Grand or ‘Tanned National’ as punters to delight in climate ‘hotter than the Med’

On Apr 3, 2025

Thousands of punters are expected to make the journey to Aintree today for the beginning of one of racing’s biggest events – and many of them are expected to leave with a tan

10:13, 03 Apr 2025

The Grand National will be dubbed the ‘tanned national’(Image: Getty Images)

The Grand National starts today (Thursday, April 2) with punters expected to enjoy weather warmer than the Mediterranean.

The three-day event offers top class horse racing which builds up to the world’s most famous steeplechases that attracts viewers from around the world – but punters can also expect to catch a tan while watching the spectacle. Around 150,000 people will descend on the racecourse across Thursday, Ladies Day and the highly-anticipated Grand National Day. And visitors are in luck this year.

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Notoriously, the weather can be hit and miss due to the early April dates. However, the Met Office have promised a scorcher this week.

Thousands are expected to visit Aintree over the next few days(Image: Getty Images)

For the North West on Thursday, April 3, the Met Office has forecasted: “Another widely dry and fine day with any early low cloud lifting to leave plenty of warm sunshine.”

The hour-by-hour weather forecast provided by the weather agency for Aintree suggests temperatures could reach a high of 20C. Here is the hourly forecast from when the gates open at 11am and after the last race gets underway at 5.15pm:

Temperatures could reach near 20C(Image: Getty Images)

11am: 14C and sunny (feels like 11C)

12pm: 16C and sunny (feels like 12C)

1pm: 17C and sunny (feels like 13C)

2pm: 18C and sunny (feels like 13C)

3pm: 19C and sunny (feels like 14C)

4pm: 19C and sunny (feels like 14C)

5pm: 19C and sunny (feels like 14C)

6pm: 18C and sunny (feels like 13C)

And the good weather shouldn’t end there. While many punters will be betting on the horse, bookies are predicting Saturday could host the hottest day this year on record.

Aintree will be the prime place to get a tan, says weather experts(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

With temperatures finally on the up, the bookies make it just a 6/4 shot for Saturday to go down as the hottest day of 2025 so far.

As things stand, Stumptown leads the betting to win the big one at Aintree on Saturday, at 7/1, while last year’s champ, I Am Maximus, remains a 10/1 shot. Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: “Saturday’s all about Bets and BBQs for Brits, who look set to bask in record-breaking temperatures for the year so far.”

Currently, Saturday, April 5, to be hottest day of 2025 is set at 6/4. These odds are pretty sure, with many dubbing the race “the Tanned National”.

It’s not just the horses the bookies are looking to(Image: Getty Images)

Brits are in for a treat with temps topping 20C as the country rides this mini heatwave. Friday is looking like the scorcher of the week, with most of the UK basking in a balmy 19C or more.

Meanwhile, over in Benalmádena on the Costa del Sol, a Brit holiday staple, it will only hit around 17C. Nearby Torremolinos will be even cooler at 16C. It is not often southern Spain’s chillier than us in early April.

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