Two thirds of the population to place a flutter on the Grand National

Ahead of the world’s most famous horserace, this Saturday’s Grand National, bookmaker Coral has carried out a survey of 2,000 adults which showed that over 65% of them intended to place a bet on the Aintree showpiece.  The survey also revealed that almost half – 47% – of those asked said they backed their chosen runner based on the name of the horse, a figure that rose to 76% among the housewives that responded.

Other favoured methods of finding the potential winner include the 12% who pick a horse if the name includes a favourite colour – something fans of the most famous National winner of all time, Red Rum, will be familiar with, and the 20% who use their lucky number to determine their bet, with 7, 13 and 21 being the most popular numbers.

Finally, the good news is 57% of those questioned said they had backed the winner of the National at least once in the past.

“Grand National day remains the one day of the year when millions of people enjoy having a flutter, and our survey showed that almost two thirds of the adult population will place a bet on Saturday, ensuring more than £150 million could be riding on the big race,” said Coral’s David Stevens.

“The form book goes out of the window, with people instead preferring a variety of methods to choose their National runner, and based on the colour in the name and lucky number principals, this year Chicago Grey and Viking Blond, and Roberto Goldback (number 7), Colbert Station (13) and Tatenen (21) are all likely to be popular, while Seabass, third last year and the mount of Katie Walsh, looking to become the first female jockey to win the race, could also be a popular housewives’ choice,” added Stevens.

“Over half of those questioned have found the winner in the past, so maybe the experts should take note of these methods!” reckoned Stevens.