The Grand National and the human edge of a field still taking shape
At Aintree, the picture is already starting to narrow, and the grand national is being framed by familiar names, fresh hopes, and one question that remains unsettled: who will be left standing when the final field is announced on Wednesday morning ET?
Why do I Am Maximus and Nick Rockett matter so much?
I Am Maximus and Nick Rockett, the past two winners of the race, head the confirmations for Saturday’s renewal. Both are trained by Willie Mullins, and both sit at the top of the weights for the 2026 race.
I Am Maximus won in 2024 by seven and a half lengths, then returned to finish second to Nick Rockett last year, ending two and a half lengths behind the winner. That sequence gives the contest a rare sense of continuity: the same two horses that shaped the last two runnings are now the leading names again. For a race built on unpredictability, that kind of repeat presence carries weight beyond form alone.
Nick Rockett, meanwhile, is trying to join a very small group. He is bidding to match Tiger Roll’s back-to-back wins from 2018 and 2019, a feat previously achieved by Red Rum. That makes the race more than another spring target; it becomes a test of memory, durability, and whether a recent winner can keep pace with history.
What does the current field tell us about the race?
There are 49 entries still in the picture, but only a maximum of 34 runners will line up on the day after the final field and four reserves are announced. That means the margin for error is shrinking quickly, even if the field has often been more or less settled by the five-day stage in recent seasons.
The latest withdrawals, including L’Homme Presse, French Dynamite and Now Is The Hour, have already trimmed the list. That leaves the focus on those who remain safely in and those hovering close to the cut-off. For now, Pied Piper sits 35th on the list and needs one more withdrawal to get a run, while Spillane’s Tower remains entered despite expectations that he may go for Thursday’s Aintree Bowl instead.
The shape of the race also reflects the wider balance of power. Willie Mullins is again strongly represented, with nine horses currently guaranteed to run. The field includes last year’s third-placed Grangeclare West, as well as Spanish Harlem, Lecky Watson, Champ Kiely, High Class Hero, Captain Cody and Quai De Bourbon. It is a reminder that the race is not built around one or two contenders alone, even if the headlines naturally rest with the two recent winners.
How are owners and trainers approaching the race?
JP McManus is chasing a record fourth victory in the race, and has more than one route into it. I Am Maximus is his headline hope, while Iroko and Jagwar are also among his leading contenders, both trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero. Johnnywho is also guaranteed a run after withdrawals at the five-day stage.
That spread of interest matters because it shows how the race can carry different meanings for different connections. For some, it is a chance to defend recent success. For others, it is about breaking through or adding another chapter to a long-running association with the race. In that sense, the grand national is not just about a starting list; it is about what the list represents for owners, trainers and jockeys waiting for confirmation.
Gordon Elliott, another trainer with three National winners to his name, has five entries in the frame, including Gerri Colombe, Firefox and Favori De Champdou, the beaten favourite in the Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, near the top of the weights. Twilight stakes are already being replaced by the practical work of seeing who survives the cut.
What happens next at Aintree?
The next turning point comes with the final field and four reserves on Wednesday morning ET. That will determine whether the race changes shape again or stays close to the current picture, where the strongest names are already clear but some runners still depend on withdrawals elsewhere.
There is also another layer to the week: Firefox is entered in Friday’s Topham over the Grand National fences, adding one more line to an already busy Aintree schedule. But the main focus remains the same. If I Am Maximus can carry top weight to victory, he would become the first horse to do so since Red Rum in the 1970s. If Nick Rockett repeats, he will stand alongside a very short list of repeat winners. Either way, the grand national reaches Saturday with history still in motion and the final shape of the race still just out of view.
