The real lucky and unlucky Grand National numbers ahead of your 2023 bet

When attempting to pick one of the 40 Grand National numbers, there are many different strategies for making a selection.

The more knowledgeable will consider form, stamina and jumping capabilities when selecting their runner.

Others will like the silks of a particular jockey, the attraction of a grey horse, a random outsider in the betting or be drawn to an entrant with a memorable name.

Most people generally have lucky numbers or numbers that mean something specific to them, such as the day or month a family member was born.

These numerals have a tendency to factor into certain decisions. Alongside which National Lottery numbers to pick, they could also be used to place a Grand National bet, with each horse assigned a number on the racecard that can also be seen on their saddlecloth.

Just how lucky or unlucky are such digits?

The Grand National has been regularly run with 40 runners since the turn of the century and here are some findings from the last 22 renewals of the Aintree showpiece that will go some way towards which racecard numbers you need to be on and which you should avoid.

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Which Grand National numbers win the most?

Some 16 different numbers have won the Grand National in the last 23 years, and last year Noble Yeats carried number 28 to victory. But which numbers have been most successful?

In the last 22 years, numbers 10, 13, 29 and 35 have won more than once. Numbers 29 and 35 have had the most recent success, with both two winners each in the last 10 years carrying those numbers to victory.

In 2013, Auroras Encore sprung a huge 66/1 surprise carrying number 35, and Minella Times also had 35 on his saddle cloth when winning in 2021. Pineau De Re took number 29 into the winners’ enclosure in 2014 and then two years later 29 was once again the lucky number when Rule The World triumphed in 2016.

This year, Mister Coffey (50/1) will carry number 29 as he bids to give trainer Nicky Henderson a first Grand National success, while Our Power (20/1) has been given number 35.

Those Grand National numbers in the middle have proved the most prolific overall, with horses between 11 and 29 on the racecard proving the most successful in the last 22 years.

Despite representing just under half of the total runners, these numbers have supplied 12 of the 22 winners in this period.

Which number is most reliable for securing an each-way payday?

Standard each-way betting terms for the Grand National pay the first four finishers, but William Hill will be paying out on the first six home at Aintree in 2023.

Three numbers are still to finish in the top six in the last 22 years, which suggests that 8, 25 and 39 are best avoided when betting on the Grand National.

Those seemingly at a disadvantage this year are Sam Brown (80/1), Ain’t That A Shame (20/1) and Back On The Lash (28/1), who carry those respective numbers.

On a more positive note, 27 has been second past the post four times since 2000. No other number has finished in the same position more frequently. Maybe this will be the year that a deserved victory arrives? A big outsider in Enjoy D’Allen will wear 27 this year and is priced at 80/1.

In terms of top-six finishes, number 37 has accomplished this five times since 2010, making it a friend of each-way Grand National backers. No other number has finished in the top six more than three times in the same period.

What’s more, three of these have been sent off at odds of 33/1 or larger too, including 100/1 outsider In Compliance in 2012.

Franky Du Berlais is 37 this time and could extend the good record of longshots as he’s 80/1 to win the Grand National.

Which Grand National numbers are most likely to give you a run for your money?

Of the 875 runners that have lined up at the tape for the Grand National this century, 198 have completed the marathon trip, which has been shortened slightly from 4m4f to a shade over 4m2f since 2013.

Grand National number 37 has finished the race most often during this time, completing 12 times, while number 10, 24 and 32 have each completed 11 races.

Franky Du Berlais (37), Gabbys Cross (32), Velvet Elvis (24) and Carefully Selected (10) will carry these numbers this year.

That could bode well for Irish-trained horses, with three of the four hailing from the Emerald Isle.

The same can’t be said of Capodanno and Lifetime Ambition, as their numbers – 6 and 9 – have been the least frequent finishers across the last 23 Grand Nationals, crossing the line only four times each.

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Which Grand National numbers struggle to complete?

Unsurprisingly, those carrying the heaviest weights have generally had difficulty completing. All of the numbers between 1 and 9 are in double figures in terms of failing to finish.

The top weight has found it a particular strain. Number 1 has failed to finish in seven of the last 10 years and tailed off in 16th position in two of the other three contests.

Last year’s second Any Second Now will be carrying top weight this time around, but this shouldn’t be too much of a problem as he also lugged 11-8 round 12 months ago.

The real unlucky number across the last decade has certainly been 31. The proof lies in the fact that his number has only completed one National – when Vieux Lion Rouge finished 15th in 2019 – since Philson Run came home in fourth behind Silver Birch in 2007.

This doesn’t bode well for the Sandy Thomson-trained Hill Sixteen this year.

Which Grand National numbers are generally the unluckiest?

There are numerous ways that a horse may fail to finish any horse race. Among the most unlucky is to be unavoidably brought down by another horse directly ahead that had made its own mistake.

Equally unfortunate is to be carried out, which is when one of the riderless loose horses causes interference and others are effectively run off the track.

Number 20 has fallen prey to these the most frequently this century. It’s also a number with a poor completion record, getting round in four of the last 15 renewals.

Number 20 this year is Diol Ker.

Which Grand National number is the clumsiest?

Clumsy horses are best described as those which are error-prone jumpers that either fall over on the landing side of a fence or land in such a way that results in their jockey being unseated.

If you’ve read this far, it will come as little surprise that 31 gets this dubious honour since 2010, falling or unseating on eight occasions.

However, across the full 23 years of research, number 8 is the worst offender with 15 examples of falling or unseating. Sam Brown carried that number this year.

On the flip side, number 4, Fury Road this year, tends to be the finest jumper overall, falling and unseating only twice in 19 runnings.

The main takeaways

• Numbers 35 and 29 have both won two of last 10 Grand Nationals (Our Power and Mister Coffey)
• Number 27 has finished second four times since 2000 (Enjoy D’Allen)
• Number 37 is the best for both completions and top-six finishes this decade (Franky Du Berlais)
• Number 31 has only finished one Grand National since 2007 (Hill Sixteen)
• Number 4 has only fallen or unseated twice since 2004 (Fury Road)
• Numbers 6 and 9 have no top-six finishes this century (Capodanno and Lifetime Ambition)
• Number 33 hasn’t finished better than 12th in a Grand National since victory in 2008 (Recite A Prayer)