How to watch the 2021 Grand National: Live stream the big race online

Arguably the most hotly anticipated race day of the year, the 173rd annual running of the greatest steeplechase in horse racing takes place this weekend at Aintree racecourse in Liverpool. Read on for your full guide to getting a Grand National 2021 live stream, and watch the race online from anywhere.

Watched each year by over 500 million viewers in more than 140 countries, the Grand National sees its 40 competitors take on Aintree’s unique and world-famous fences.

Back after last year’s event was cancelled due to the pandemic, the race sees up to 40 horses attempt to clear 30 of some of horse racing’s most demanding fences over the course of four and a half miles.

Having won the two previous Grand National’s, Tiger Roll has been denied the opportunity to match the legendary Red Rum’s feat of winning the race three times after the Michael O’Leary’s horse was withdrawn from the race last month due to an “unfair weight burden”.

That opens the field up to a number of new contenders to win the historic race for the first time, with Aintree debutant Cloth Cap leading the betting in the days leading up to the race.

The more experienced Potters Corner, (the winner of last year’s Virtual Grand National, a simulated race which replaced last year’s event), is tipped by many to be in contention, while Burrows Saint is also being heavily backed to give trainer Willie Mullins his second Grand National triumph following Hedgehunter’s win back in 2005.

Read on for full details on how to get a Grand National 2021 live stream no matter where you are in the world with our guide below.

Grand National 2021: Where and when?

The Grand National takes place at the iconic Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool on Saturday, April 10.

The horses are set to be under starter’s orders at 5.15pm BST / 12.15pm ET / 9.15am PT / 2.15am AEST

Watch the Grand National 2021 online from outside your country

We have details of all the U.S., UK, Australian and Canadian broadcasters of the Grand National 2021 further down in this guide. If you’re intent on watching the big race, but find yourself away from home then you’ll run into problems when trying to stream your domestic coverage online from abroad as it’s likely to be geo-blocked.

That’s where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can be a lifesaver. They allow you to virtually change the location of your laptop, tablet or mobile to one that’s back in your home country, letting you watch as if you were back there.

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How to live stream the Grand National 2021 for free in the UK

English language live broadcast rights for this huge horse race in the UK are with free-to-air ITV1, meaning all you need to do to watch the action is fire up ITV Hub.

Coverage begins at 2pm BST on Saturday, April 10, with the Grand National itself scheduled for a 5.15pm start.

How to live stream the Grand National 2021 for free in Ireland

With much of the field made up of Irish-trained horses, there’s unsurprisingly a great deal of interest in this race on the Emerald Isle. Thankfully, Virgin Media One is on hand to offer free-to-air coverage of the 2021 Grand National in the Republic of Ireland.

Watch online using Virgin Media Player or check out its TV Anywhere app, which is available for most mobile devices.

Coverage begins at 2pm IST, with the Grand National itself scheduled for 5.15pm.

Live stream the Grand National 2021 in Australia

Premium TV provider Foxtel holds the live broadcast rights to the Grand National 2021 rights Down Under, with the race set to be shown on Sky Thoroughbred Central.

Coverage begins at 11pm AEST on Saturday night, with the main race set for 2.15am in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Can I watch the Grand National 2021 online in the U.S.?

Somewhat surprisingly, there sadly isn’t a confirmed linear broadcaster for the 2021 Grand National. The only alternative is to use one of our best VPN services as described above, set your location to a country on this page that is broadcasting and go from there.

Live stream the Grand National 2021 in Canada

There’s better news for Canadian horse racing fans, who can live stream the 2021 Grand National on the CBC Sports website.

Coverage kicks off at 9am ET / 6am PT on Saturday morning, with the main race set to begin at 12.15pm ET / 9.15am PT.