There is no greater accolade than being an Aintree great and I Am Maximus cemented his position as one of the very best to grace this famous corner of Liverpool as he won the Grand National for the second time in three years.
The 178th National was one of the most eventful in recent times, a real throwback, as the winner survived mayhem to lead home a one-two-four for owner JP McManus.
He beat Iroko by 2½ lengths with Jordans – the only placed horse not carrying the green and gold silks of McManus – in third and Johnnywho fourth.
So it is two wins in three years for I Am Maximum, sandwiching his gallant second a year ago. It will be 12 months before he gets a chance to equal Red Rum’s three wins in the 1970s, but there are likenesses; he became the first horse since the immortal “Rummy” to carry top weight to victory and the first since him to regain the race.
It also means his trainer, Willie Mullins, joins George Dockeray, back in the mists of time, Fred Rimell and Ginger McCain as the joint-most successful trainer in the race’s history, with four wins, and the first since Vincent O’Brien in the 1950s to win the race three years straight. The fourth victory for McManus also puts him clear as the race’s most successful owner.
In recent years, since the raft of changes to the course, more horses have unseated their jockeys than fallen but, for some reason, the fences took a higher toll here claiming a number of high-profile runners, with seven falling and another seven unseating.
Grangeclare West went at the first and the well-backed Panic Attack stood way too far off the third, the first ditch. Mr Vango did similarly at Becher’s and Gerri Colombe went at the seventh. Oscars Brother and Banbridge both lost jockeys at the Chair.
At Becher’s the second time, I Am Maximus, while not quite struggling, had slightly lost his position and only had six behind him. But Amirite and Top Of The Bill had led them along at a strong gallop and, when they dropped off the pace, there was always something to take up the slack.
When Jordans took it up crossing the Melling Road and burst clear, stamina was going to be the key ingredient in the winner.
At that stage I Am Maximus was still 12th, but what so often looks like a race-winning move proves to be nothing of the sort and though Jordans was still six lengths clear at the last, Ben Jones had already been sending out distress signals.
I Am Maximus had been switched to the outside by jockey Paul Townend and, between the last two, really began to hit top gear. Despite jumping the last 10 lengths back in fourth he was the one finishing and, escorted by loose horses and beautiful timing, he got to Jordans with about 100 yards to run. Iroko was also flying at the finish, but from further back, and he also managed to collar Jordans late on.
Mullins admitted it took him a while to get over the disappointment of son Patrick going at the first but, at the other end of the race, disappointment became elation.
“I thought Paul [Townend] wasn’t able to get through and he kept getting pushed sideways [round the last bend], but it was just Paul keeping calm, Paul’s class told and he sat and waited,” he said.
With regard to the cheekpieces added to help I Am Maximus concentrate, Mullins added: “He worked the other day and we didn’t think he was doing a tap. Paul came back saying we should put them on, but that’s what you need in the National, a lazy horse.
“From the last it was ‘he wins’, unless anything stupid happens. You never know what will happen; loose horses, something coming from out of the clouds, Devon Loch, these things happen and it’s what makes the National. If I’d had my way I’d have gone for the Gold Cup but JP said, ‘Grand National’. I thought, ‘you’ve won a National, let’s try and win a Gold Cup now’, but he thought different.
“It’s the first race we all grew up watching and the race we aspire to win when we go into racing. It’s a race you want to be a part of. Just to have a runner is a tremendous sensation and for our owners, just to be involved and here at Aintree is great.”
Townend has now won the Gold Cup and National in the same season for a second time and had the choice of eight horses from the Mullins yard to ride.
“When they jumped off I got into a nice rhythm again, I still didn’t think he travelled with the enthusiasm of the first year, but I just thought the cheekpieces helped me in the middle part of the race,” he explained.
“I saw the horse in front [Jordans], I wasn’t going to be the one to go chasing them. I was able to get a lead to the Elbow and I didn’t know where the loose horse was going. He [I Am Maximus] is a really, really good horse, that’s why [I always believed in him]. Obviously, Grangeclare West’s preparation was really good in the Bobbyjo, but this lad wasn’t telling me not to ride him.”
In all, 16 horses finished the race. Robbie Dunne was taken to hospital after a heavy fall from Stellar Story, while three horses – Mr Vango, Top Of The Bill and Quai De Bourbon – were all taken back to the racecourse stables for further veterinary assessment after falls.
The winner will, doubtless, be paraded outside Mullins’s local, The Lord Bagenal, at some stage but do not expect it to last as long as the race.
Explaining the winner’s character, Mullins said: “Normally the horses come to the car park, we have an ice-cream van for the kids and people want their photographs taken with the horses.
“Galopin Des Champs was there for an hour and a half, Lossiemouth for two hours, but I Am Maximus... he ate about three babies and kicked about four pensioners. We had to load him and take him home after five minutes. That’s I Am Maximus, he’ll eat you without salt. He is a character – don’t stand in his way.”
Willie Mullins speaking to BBC about motivation
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I am very simple. It is about earning a living. Every year I spend more money on the gallop. I enjoy it. I enjoy the people in racing. I enjoy the people in sport. Sportspeople are fantastic, they have a great outlook on life. We are all well used to getting beaten in finals, semi-finals or whatever and to me, that passion is wonderful. To be able to take those knocks and pat the next guy on the back - I love all that. The older I get, the more I enjoy it.
When I was younger it was more about winning and wanting to win and needing to win but now I can see the bigger picture of sport and I enjoy it and I am very lucky as I said earlier on, I have a team that do everything for me. Those guys take over and I try and not get in the way. They do their job fantastically. Where would we be without our staff?
Latest news on medical assessments
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Three Grand National runners are undergoing assessments form medics, the Jockey Club confirmed later.
Top of The Bill was pulled up in the home straight and was assessed on course. He was walked back to the stables where he will remain under assessment.
Quai De Bourbon, meanwhile walked onto the horse ambulance, having been assessed, following his fall at the second fence and has returned to the stables for further assessment.
Mr Vango also walked onto the horse ambulance following his fall at the sixth fence, having been assessed, and has returned to the stables for further assessment. Jockey Robbie Dunne was assessed on course by the medical team. He is conscious and talking and is being taken to hospital for further assessment.
All remaining horses and riders are accounted for.
Result from the last race of the day
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- Forthfactor 10/1
- Look Me 10/3
- Melin Allen 16/1
One punter scoops £800k
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Bruising day for the lads at Fitzwilliam who took a £100,000 single bet at 8/1 on I Am Maximus. Interview with the bookies later on Telegraph Sport.
Willie Mullins speaking
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It was a good call from JP [McManus]. I’d have gone down the Gold Cup route with him but he wanted to run him at Aintree.
This horse is just a superstar. Nothing fazes him and does what he has to do: runs, jumps and wins Nationals.
Paul executed it so well. This is the race we all aspire to when we get into racing. Just to have a runner is a tremendous sensation.
Winning jockey Paul Townend speaking
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He’s tough. I think the cheekpieces helped in the middle of the race.
When they jumped off, I got into a good rhythm but I wasn’t going to be the one chasing the ones in front.
He’s a really, really good horse and although Grangeclare West and Nick Rockett looked good in training, this lad wasn’t telling me not to ride him.
He is so good and has such an engine. He will gallop to the end of the world for you. I am really privileged. What a horse.
Grand Nationals and Gold Cups are the pinnacle of the sport and I have them both.
Grand National result in full
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- I Am Maximus
- Iroko
- Jordans
- Johnnywho
- High Class Hero
- Favori De Champdou
- Final Orders
- Champ Kiely
- Three Card Brag
- Monty’s Star
- Answer To Kayf
- Gorgeous Tom
- Imperial Saint
- Haiti Couleurs
- Twig
- Firefox
Fell, unseated rider or pulled up
Banbridge (unseated rider)
Grangeclare West (unseated rider)
Gerri Colombe (fell)
Spanish Harlem (pulled up)
Lecky Watson (pulled up)
Oscar’s Brother (fell)
Mr Vango (fell)
Stellar Story (fell)
Beauport (unseated rider)
Captain Cody (unseated rider)
Jagwar (unseated rider)
Perceval Legallois (unseated rider)
The Real Whacker (pulled up)
Quai De Bourbon (fell)
Marble Sands (fell)
Panic Attack (fell)
Top Of The Bill (fell)
Amirite (pulled up)
Some latest on the non-finishers
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Top Of The Bill is being assessed on course after falling.
Quai De Bourbon, also a faller, has walked onto an ambulance for further assessment.
I Am Maximus wins the Grand National!
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The first horse to regain the crown since Red Rum, and like Red Rum against Crisp he made up plenty of ground from the back of the last.
I Am Maximus took a while to warm to his task, but his staying power was on full display there.
It was just too far to go from the elbow for Jordans, who ran a cracker but tired. Iroko stayed well for second, with Johnnywho fourth.
McManus has three of the first four home.
- I Am Maximus 9/2F
- Iroko 18/1
- Jordans 28/1
- Johnnywho 12/1
- High Class Hero 66/1
At the second last fence
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Three Card Brag and Jordans now the first two, the loose horses are causing problems.
Jordans is stretching away now from Monty’s Star.
Fence 27 of 30
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Monty’s Star going well on the inside, with Imperial Saint and Top of the Bill also disputing the lead.
Fence 23 of 30
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Lecky Watson is struggling to keep up with the gallop at the rear of the smaller food.
At the Canal Turn, I Am Maximum makes a mistake. Captain Cody making progress.
Fence 18 of 30
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Around 25 horses are still standing, Imperial Saint disputing the lead with Amirite, who was hampered by a loose horse. I Am Maximus plotting a route on the inside.
At the halfway mark
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The Real Whacker has been pulled up. Top of the Bill is part of the leading group, second behind Amirite.
High Class Hero with a shuddering mistake at the Chair.
Banbridge a faller and also Oscar’s Brother.
Over the Melling Road
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Amirite leads, in front of Twig, High Class Hero, Final Orders and Lecky Watson.
I Am Maximus the favourite in mid division.
Fence 11 of 30
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Amirite still jumping well up front. All of the McManus chances are in midfield and still in play.
Jordans being ridden at the rear, and The Real Whacker also struggling.
Fence six of 30
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Mr Vango a faller at Becher’s. Amirite the early leader followed by High Class Hero and Twig.
Gerri Colombe also unseated.
Panic Attack a faller
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Disappointment for backers of the mare and the Skelton team, a faller at the third fence.
Loudest groan I’ve ever heard behind me Derby Stand as Panic Attack fell at second.
First fence
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Grangeclare West has unseated Paddy Mullins!
At the second fence, Quai De Bourbon is down.
They’re off in the 2026 Grand National!
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The are all away as they run down to the first.
The start is going to need two takes
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The field was waiting for the Real Whacker to join and they started going too fast. Plenty of money in the betting ring for I Am Maximus, who is into 5/1 on course now.
The trumpets have sounded
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The horses will be on their way down to most very shortly. It looks like I Am Maximus will be sent off favourite. Plenty of support too for Panic Attack.
A note on the McManus horses
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Can be difficult to tell apart in the green and gold silks. Look for the cap colour:
- I Am Maximus (white cap)
- Jagwar (Green cap with white star)
- Johnnywho (blue cap)
- Iroko (green and gold cap)
- Oscars Brother (red cap)
- Perceval Legallois (yellow cap)
Paddy Mullins on his ride Grangleclare West
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I was planning on riding Nick Rockett but he just wasn’t 100% today, so I am on Grangeclare West. He was third last year. He might have been a little bit unlucky, he made a mistake at the last fence. We’re hoping he can go a bit better this year.
I was riding I Am Maximus last year, Grangeclare West was slightly out of my eyesight as I was focussing on my horse and just trying to hope to god no one beat me. Watch the replay, he was definitely an eye-catcher.
The horses are in the parade ring
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It takes a while to walk them all around with 34 runners.
The top of the Grand National market
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- I Am Maximus 8/1
- Jagwar 17/2
- Panic Attack and Grangeclare West 9/1
- Johnnywho 11/1
- Monty’s Star 12/1
- Oscars Brother & Iroko 18/1
- 20/1 or more the rest
A reminder of Marcus’ four picks
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Panic Attack 8/1
Even with £1m on offer in this race, Dan Skelton looks to have stopped Willie Mullins from winning a third title and can deliver the coup de grace by winning the National with Panic Attack who can become the first mare to win since Nickel Coin in 1951. She has been in terrific form all season. Appears to stay well (as she proved in the Coral Gold Cup) but still fast enough to win a Paddy Power, she looks thrown in off 10st 5lb.
Oscars Brother 14/1
Novice chaser for the two-horse yard of Connor King who would become the youngest-ever trainer of a National winner were he to triumph. Solid Grade Two performer in novice chases and was doing all his best work up the hill at the finish of the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham, without having an unduly hard race in fourth, suggesting that this test will be right up his street.
Gerri Colombe 22/1
One time Gold Cup runner-up. Missed most of last season injured and brought back gradually by three-time National-winning trainer Gordon Elliott to finish second to Grangeclare West in the Bobbyjo. Then had a confidence-boosting win last time. Two out of two in Grade One starts at Aintree – it’s amazing how often Mildmay course form works out in the National.
Twig 40/1
Trained for the race. Got a bit behind in last year’s edition, after taking a while to warm up, but in much better form this season, including beating Mr Vango in the Becher Chase in December. Probably not the class to win but knows his way around Aintree and could well stay on to land a few each-way bets at a good price.
The Grand National comes next
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Around 40 minutes until the off, still time to use our runners and riders guide to make a selection.
Home By The Lee completes the Cheltenham-Aintree double!
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What a stayer this Joseph O’Brien horse is, and once again he ploughed on better than the rest of them just like at Cheltenham. Impose Toi was a faller, but is back up now. Take No Chances was travelling well for the Skeltons but made an error at the last hurdle and Home By The Lee ran clear.
- Home By The Lee 5/1
- Take No Chances 18/1
- Honesty Policy 5/2F
They are off in the Liverpool Hurdle!
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Home By The Lee, Stayers’ Hurdle winner at the Cheltenham Festival, is a 5/1 chance but Honesty Policy in the McManus colours is the favourite.
Grand National market
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There has been money for I Am Maximus in the last hour, and the former winner is jostling for favouritism with Panic Attack.
Mr Hope Street wins the William Hill Handicap Chase
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It turned into a duel between Mr Hope Street and Lookaway after early pace-setter Glengouly slipped back into the pack. But Harry Skelton, whose foot slipped out of iron at a crucial stage, did enough on Mr Hope Street to win by a nose. Another handicap success for the Skeltons.
- Mr Hope Street 4/1
- Lookaway 7/2F
- Konfusion 20/1
They are off in the 2.30
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At the second time of asking, the 13 runners in this 3m 1f handicap chase are away.
Just over 90 minutes until the big race
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The Grand National start time is 4pm.
Harry Skelton on Bossman Jack’s win
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Me and Jack Kennedy were having a chat about how bad the weather was, the hailstones were coming down.
He was unlucky at Cheltenham. I rode him for a lot of luck. He had a bit more experienced, rode him a bit handier and it worked out for him.
The horses have been in flying form all year. I haven’t said this yet, but It looks like Willie Mullins will be stretched to beat us this year! It has been a brilliant year for us. Great team.
Another fatality at Aintree
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Get On George.has been euthanised having been pulled up in the last race and then assessed by vets.
Winning jockey Gavin Sheehan on Wade Out’s victory
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That’s a nice way to come back. They were a long two weeks but I’ve come back fresh. He travelled like a dream and I couldn’t pull him up at the end.
Wade Out wins the handicap hurdle!
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A winner over fences earlier this season, Wade Out returns to hurdle in style. An 18/1 winner, travelled well through the race with headgear on. Eagle Fang was prominent throughout but finished a distant second, followed by Chart Topper. Bold Endeavour and Kaka’s cousin faded, while Hold The Serve and Sean Bowen simply had too much ground to make up.
A winner for Sir Alex Ferguson on Merseyside.
- Wade Out 18/1
- Eagle Fang 28/1
- Chart Topper 25/1
- Supremely West 7/1
They are off!
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At the second of asking, the William Hill Handicap Hurdle is under way.
Another false start
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A familiar sight if you watched the Cheltenham Festival. This could turn out to be a standing start.
Time for the second race of the day
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A 22-runner handicap hurdle in which Hold the Serve is the 10-3 favourite. Supremely West, who hacked up at the Cheltenham Festival when well ahead of the handicapper, is third in the market at 15/2.
A home game for Coleen and Wayne Rooney
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Mark Walsh on Jagwar’s National chances
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He ran well at Cheltenham, I didn’t get the clearest of passages and he didn’t jump brilliantly. He is a lovely weight, the cheekpieces will hopefully help his jumping and this track should suit him more.
I just need to get him into a rhythm and enjoying himself and then you’re just hoping for the best.
He is such a big horse and I’m hoping these bigger fences will suit him and he’ll have a bit respect for them.
Result from the first race.. and there has been an upset
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- Mirabad 50/1
- Salvator Mundi 8/11F
- Be Aware 10/1
Graham Thorner, who won on Well To Do in 1972
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Courtesy of Marcus...
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This is Lily Bradstock, who will be leading up her mother Sara’s Mr Vango in the National.
Some fun Grand National facts
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- This is the 178th running of the Grand National.
- Three sets of trainer/jockey siblings combinations bidding to become the first since 1884 to win the race – when Ted Wilson rode Voluptuary to victory, a horse trained by his brother William. The feat has only ever been achieved once. This year three will attempt it: the Skelton brothers with Panic Attack, King brothers with Oscar’s Brother and Twiston-Davies with Beauport.
- Only three different grey horses have won the Grand National a total of four times: The Lamb (1868 and 1871), Nicolaus Silver 1961) and Neptune Collonges (2012). Marble Sands is only grey in this year’s race.
- Only 13 winning mares in history, the last in 1951: Charity (1841), Miss Mowbray (1852), Anatis (1860), Jealousy (1861), Emblem (1863), Emblematic (1864), Casse Tete (1872), Empress (1880), Zoedone (1883), Frigate (1889), Shannon Lass (1902), Sheila’s Cottage (1948) and Nickel Coin (1951). Panic Attack is the only mare running.
- Only four jockeys currently riding have ever won the Grand National. There are only two riding today (Paul Townend and Patrick Mullins).
- Could a horse with a one word name win for the first time in 15 years (last was Ballabriggs in 2011)? Despite the first 10 winners of the Grand National only having a one word name, just five of the last 25 winners have had one word names. Nine horses with one word names run.
- Who can win the Will Hill Half A Mill bonus? Only the horse who cost £100 (Twig) can win it and land a total of £1m.
We are 30 minutes from the day’s first race
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It is a two-mile novice chase, and Salvator Mundi for Willie Mullins is a shade of odds on. He beat Romeo Coolio over hurdles at Aintree last season, but has not beaten anything of note in his fledgling career over the bigger obstacles and was turned over at odds of 1/7 at Thurles earlier in the season. Gordon Elliott’s Kala Conti in the Robcour colours would appear his main rival.
One protester is in position early
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It is not unusual for animal rights protesters to campaign at the entrance to the racecourse before the Grand National.
Some of the famous fences
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This race is perhaps the only one in the world to have fences that have as big a reputation as the horses running.
Becher’s Brook
Undoubtedly the most famous is Becher’s Brook, the sixth and 22nd fence of the race. The fence itself is not the biggest on the course, but the landing area is between five and 10 inches lower (depending on where it is jumped) than the take-off side, making it a challenging landing for horses. The fence itself has undergone major changes over the years in order to make it safer.
The Chair
This is the biggest fence on the course. Not only does it stand at 5ft 2in but also features a 6ft-wide ditch in front of it. The landing side is six inches higher than the take-off side, creating the opposite effect to Becher’s Brook.
The Canal Turn
Another famous fence, known best for the 90-degree turn horses have to make after the landing. The fence itself is fairly fearsome, standing at 5ft.
107 broken bones, seven Grand National attempts and some fake X-rays
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It is 50 years since one of the Grand National’s most colourful characters – the 18th Duque d’Alburquerque – had the last of his seven attempts to win the race as a jockey.
Like most of his rides in the world’s greatest race, it did not end well for the then 57-year-old, whose full name was Beltrán Alfonso Osorio y Díez de Rivera – or, to others, the Iron Duke of Aintree.
A fall at the 13th fence rendered him unconscious, fracturing his right femur, a vertebra and seven ribs. He calculated that the number of bones he broke in his 24-year Aintree quest was 107.
What a story this is. You can read it in full here, with Marcus Armytage hailing a Grand National hero.
Red Rum’s grave is at the racecourse
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Team Telegraph Sport at the Chair
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Walking the course
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Perfect conditions at Aintree today for the big one. Here’s our very own Marcus Armytage walking the course this morning.
Why Marcus is backing Panic Attack
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Even with £1m on offer in this race, Dan Skelton looks to have stopped Willie Mullins from winning a third title and can deliver the coup de grace by winning the National with Panic Attack who can become the first mare to win since Nickel Coin in 1951. She has been in terrific form all season. Appears to stay well (as she proved in the Coral Gold Cup) but still fast enough to win a Paddy Power, she looks thrown in off 10st 5lb.
Crowds building an Aintree now
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Bookmakers price up the big race
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The £100 horse who could win the National
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A horse bought for £100 to run in point-to-point races will line up in the Grand National with a £500,000 prize on offer. Find out more about Twig here, who is trained at Ben Pauling’s upwardly mobile yard and ridden by Beau Morgan. Widely available at 50/1, Twig could represent some each-way value.
Security in place at Aintree
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Our racing experts’ Grand National tips
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Marcus Armytage
- Panic Attack
- Oscars Brother
- Gerri Colombe
- Twig
Marlborough
- Oscars Brother
- Iroko
- Captain Cody
- Grangeclare West
Charlie Brooks
- Firefox
- Oscar’s Brother
- Iroko
- Spanish Harlem
Too big for its own good?
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There is no doubt that the Grand National attracts classier, Gold Cup-style horses these days but does that make for a worse spectacle? Charlie Brooks believes so, writing that the trend punctures the romanticism of the race which was built on underdog stories from small yards and the belief that any horse could one day contend. Read his column and ideas for reform here.
Ginger McCain’s grandson goes for glory
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The name Ginger McCain is synonymous with the Grand National, the man who trained three-time winner Red Rum on the beaches of Southport. Now his grandson, Toby McCain-Mitchell, will be in the saddle in the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Top Of The Bill for the big race this afternoon. You can read more about the dynasty here.
Marcus Armytage’s 10 greatest Grand Nationals
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It was this dream of winning the National that sustained Champion through the darkest days of his recovery. The story was made into a book and a film and Carl Davis’s emotional score for it (which still makes me cry every time) is still used as background music for the race by ITV. Champion is still going strong, raising fortunes for his cancer charity.
Does JP McManus have the Grand National covered?
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Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of Grand National day at Aintree, with 34 runners going to post for the world’s most famous steeplechase.
With less punishing obstacles and a field full of contenders with Grade One form, the race’s complexion has changed over the last few decades but interest levels remain as high as ever.
There is nowhere else to start than with JP McManus’ green-and-gold battalion; the Irish owner accounts for four of the top six horses in the betting market.
I Am Maximus evidently has the class and course form having finished first and second in each of the last two Nationals, with Willie Mullins’ top jockey Paul Townend on board. However, he carries top weight which could prove difficult to overcome in a field with such depth.
Punters have followed Jagwar over cliffs, he is a horse with so much ability but a horrible habit of finishing second, notably to fellow McManus horse Johnnywho in the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham. Iroko finished in midfield in that race, but has long been considered a National plot after running on to finish fourth last year.
Speaking of plots, the Skelton team commands respect in these blue-chip handicaps and their chance is Panic Attack, tipped by our very own Marcus Armytage to become the first mare to win the race in 75 years. Dinoblue had too much speed for her in the Mares’ Chase at Cheltenham, but Panic Attack is back in handicap company today after successes in the Paddy Power Gold Cup and Coral Gold Cup earlier in the season.
Bobbyjo winner Grangeclare West is another serious player for Mullins with son Paddy in the saddle, while Monty’s Star for Henry De Bromhead has a Gold Cup fourth on his CV and can be relied on to run his race
Before the main event, there are three Grade Ones on the card: Salvator Mundi is a short price for the Hallgarten & Novum Wines Maghull Novices’ Chase, there is the middle distance Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle followed by the Jet2 Liverpool Hurdle for the older stayers.