Maximus Confirmed as Headliner for Grand National
Quick Reads
- The 2026 Grand National takes place on Saturday, April 11, at 4 p.m. BST at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, with 34 horses set to run the gruelling 4-mile, 2½-furlong course.
- Willie Mullins’ I Am Maximus heads the market as favourite at 15/2, carrying top weight of 11st 12lbs for the second consecutive year in his bid to reclaim the crown he won in 2024.
- Defending champion Nick Rockett, a 33/1 winner last year ridden by Patrick Mullins, returns under 11st 11lbs and faces a stiff task giving weight away to the field.
- Mullins could complete an unprecedented hat-trick of Grand National victories, having trained the last two winners, and fields multiple contenders including Grangeclare West and Jagwar.
- A total prize fund of £1 million is on offer, with the winner collecting £500,000.
I Am Maximus Leads the Field as Grand National 2026 Countdown Begins at Aintree.
The most anticipated race in jump racing is five days away. The 2026 Grand National opens at Aintree on Saturday, April 11, with I Am Maximus heading a field of 34 horses carrying the weight of history, literally and figuratively, into the start.
With the 2026 Cheltenham Festival in the rear-view mirror, the eyes of the horse racing world are turning to the biggest race on the calendar. Last year’s champion Nick Rockett is returning to defend his crown, while 2024 winner and last year’s runner-up I Am Maximus is the bookies’ favourite once again.
The 2026 running carries a weight of compelling storylines. At its heart is Willie Mullins, the Irish master trainer whose Closutton operation has dominated this race back to back and who now chases something no trainer has achieved, three straight Grand Nationals. Nick Rockett’s victory last year was an emotional affair, with Mullins watching his son Patrick do the steering to land what was the second straight Aintree winner from the same yard.
I Am Maximus is once again the clear market leader. The 10-year-old bay gelding won the race in 2024 but came up just short last time out under a big weight. He will run with the top weight of 11st 12lbs for the second year in a row. The historical case against him is stark. Red Rum, who carried 12th when winning his second Grand National in 1974, was the last horse to land the race under the full burden allocated by the handicapper. I Am Maximus would need to rewrite more than 50 years of weight-carrying history to collect.
Grangeclare West, also trained by Mullins, is a popular pick having finished three lengths behind Nick Rockett in last year’s race. A mistake at the last cost him then, but he bounced back to win the Bobbyjo Chase in February. Jockey Paul Townend, who steered I Am Maximus to glory in 2024, faces a decision over which of the Mullins horses to partner. “I Am Maximus gave me one of my greatest days in the saddle here two years ago, but there wouldn’t be much between him and Grangeclare West on the face of it, so you really have to try and take sentiment out of it,” Townend said.
Beyond the Mullins stable, the race carries genuine depth. Haiti Couleurs is looking to become the first Welsh-trained Grand National winner since Kirkland in 1905. Johnnywho beat Jagwar to the Ultima at Cheltenham in what was his first outing since a wind operation, and arrives with momentum. Jagwar has shown plenty of promise but whether he has the staying power to win this marathon is anyone’s guess.
The course demands that horses jump 30 fences, 16 on the first lap and 14 on the second, before the sprint to the finishing post. Some fences, such as Becher’s Brook and The Chair, carry a fearsome reputation.
By the Numbers
- Race distance: 4 miles, 2½ furlongs, 30 fences total
- Maximum field: 34 horses (confirmed Wednesday, April 8)
- Top weight: I Am Maximus, 11st 12lbs
- Defending champion: Nick Rockett (33/1, 2025), carrying 11st 11lbs
- Current favourite: I Am Maximus, 15/2 (Bet365, as of April 1)
- Second favourite: Grangeclare West, 10/1; Jagwar, 10/1
- Prize fund: £1,000,000 total = £500,000 to the winner
- Record time: Mr Frisk, 8 minutes 47.8 seconds
- TV coverage (UK): ITV1 (race), ITVX and Racing TV (full three-day festival)
- Grand National start time: 4 p.m. BST, Saturday April 11
Recent winners
- 2025: Nick Rockett (33/1), T, Willie Mullins, J, Patrick Mullins
- 2024: I Am Maximus (7/1), T, Willie Mullins, J, Paul Townend
- 2023: Corach Rambler (8/1), T, Lucinda Russell, J, Derek Fox
- 2022: Noble Yeats (50/1), T, Emmet Mullins, J, Sam Waley-Cohen
