The declarations are in, the talking is almost done, and the countdown is well and truly on.
The full field for the Randox Grand National 2026 has been confirmed, with 34 runners set to thunder over 4m2½f and 30 famous fences at Aintree on Saturday, April 11th at 4:00pm.
Six reserves sit in behind, but the shape of the race is now clear, and it looks an absolute cracker on paper, packed with class, depth, and some fascinating subplots!
At the head of the weights and the market sits I Am Maximus, the JP McManus-owned star who was already the winner in 2024 and the runner-up in 2025.
With jockey Paul Townend staying loyal to his mount, he is bidding to regain his crown under top weight, a feat that would invite inevitable comparisons with Red Rum and cement his place among the modern greats of the National.
To add even more pressure, he is also the race favourite on relatively short odds, but if you fancy a flutter and want to make more of your money, you can also check out FreeBets.com which features independent Grand National free bet offers; that way, you might be able to back one or two longer shots as well.
2026 Runners
Alongside I Am Maximus should have been last year’s hero Nick Rockett, however, he was withdrawn from the race this morning with the reason given as coughing.
Prior to this, there was already a twist in the tale when Patrick Mullins elected to ride Grangeclare West, opening the door for Tom Bellamy to step in on Nick Rockett. It was a huge surprise when it was announced, and it may have just indicated that back-to-back wins for the Rockett were getting more unlikely by the day.
As expected, Willie Mullins has gone in mob-handed. After keeping everyone waiting until the last few minutes of the declaration window, the Closutton maestro confirmed all nine of his remaining entries, meaning over a quarter of the final line-up will emerge from his powerhouse yard. Of course, that has now been reduced to just eight runners, with Nick Rockett out.
Alongside I Am Maximus and Grangeclare West come the likes of Spanish Harlem, Lecky Watson, Champ Kiely, Captain Cody, High Class Hero, and the progressive Quai De Bourbon, giving Mullins serious strength in depth wherever you look.
Gordon Elliott, no stranger to Grand National glory himself, brings a typically robust team to Aintree. Gerri Colombe, long regarded as a Grade 1 staying chaser of the highest class, takes his chance, while Firefox (last seen in the Cheltenham Gold Cup), Favori De Champdou, Three Card Brag, and Stellar Story offer a mixture of proven form and unexposed staying potential.
With Elliott also responsible for the first reserve Pied Piper, who now gets in, his influence on the shape of the race and the complexion of the market cannot be understated.
Henry de Bromhead is another Irish trainer with serious ammunition. Monty’s Star and Gorgeous Tom spearhead his challenge, with both bringing solid staying profiles and festival form to the table, while Amirite sits among the reserves, hoping for a late berth in the final 34.
Add in Joseph O’Brien’s Banbridge and Jordans, Gavin Cromwell’s Perceval Legallois and Final Orders, plus a strong British supporting cast featuring Panic Attack, Iroko, Jagwar, Beauport, Marble Sands, Top Of The Bill, The Real Whacker, Oscars Brother, Mr Vango and Twig, and this starts to look like one of the deepest renewals in recent memory.
Final Field
| No. | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Am Maximus | Paul Townend | W P Mullins |
| 3 | Banbridge | J J Slevin | Joseph Patrick O'Brien |
| 4 | Grangeclare West | Mr P W Mullins | W P Mullins |
| 5 | Gerri Colombe | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott |
| 6 | Haiti Couleurs | Sean Bowen | Rebecca Curtis |
| 7 | Spillane's Tower | Simon Torrens | James Joseph Mangan |
| 8 | Firefox | Keith Donoghue | Gordon Elliott |
| 9 | Monty's Star | Darragh O'Keeffe | Henry De Bromhead |
| 10 | Spanish Harlem | Brian Hayes | W P Mullins |
| 11 | Lecky Watson | Sean O'Keeffe | W P Mullins |
| 12 | Champ Kiely | Danny Mullins | W P Mullins |
| 13 | Iroko | Jonjo O'Neill Jr | Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero |
| 14 | Favori De Champdou | Danny Gilligan | Gordon Elliott |
| 15 | Three Card Brag | Jordan Gainford | Gordon Elliott |
| 16 | Oscars Brother | Daniel King | Connor King |
| 17 | Mr Vango | Jack Tudor | Mrs Sara V Bradstock |
| 18 | High Class Hero | James Bowen | W P Mullins |
| 19 | Stellar Story | Robert Dunne | Gordon Elliott |
| 20 | Beauport | Sam Twiston-Davies | Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies |
| 21 | Captain Cody | Jonathan Burke | W P Mullins |
| 22 | Jagwar | Mark Walsh | Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero |
| 23 | Perceval Legallois | Harry Cobden | Gavin Cromwell |
| 24 | Gorgeous Tom | Sean Flanagan | Henry De Bromhead |
| 25 | The Real Whacker | Gavin Sheehan | Patrick Neville |
| 26 | Quai De Bourbon | Donagh Meyler | W P Mullins |
| 27 | Answer To Kayf | John Shinnick | Terence O'Brien |
| 28 | Jordans | Ben Jones | Joseph Patrick O'Brien |
| 29 | Final Orders | Conor Stone-Walsh | Gavin Cromwell |
| 30 | Marble Sands | Kielan Woods | David Killahena & Graeme McPherson |
| 31 | Panic Attack | Harry Skelton | Dan Skelton |
| 32 | Top Of The Bill | Toby McCain-Mitchell | Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies |
| 33 | Johnnywho | Richie McLernon | Jonjo & A J O'Neill |
| 34 | Twig | Beau Morgan | Ben Pauling |
| 35 | Pied Piper | Gordon Elliott | |
| R36 | Imperial Saint | Callum Pritchard | Philip Hobbs & Johnson White |
| R37 | Amirite | Henry De Bromhead | |
| R38 | Ain't That A Shame | Jack Andrews | T Ellis |
| R39 | Deep Cave | Christian Williams | |
| R40 | Buddy One | Paul John Gilligan |
Rolling On From Cheltenham
Cheltenham Festival form is always a key angle into the National, and 2026 is no exception. Johnnywho, fresh from landing the Ultima Handicap Chase, lines up again in the famous green and gold colours of JP McManus, with Richie McLernon keeping the ride.
He has stamina, and his ability to handle a relentless gallop over a long trip has seen his price contract markedly since Cheltenham.
Jagwar, another McManus runner and a rapidly improving staying chaser, also arrives with strong credentials and sits towards the head of the betting after a string of eye-catching efforts.
The jockey storylines add an extra layer of spice. Paul Townend’s loyalty to I Am Maximus is already well documented, but he is far from the only big-name rider with a point to prove.
Harry Cobden, recently announced as JP McManus’s new retained rider in Britain and Ireland from next season, has his first major Aintree assignment for the owner aboard Perceval Legallois.
It is a significant moment in Cobden’s evolving relationship with the famous green and gold hoops and will be closely watched by punters and connections alike.
Harry Skelton, meanwhile, teams up with one of the talking horses of the race, Panic Attack, for his brother Dan.
A model of consistency this season, Panic Attack has been steadily climbing the ranks, and the Skelton yard has made no secret of how strongly they feel about her National credentials.
Sean Bowen, Jack Kennedy, James Bowen, Sam Twiston-Davies, Keith Donoghue, Gavin Sheehan, and recent Irish Grand National winner, Donagh Meylor, are just some of the other top riders on show, underlining the depth of quality in the weighing room as well as on the racecard.
The Reserves
Then there is the drama surrounding the reserves. With Pied Piper now a runner, Imperial Saint, Amirite, Ain’t That A Shame, Deep Cave, and Buddy One all find themselves on the outside looking in, declared but dependent on late non-runners before the 1pm cut-off on Friday to secure their place.
In a race where late setbacks and ground-related withdrawals are always possible, connections of those six will be watching the weather, the news, and the betting like hawks over the next 24 hours.
What is beyond doubt is that the 2026 Grand National has all the ingredients to live up to its billing. You have a dual top-two finisher in I Am Maximus trying to defy history and top weight, a late addition to the runners, a cavalry charge of Mullins horses chasing a historic sequence of wins for the yard, and a deep supporting cast of Cheltenham heroes, seasoned handicappers, and stayers all looking to write their own Aintree fairy tale.
Come 4:00 pm on Saturday, 34 horses will break from the tape to a wall of noise at Aintree, each with connections daring to dream.
By the time they cross the Melling Road for the final time, the picture will have changed completely, but for now, with the final field locked in and the stories starting to crystallise, the 2026 Grand National looks every inch the epic we were hoping for.
