The 2026 Grand National at Aintree on Saturday (4pm on ITV) is an intriguing puzzle with many of last year’s top performers re-opposing. Ireland’s top trainer, Willie Mullins saddled the first three home last year and trains the favourite in the 2026 Grand National betting.
JP McManus’ I Am Maximus, the 2024 National winner and 2025 runner-up looks a worthy favourite at 7/1. Last year his preparation was seriously compromised but he still ran a great race. This season he has completed three prep races, outrunning odds of 50/1 and finishing second in the grade one Savills Chase in December. He was well beaten in the Irish Gold Cup early in February, appearing to weaken on the soft ground but he jumped straight throughout.
Last year he was veering left at his fences and only completed once before the National. Now a ten-year-old, he will shoulder topweight again but he has the size and strength to carry it more easily than most. Mullins’ top stable jockey, Paul Townend has chosen to partner him again for good reason. He has to be on the shortlist.
Grangeclare West finished third here for Cheveley Park in 2025. He pecked and lost a lot of momentum at the final fence, but stayed on well. This ten-year-old son of Presenting should be at peak fitness after four runs this season. He was last seen winning the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse in February. He made a mistake at the last but won by an eye-catching five and a half lengths. A number of Bobbyjo winners have gone on to triumph at Aintree, including last year’s winner, Nick Rockett.
Willie Mullins’ son Patrick partnered Nick Rockett to victory but deserted him this time and chose to ride Grangeclare West, strengthening the case for supporting him. Nick Rockett was withdrawn on Wednesday, reportedly coughing. He had been plagued by setbacks this season and only run once. Not many horses go on to win the National after placing first time but Mullins is known for achieving feats that elude his contemporaries. Grangeclare West also comes into the race in much better form making him another one for the shortlist.
After last year’s record-breaking 1-2-3 and saddling five of the first seven horses home Mullins’ other runners have to be worth a look. The eight-year-old Captain Cody won the 2025 Scottish National at Ayr and finished third first time out this season in the grade one Drinmore Novice Chase in November.
The inevitable hike in his mark after Ayr has made handicaps more difficult. Captain Cody fell for the first time since his debut in a point-to-point in the Thyestes Handicap Chase in January. Sent off as the 7/2 favourite, he fell at the fifth fence under Paul Townend. He was last seen finishing 33 lengths behind Grangeclere West in the Bobbyjo in February. Jonathan Burke will be on board to find out if he is out of his depth in this company. If saddled by another trainer he would be offered at a much more generous price than 16/1.
Mullins also saddles Gigginstown’s seven-year-old Quai De Bourbon (28/1). He was an unsuccessful favourite in the Irish Grand National last year, beaten ten lengths into third. This season he was pulled up on his debut in the grade three Troytown Handicap Chase, sent off as the 3/1 favourite. He was a 9/1 shot in the Thyestes but pulled up again. His only completion was in a two mile five furlong listed handicap chase at Leopardstown in March when he jumped to the right and weakened on the run-in, finishing third, beaten three lengths. It is difficult to make a case for supporting him here.
The ten-year-old Champ Kiely outran odds of 22/1 to beat his stablemate Ballyburn, the favourite in the grade one Champion Novice Chase a year ago at Punchestown. That was run over three miles and a furlong. He has been raced over slightly shorter distances since and was beaten a head on his debut this season over two miles in a grade three at Naas in November. He has slipped up and been tailed off since, most recently in the Irish Gold Cup and 25/1 is an ungenerous representation of his chances here.
Mullins also saddles Lecky Watson (28/1) for the Slaneyville Syndicate. He seems to have lost his way since he was the surprise winner of the grade one Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Festival last year, outrunning his 20/1 starting price to beat Stellar Story four lengths. He fell next time and has been disappointing in his four runs since this season. It would be a massive turnaround if he could feature here.
Spanish Harlem (33/1) and High Class Hero (50/1) seem even more unlikely to give Mullins his fourth National win. Spanish Harlem won the three mile Kerry National impressively in September but pulled up next time. His mark was raised after he unseated Sean Cleary-Farrell in the Thyestes in January at the last. He subsequently pulled up four out in the Bobbyjo. It is difficult to fancy him. High Class Hero looks very unlikely too. He finished second on his seasonal debut but has pulled up in his two starts since.
Both Mullins and Gordon Elliott are seeking a fourth Grand National win. Elliott had a miserable time in March, saddling just one winner at the Cheltenham Festival but scored in the first race of this meeting and again in the big race of the day.
He picked Gerri Colombe when pressed to select his best chance in the National. This ten-year-old owned by Robcour is talented, finishing second in the 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup to the legendary Galopin Des Champs. More recently he found only Grangeclare West too good in the Bobbyjo.
Gerri Colombe is unbeaten at Aintree, taking the Bowl Chase in 2024 and the Mildmay Novices’ Chase in 2023, both grade ones. This is his first try over the national fences and at a marathon trip. He has never fallen and is the choice of stable jockey, Jack Kennedy. He is a tempting each-way prospect at 25/1.
Elliott also saddles the nine-year-old Stella Story (25/1) for Gigginstown, the owner of his two time National winner, Tiger Roll (2018 and 2019). Stella Story was third in the Bobbyjo, beaten 14 lengths in first time blinkers, giving 8lb to both horses in front of him. He also finished third in a grade one staying chase at Haydock in November, looking to need further but was well beaten in the grade one Savills Chase a month later.
Last year he was second to Lecky Watson in the Brown Advisory and finished third in a grade one novice chase at the end of April, 17 lengths behind Champ Kiely. As a son of Shantou he may not enjoy a marathon trip.
His other runners, Firefox (50/1) and Three Card Brag (40/1) are longshots for good reason here.
Britain’s top trainer Dan Skelton, son of the gold medal-winning showjumper Nick, saddles the strongly fancied Panic Attack (8/1). This ten-year-old daughter of Canford Cliffs was the surprise winner at 16/1 of the Gold Cup Handicap run over three miles two furlongs at Newbury in November, the longest trip she has encountered. She has gone up 8lb since and was last seen finishing third in the Mares’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival over an inadequate two and a half miles.
Panic Attack has had a good preparation, scoring three times this season and is a very reliable jumper, never falling and rarely making a mistake. No mare has won the National since 1951 but very few have lined up. The Skeltons saddled a promising one, Galia Des Liteaux in 2024 with stronger stamina credentials than Panic Attack but she weakened, finishing eighth. She was an interesting proposition at 28/1, the same sentiment does not apply to Panic Attack at 8/1. The record of mares and question marks over her stamina make her unattractive at a single figure price.
JP McManus’ Iroko is a more appealing prospect for the home team. Trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, Iroko was the favourite here last year and finished fourth, staying on well after being held up by Jonjo O’Neill junior. Now an eight-year-old, he is the ideal age for this race and his preparation has gone well. He was the runner-up on his debut this season and won a decent chase at Ascot in December, beating Elliott’s Firefox, the odds-on favourite, nearly five lengths.
Iroko had excuses for disappointing in the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, scoping dirty suggesting a respiratory problem the next day. He is a class act who was second in the grade one Mildmay Novices’ Chase here two years ago, finding only the subsequent Gold Cup winner, Inothewayurthinkin too good. He will need to be on top form to challenge the horses that beat him last year as he will meet them on worse terms, having been raised 5lb. His current price of 12/1 seems ungenerous.
McManus owned the first two home in the Ultima. Jonjo & A J O’Neill’s Johnnywho won by half a length under Richie McLernon. Sent off at 18/1, it was his first run since a wind operation and debut in cheekpieces. He finished fifth in the Irish Grand National last year, beaten 24 lengths after weakening. He had previously finished a close second in the Kim Muir Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap run over three miles, two furlongs at the Festival.
This nine-year-old son of Califet has experience of these fences, running in the Sefton in November but his stamina for this distance is unproven. On the positive side he is better handicapped than many, he will go up 6lb next time, but 12/1 still seems ungenerous.
Greenall and Guerriero train the seven-year-old Jagwar (9/1) who was second in the Ultima. He won a valuable handicap over two and a half miles at the Festival in 2025. This season he has been a narrowly beaten favourite in his two previous runs, both at Cheltenham. He is in good form but he is not the most fluent jumper and his stamina is untested. Only one seven-year-old has won the National since World War II, Emmet Mullins’ Noble Yeats in 2022. That statistic and stamina doubts make him unappealing at 9/1.
Our 2026 Grand National Preview’s Betting Tips Verdict
Plenty of the placed horses in the 2025 Grand National reoppose here, facing the challenge of some high quality horses having their first experience of course and distance. Most of the debutants are ungenerously priced but Elliott’s Gerri Colombe offers decent value each-way at 25/1 as the yard have just hit a long-awaited rich vein of form.
A compelling case can be made for Mullins’ I Am Maximus and Grangeclare West. They both come into the race in better form than last year and are likely to be racing on a similar, good to soft ground. Grangeclare West may well provide Patrick Mullins with his second win but our preference is for the rock solid I AM MAXIMUS. He has had an encouraging preparation this year and encounters his rivals on better terms. Back him each-way at 7/1 with Bet365 online bookmaker, who pays out on six places.
Fiona Derek is our horse racing expert. She has been involved with horses since she was a child and is active in horse racing as both a rider and owner. She has also earned a living as a writer. Fiona tipped 2025 Grand National winner Nick Rockett (33/1) and followed up in 2026 with I Am Maximus (advised 7/1). Both recommended in her in-depth big-race previews here at Just Bookies.