5.15pm: Goffs Nickel Coin Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (Grade Two)
Friday 4 April
1.45pm: Huyton Asphalt Franny Blennerhassett Memorial Mildmay Novices’ Chase (Grade One)
2.20pm: William Hill Handicap Hurdle
2.55pm: TrustATrader Top Novices’ Hurdle (Grade One)
3.30pm: My Pension Expert Melling Chase (Grade One)
4.05pm: Randox Supporting Prostate Cancer UK Topham Handicap Chase
4.40pm: Oddschecker Sefton Novices’ Hurdle (Grade One)
5.15pm: Hallgarten And Novum Wines Handicap Hurdle
Saturday 5 April
1.20pm: William Hill Top Price Guarantee Handicap Hurdle
1.55pm: Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle (Grade One)
2.30pm: William Hill Handicap Chase
3.05pm: Ivy Liverpool Hurdle (Grade One)
4pm: Randox Grand National Handicap Chase
5pm: Rosconn Group Maghull Novices’ Chase (Grade One)
5.35pm: Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (Grade Two)
What TV channel is the Grand National on?
UK viewers with a Racing TV subscription can enjoy all the races from the Randox Grand National meeting live but for everyone else in the country, tune in to the main ITV Channel, where the ITV Racing team will take you right to the heart of the action.
Where can I watch the Grand National live online?
The live Grand National meeting coverage will be simulcast on ITV X, on web and app for viewers to watch online.
Is the Grand National on ITV or BBC?
ITV has the UK free-to-view TV broadcast rights for the Grand National, but BBC Radio 5 Live will cover it on radio.
Which radio station will cover the Grand National?
If you’re on the move, or prefer to listen to the action, you can keep up to date by listening to BBC Radio 5 Live.
How to watch the Grand National meeting from around the world
Not in the UK right now? You don’t have to miss out on any of the action from the Grand National meeting. ITVX is geo-restricted, meaning it doesn’t usually work outside of the UK, but a VPN is a simple and safe way around this.
A Virtual Private Network will alter your device’s IP address to make it appear to be in a different country, allowing you to access your usual streaming services from anywhere in the world. It’s great for watching racing on the move, and it’s also handy even if you’re watching at home. VPNs are designed with internet security in mind, creating encrypted connections that keep your data safe from third parties and improve streaming speeds by preventing bandwidth ‘throttling’ from your internet service provider.
There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. We’d suggest using a paid-for service such as NordVPN, which is the best VPN in the world according to our colleagues at TechRadar.
Get 73% off with NordVPN
TechRadar love NordVPN’s ability to unblock streaming services, its compatibility, and its top-level security. It comes with a big discount in time for the Grand National and a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it 100% risk-free.
How to use a VPN
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Download and install the VPN of your choice. NordVPN is the one we recommend.
2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access – UK for ITV.
3. Then head over to your streaming service on your device and enjoy the live stream.
How do I bet during the Grand National meeting?
Online betting companies will be clamouring for your custom during the Grand National so look out for some of their promotional deals for new customers which include everything from a free bet to giving your money back if your horse loses. You’ll need to deposit some money into your betting account, choose a race, select your horse (you could study the form, or you could simply pick your lucky number of favourite colour from the jockeys’ silks) and the type of bet — then get ready to cheer!
Get £10 in FREE bets
Want to place a bet during the Grand National meeting? Sign up to Betway and receive a £10 welcome bet.
We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:
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- Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
- Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad
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We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
- To keep up-to-date with all the latest news and updates from the Grand National meeting, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website, and pick up a copy of 10 April magazine for our full report
You may also be interested in:
Grand National tips 2025: who do the experts think will win Saturday’s famous race?
A beginner’s guide to betting
If you fancy having a flutter on a horse race but don’t know where to start, we’re here to help.
Grand National runners and riders – your complete form guide for 2025
‘I spent the next three miles thinking about the rollicking I’d get from the Guv’nor’: Bob Champion relives his 1981 Grand National win on Aldaniti
Aintree pioneers: celebrating Rachael Blackmore and 7 other remarkable women
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