Bet On The Grand National Uniting A Broken Britain Briefly

Everyone likes to have a bet on the Grand National and with sites like Bet365 providing unprecedented accessibility the 2017 running of this famous race is set to be a bookies bonanza, but just why does this one event span the social strata of Britain and bring the country to a stand still once a year?

Social Class Betting Tips

• The Grand National 2017
• Upper Class – The Young Master – 20/1
• Middle Class – Pleasant Company – 11/1
• Lower Class – Definitely Red – 11/1

Like a lot of great traditional events in Britain you can always bet on the Grand National to be slightly larger than life. Weighed down with the trappings of history this is no mere horse race, not just a moment of optimistic flutter for those that only bet on sports in the UK once a year, but an institution that forms part of the very fabric of the country dating all the way back to 1830-something – and if that seems a tad inaccurate it’s because like all important pillars of national identity it is still up for debate.

There was a horse race in the same place at the same time as far back as 1829 but don’t bet on the Grand National archivists listing it, the first unarguable Grand National probably being that of 1839 benefiting from the railway coming to Liverpool, the Great St Albans Chase, which clashed with it previously, disappearing and some worthies actually forming a committee to run it properly creating what rapidly became a mainstay on the annual racing calendar growing into the legend it is today.

The Grand National A Social Cohesive For The UK

Assisted by liberal UK gambling laws the popularity of this event has never waned with only the two World Wars interrupting this yearly betting binge that has thrown off the negative connotations often hurled upon gambling and is now untainted, a wager everyone can make at without anyone thinking the less of them and the bookies even pander to this tradition with Bet365 offering a Non-Runner-No-Bet deal that keeps anyone from being disappointed by a late withdrawal, keeping it fun for all.

It is that “all” part that is usual. Most events, even the famous ones, cater for a particular section of the public. Henley and Glyndebourne are for the rich, the FA Cup for the only slightly less well heeled and the bottom of the social ladder are fobbed off with “The Voice” and “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here” on wholly unrealistic reality shows. However anyone can bet on the Grand National, and it is one of the few British sporting events that cuts across the social strata and brings everyone together.

Bet On The Grand National At Bet365 This Saturday

Grand National 2017

• Saturday 8th April
• Aintree, UK
• Distance – 7.242km
• Fences – 30
• Field – 40+ (typical)

Saturday will see Aintree throng with a true cross section of British society who’ll gather to watch a field forty horses strong jump 30 fences in a steeplechase like no other. There will be plenty of the awfully well off in the Executive Boxes, the Festival Zone will be packed with middle class hoorays and, if the weather is nice on the day, you can bet on the Grand National attracting the great unwashed to the Steeplechase Enclosure, Aintree’s version of the cheap seats, whilst millions more watch on TV.

Anyone in the UK gambling news coverage will not highlight this repeatedly on Saturday probably hasn’t noticed how divided Britain is these days, but you can bet on the Grand National to bring people together with horses named to suit every social strata. Definitly Red at 11/1 might attract some core Labour supporters to back it at Bet365, the middle classes might go for Pleasant Company at 16/1 and The Young Master at 20/1 is the sort of name no upper class toff could possibly refuse to put a few quid on,