I Am Maximus and Nick Rockett, who won the Grand National in 2024 and 2025, are set to compete at Aintree. Both horses are trained by Willie Mullins. They top the weights for the 2026 renewal.
Mullins Dominates the Field
Willie Mullins has nine horses in the field. They include I Am Maximus, Nick Rockett, Grangeclare West, Spanish Harlem, Lecky Watson, Champ Kiely, High Class Hero, Captain Cody and Quai De Bourbon.
Paul Townend is set to ride I Am Maximus. Tom Bellamy will ride Nick Rockett. Patrick Mullins has jumped off Nick Rockett for Grangeclare West.
McManus Seeks Fourth Victory
JP McManus is seeking a record fourth victory in the race. His leading hopefuls are Iroko and Jagwar. They are both trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero.
Johnnywho is another runner for McManus. Also running for McManus are Oscars Brother and Perceval Legallois. Harry Cobden will ride Perceval Legallois.
Spillane’s Tower also holds an entry for the Aintree Bowl. He may yet drop out of the National.
Elliott’s Five Runners
Gordon Elliott, who has trained three National winners, has five runners. They are Gerri Colombe, Firefox and Favori De Champdou. Favori De Champdou was the beaten favourite in the Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Reserves Waiting for a Run
A maximum of 34 runners have been declared for Saturday’s showpiece. Six horses are waiting in reserve.
The reserves are Pied Piper, Imperial Saint, Amirite, Ain’t That A Shame, Deep Cave and Buddy One. They will get runs if there are any non-runners before 13:00 BST on Friday.
The Challenge Ahead
I Am Maximus is bidding to become the first horse to carry top weight to victory since Red Rum in the 1970s. Nick Rockett will attempt to match Tiger Roll’s feat of back-to-back wins in 2018 and 2019. The previous horse to do that was Red Rum.
The big race is due off at 16:00 BST. Runners and riders will negotiate 30 fences. These include Becher’s Brook, The Chair and Canal Turn. The race is over four and a quarter miles.
- Approximate odds: 7-1 I Am Maximus, 9-1 Grangeclare West, 10-1 Jagwar, 12-1 Iroko, Panic Attack, 14-1 Haiti Couleurs, Johnnywho
Henry de Bromhead won the race in 2021 with Rachael Blackmore and Minella Times.