Best Odds Guaranteed for the Grand National: Which Bookmakers Offer BOG?

Imagine this. You back a horse on the Grand National at 16/1 on Thursday morning. By race time on Saturday, the price has drifted to 25/1 — the market has cooled, perhaps because of a negative jockey switch or an unfavourable draw. Your horse wins. Under normal circumstances, you would be paid at 16/1 — the price you took. With Best Odds Guaranteed, you get paid at 25/1. The bookmaker gives you whichever price is higher: the one you took or the starting price. That is BOG in a sentence, and on a race like the Grand National, it can mean the difference between a decent return and a spectacular one.

This guide explains how BOG works, which bookmakers offer it on the Grand National, and — with a few worked examples — when it can genuinely save you money. If you are going to always get the best price, it helps to understand the mechanism behind it.

What Best Odds Guaranteed Means for Grand National Punters

Best Odds Guaranteed is a promotional offer from bookmakers that guarantees you the higher of two prices: the early price you took when you placed your bet, or the starting price (SP) at the time the race begins. If the SP is higher, you are paid at the SP. If the early price was higher, you keep that. Either way, you cannot lose out on price.

BOG exists because bookmakers want to encourage punters to bet early. Early bets give the bookmaker information about where the money is flowing, which helps them manage their liability. In return for that early commitment, the bookmaker removes the risk that the price will move against you after you have placed your bet. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement — the bookmaker gets early market intelligence, and you get price protection.

On the Grand National, BOG is especially valuable. The race generates 700% more bets than the Cheltenham Gold Cup, its nearest competitor in the racing calendar, according to Entain data. That level of interest creates a highly liquid market where prices can move significantly between the ante-post stage and the starting price. A horse might be 20/1 when you back it on Wednesday and 14/1 by Saturday — in which case BOG makes no difference, because you already have the better price. But if the same horse drifts to 25/1 or 33/1, BOG upgrades your payout automatically.

As Lee Phelps of William Hill noted ahead of the 2026 Grand National, the race generates enormous turnover interest — with the open nature of the event and the large prices available driving significant betting activity across the country. In that kind of market environment, bookmakers use BOG as a competitive tool: offering it signals confidence, attracts volume, and builds trust with punters who might otherwise wait until race time to place their bet.

There is also a more subtle benefit. BOG removes the psychological pressure of timing your bet perfectly. Without BOG, you might agonise over whether to take 16/1 now or wait and hope for 20/1 later — only to see the price shorten to 12/1 by race time. With BOG, you can take the 16/1 with confidence, knowing that if the price drifts, you will benefit; and if it shortens, you already have the best number. The Grand National ranked as the world’s number one sporting event for betting volume in 2026, ahead of even the Super Bowl, and BOG plays a small but meaningful role in that dominance.

Which Bookmakers Offer BOG on the Grand National?

BOG is widely available among UK-licensed bookmakers for horse racing, but the specific terms — when it applies, which races it covers, and whether there are any caps — vary between operators.

Bet365 offers BOG on UK and Irish horse racing, including the Grand National. It applies to bets placed at fixed odds on the day of the race (not ante-post). There is typically no maximum payout cap on the BOG enhancement, making it one of the most generous in the market.

William Hill provides BOG on all UK and Irish races for online and in-shop customers. The terms are straightforward and the offer has been a mainstay of William Hill’s racing product for years.

Paddy Power and Betfair Sportsbook both offer BOG, though the exact terms can change season to season. Paddy Power’s version typically applies to the first bet on each selection, which means if you place multiple bets on the same horse, only the first qualifies.

Coral and Ladbrokes offer BOG as part of their standard racing package. Both apply it to online and in-shop bets, with standard terms that cover Grand National day.

Sky Bet offers BOG on selected races, though it is worth checking whether the Grand National is included in the promotion each year, as the terms can be adjusted for major events.

Not all BOG offers are permanent. Some bookmakers run BOG as a seasonal promotion rather than a year-round feature, and terms may change around major festivals. The safest approach is to check the specific BOG terms on your chosen bookmaker’s website in the days before the Grand National, and to look for any exclusions or caps that might apply.

When BOG Saves You Money: Real Grand National Examples

The value of BOG is most dramatic when a horse drifts significantly between the time you place your bet and the starting price. Here are two scenarios that illustrate the impact.

Scenario one: the drifter. You back a horse at 14/1 on Friday afternoon. By Saturday’s off, the horse has drifted to 20/1 — perhaps because of a poor piece of work on the gallops or a rumour about the going not suiting. The horse wins. Without BOG, you are paid at 14/1 — £70 profit from a £5 stake. With BOG, you are paid at 20/1 — £100 profit. That is £30 extra for the same bet, delivered automatically without you having to do anything.

Scenario two: the steamer. You back a horse at 20/1 on Thursday. By race time, the market has piled in and the SP is 10/1. The horse wins. Without BOG, you would still be paid at your original price of 20/1 — BOG guarantees the higher of the two, which in this case is the price you already took. You have lost nothing by betting early.

Scenario three: the each-way enhancement. BOG applies to both the win and place parts of an each-way bet. If you back a horse each way at 16/1 and the SP drifts to 25/1, the place component also benefits — paying at 25/4 (6.25/1) rather than 16/4 (4/1). On a £5 each-way bet, the place return alone jumps from £20 to £31.25. For each-way punters — which is the majority of Grand National bettors — this uplift on the place part can be as valuable as the enhancement on the win side.

The lesson is clear: with BOG, there is no downside to taking an early price. If the price drifts, you benefit. If it shortens, you already have the better number. On the Grand National, where price movements between the ante-post stage and the off can be substantial, that guarantee is worth real money. Always get the best price — and BOG makes sure you do.