Grand National Festival 2026: Best Bets for Day 2

We're back for another day at Aintree and BettingLounge's racing expert Ben has gone through some of his favourite bets for the day, putting them in one place for you.

So, let's just dive in.

🥇 Best Bet

I'm really surprised to see this price for Sober Glory in the Top Novices' Hurdle. At 8/13, he looks to be a great bet, given he oozed class at Cheltenham, despite not getting a win.

Perhaps he went a little under the radar beforehand, but that isn't the case here. He was a strong second at the festival and perhaps he could have won without the chaos towards the end of the race.

Nevertheless, it seems his owners want him to go down the Champion Hurdle route and I think he will just have too much class for those in this race.

🥈 Next Best

My Next Best is a bit of an interesting pick and I'm hoping to see more from Paul Nicholls-trained No Drama This End. In the Turners, he was really underwhelming, but it was claimed that his start was poor and he had no chance from there.

Interestingly, he steps up to 3m 1/2f in the Sefton Novices' Hurdle, so it could alleviate the risk of a poor start, killing his chances.

A chaser in the making, this seems to be a real test of what he could be going forward. If he is as good as the Nicholls team suggests, this could be a great chance for him to shine.

At the time of writing, he is the second favourite behind Cheltenham winner Johnny's Jury. However, given Nicholls' horse was never really going at the festival, he may be a tad fresher, which could play in his favour.

👀 Longshot

My final tip actually comes in the first race of the day and I'm hoping that we can get off to a good start here. So, in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle, I'm going for Hot Fuss.

In the Martin Pipe, it finished a strong second behind Air of Entitlement, which certainly was a bit eye-catching at 25/1 and his form is actually superb when studying it.

In January, he beat Wilful, a Cheltenham winner in his own right. He finished behind the 7-year-old in December, but he finished in second, 1 and 1/4 lengths ahead of Champion Hurdle prospect Alexei.

His form looks incredible and he has only had a five-pound rise from Cheltenham. I think he could go well again here.

Good luck with your picks, and let us know if you back any of our selections on X @BetLoungeTips!