2026 Grand National Tips & Predictions

Willie Mullins' two most recent Grand National winners won the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse before claiming victory at Aintree. Grangeclare West ran out a comfortable winner of this year's Bobbyjo, and last year's third was immediately backed into favouritism for the 2026 Grand National.

2024 winner, I Am Maximus ran a stormer when second to Nick Rockett 12 months ago, as both finished ahead of Grangeclare West. Nick Rockett will return to defend his crown, having finished third on his comeback run at Down Royal on the Sunday after the Cheltenham Festival. I Am Maximus has continued to perform well this season, finishing second to Affordale Fury in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown, and Willie Mullins' former winner has been backed into a single-figure price in recent days.

Along with I Am Maximus, JP McManus has three other contenders sitting prominently in the market. Jagwar qualified for the Grand National with that runner-up effort in the Ultima at Cheltenham, where he was narrowly beaten by fellow flag-bearer Johnnywho. Iroko drifted from his position at the head of the ante-post Grand National betting, after only finishing tenth under top-weight at Cheltenham.

Haiti Couleurs faded rapidly from the front in the Gold Cup, but Rebecca Curtis' Irish and Welsh Grand National winner should be much more comfortable back in handicap company at Aintree. Monty's Star has been laid out for the National after a series of decent efforts in Grade Ones. Gerri Colombe finished second to Grangeclare West in the Bobbijo, and will head to Aintree on the back of a win over Nick Rockett and Roi Mage at Down Royal.

Gavin Cromwell's assault could be headlined by runaway Cross Country winner Final Orders and Brown Advisory fifth Now Is The Hour. Willie Mullins is sure to play a strong hand, with Scottish Grand National winner Captain Cody likely to be joined by Quai De Bourbon, High Class Hero, Spanish Harlem, Champ Kiely and Lecky Watson - who was well-backed after the 2026 Grand National weights were released.

Connor King looks set to run another in the JP McManus colours, Oscars Brother. Spillane's Tower has been entered by Jimmy Mangan. Henry de Bromhead is further represented by Gorgeous Tom. Stellar Story, Favori De Champdou and Search For Glory could all represent Gordon Elliott.

Dan Skelton will be represented by prolific mare Panic Attack, if she makes the final field. Other potential home runners include Ben Pauling's duo of Twig and Handstands, Mr Vango for Sara Bradstock, Beauport for the Twiston-Davies team, and Venetia Williams' former Grade One winner, L'Homme Presse.

The Grand National is steeped in history and there has been plenty happening since the first running in 1839.

The most valuable jumps race in Europe is a big draw card for bettors and much like the Melbourne Cup in Australia, it's watched by people who wouldn't usually watch horse racing.

Founded by William Lynn in 1829, the Grand National has since been at the forefront of British racing and Aintree has been the setting for many movies and books.

One of the most famous editions was in 1928 when Tipperary Tim was the only horse to finish the race, despite there being 42 starters.

The going was very heavy and Tipperary Tim handled it well but needed some luck in the final straight as there were two horses ahead of him. 

Both horses in front failed to complete the final jump with one falling and another the saddle slipping.

The 1967 edition can only be described as mayhem with 100/1 chance Foinavon winning. The rank outsider was trailing the field by some 100 yards, but there was a big wreck up front which took out a large majority of the field.

17 jockeys remounted after the fall, but Foinavon had stolen the race and fences 7 and 23 are now named after the infamous winner.

Red Rum is the most successful Grand National winner in history, winning three times in the 1970's. The controversial jumper was the dominant jumper of its generation and will live in racing folklore for years to come.

One of the more bizarre happenings came in 1991 when the race was taken out by Seagram. The race was sponsored by Seagram, a Canadian Whiskey company.

Protests have marred the Grand National for many years by anti-racing lobbyists, but the biggest threat came in 1997 when bomb threats were received from the IRA.

The race was run two days later with 20,000 racegoers getting free admission after the race was cancelled on the Saturday.

The purse was increased to £1 million in 2014.

The Grand National isn't a race for bettors that like to take short odds.

There's rarely a short-odds favourite and this is due to the large number of participants and the risk factor involved.

The risk of falling is high in the Grand National so just crossing the line is victory in itself, but this makes it tough for bettors to assess the race.

No runner from 2009-2017 has paid less than 10/1, with the majority of winners paying around 14/1 - 33/1.

Mon Mome won in 2009 at odds of 100/1 and it was the first time a female trainer (Venetia Williams) had won the Grand National.

There are good betting statistics which could help with finding a value runner.

The average age of the winner is 9.9 years and the nine-year-old's have a good record in the race with a 26 percent winning rate.

Avoid backing the grey horses as only three of them have won.

The average odds of the Grand National winner are 20/1, so look for the runners hovering around that price.

The Grand National is one of the biggest betting races in the world and it's good to look at the statistics for the great race.

An incredible £150 million was bet on the 2013 Grand National race itself and compared to the $350 million spent on Melbourne Cup Day, that's a big number.

25 percent of UK adults will bet on the race and 74 percent of them will back their horses each way, which is a strategy we advise.

We were a little surprised at the following statistic, but it shows that you don't need to bet much to win big on the Grand National. Over 30 percent of punters will bet £5 or more, but we thought that number would be much higher.

How do UK punters pick their Grand National runner? Only around 13 percent will pick a horse because of its form and the most popular option is the horses' name.

Colour, number and jockey also factor into punters' decisions.