Now that The Cheltenham Festival has passed, Bookmakers will be looking toward Aintree and The Grand National in the hope of recession beating pay day from punters. The first step in the process of keeping the cash in their pockets is by switching off free bets from The Grand National. So if you're fancy a free National flutter doing it before the 3rd April is a good idea. For example at Coral you can get a free up to £25 match deposit bet, however usually on the eve of Grand National day that offer is withdrawn. You can bet early (and perhaps even get better odds) as the book is already open on the runners and riders. However, you must be aware that if your horse doesn't run then you may not get your money back!
Ladbrokes (£10), Totesport (£25), Skybet (£10) and William Hill (£10 - use code BD10) all have matched deposit offers that may well disappear next week. For free bet hunters it's also worth noting that the big newspapers (e.g. The Sun and The Mirror) tend to team up with the Bookies for special deals, although whether these will appear in 2009 due to the credit crunch and recession remains to be seen.
Currently favourite for The Grand National at Aintree on 4th April at 10/1 is My Will who is closely followed by Butler's Cabin, Black Apalachi, Big Fella Thanks, Character Building and Rambling Minster.
