Aintree Grand National Trends 2026 - Key Stats for UK's Favourite Race

By Adam Kenny

Apr 2nd, 2026 11:18 AM EDT

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The Grand National is one of the toughest puzzles to solve each year for racing punters. We have checked the trends going back decades to determine what sort of profile is needed for a Grand National winner. Check them out before you get involved at a Grand National betting site.

2026 Randox Grand National - Big Race Details

• Date: Saturday, April 11th
• Course: Aintree
• Status: Class 1 (Handicap)
• Distance: 4m 2.5f (4m, 2f 74yds)
• Age: 7yo+
• Prize fund: £1,000,000 (£500,000 to the winner)
• Live on: ITV and RacingTV at 4pm, April 11th

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Aintree Grand National - Key Trends for 2026

• Age range: Since the turn of the century, only two horses outside of the 8-11 age range have won the Grand National. Nine of the last 10 winners have been aged eight or nine.
• Experience edge: Every winner in the last 12 years bar two had already run at least nine times over fences. 2022 winner, Noble Yeats, and last year's victor, Nick Rockett, being the exceptions.
• KEY STAT - Avoid the long-layoffs: 32 of the last 33 winners ran within the previous 55 days, while 24 of the last 32 ran within 34 days!
• National newbies: 15 of the last 17 Grand National winners were having their first run in this unique race. Tiger Roll was a notable exception when winning a second time in 2019.
• Luck of the Irish: 19 of the last 29 winners were Irish-bred, although not necessarily trained in Ireland. This includes I Am Maximus, who won the race in 2024.
• Mares don’t do well: 13 mares have won the Grand National but the last one was way back in 1951 - 75 years ago!
• Stamina sway: 29 of the last 33 Grand National winners had won at least one chase over three miles or further.

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Trainer Trends

Nicky Henderson has trained more winners than anyone at the three-day Aintree meeting, but the six-time champion trainer is still searching for his first Grand National winner. Zongalero, his first runner in the race in 1979, finished second and remains to this day the closest he has come to landing the big prize.

Gordon Elliott has won the race three times since 2007, including in 2018 and 2019 with Tiger Roll, and he is likely to have plenty of chances in 2026. As many as 10 of the runners could be Elliott's, though that's likely to end up in single digits by the time the race starts. Stellar Story looks to be his best chance, if odds at the best horse racing betting sites are to be believed.

Irish trainers have done particularly well in the race since the turn of the century, winning the race 13 times, including seven of the last nine, with Willie Mullins having last year's winner Nick Rockett returning to defend his crown among a host of potential runners.

High-profile British trainers like Paul Nicholls, Jonjo O’Neill, Nigel Twiston-Davies and David Pipe have all struck with a winner in recent years. Lucinda Russell is the most successful British trainer in recent times, having two winners in the last six years, including 2023's comfortable winner Corach Rambler. Iroko and Jagwar are among the favourites with most betting apps this year. Both represent Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, who'll be hopeful of landing a first Grand National for GB since 2023.

Jockey Trends

Rachael Blackmore became the first female rider to win the Grand National when she steered Minella Times to an emphatic success in 2021. There haven't been many female jockeys in the race in recent years, so here's hoping we see some this year.

Derek Fox is the only current jockey who has landed the prize more than once, having been on board One For Arthur in 2017 and Corach Rambler in 2023. Paul Townend will likely be on board Grangeclare West this year, who is set to be one of the favourites at UK betting sites. He looks to join Fox as a two-time winner.

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2026 Randox Grand National - Which Horses Fit The Trends This year?

Ideally what we're looking for is a horse with assured stamina, at least nine runs over fences, who has placed in a Graded race and has run in the last 55 days. To tick an extra box, this should be the horse's first attempt at the Grand National and ideally it would be an Irish-bred horse.

Top of the pile in the betting with top UK betting sites is I Am Maximus. He went agonisingly close to winning the race for a second time last year. He has the proven class and stamina, but is returning for a layoff that's longer than ideal in terms of the trends.

Jagwar and Iroko look like a pair of likely sorts. Both are French-bred though, which is a mark against them as far as trends go. It might be best to look elsewhere this year.

Johnnywho is a runner that would hit pretty much every trend. He was last seen winning at the Cheltenham Festival last month, so there are no layoff concerns. That win was in a Grade 3 handicap over slightly further than three miles. He was bred in Ireland and has had 10 career starts over fences. It's hard to pick any holes in him from a trends perspective.

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Previous Grand National Winners

• 2025 Nick Rockett (33/1) Willie Mullins; Jockey: Paul Townend
• 2024 I Am Maximus (7/1) Trainer: Willie Mullins; Jockey: Paul Townend
• 2023 Corach Rambler (8/1) Trainer: Lucinda Russell; Jockey: Derek Fox
• 2022 Noble Yeats (50/1) Trainer: Emmett Mullins; Jockey: Mr Sam Waley-Cohen
• 2021 Minella Times (11/1) Trainer: Henry De Bromhead; Jockey: Rachael Blackmore
• 2020 No Race
• 2019 Tiger Roll (4/1F) Trainer: Gordon Elliott; Jockey: Davy Russell
• 2018 Tiger Roll (10/1) Trainer Gordon Elliott; Jockey: Davy Russell
• 2017 One For Arthur (14/1) Trainer: Lucinda Russell; Jockey: Derek Fox
• 2016 Rule The World (33/1) Trainer: M F Morris; Jockey: David Mullins
• 2015 Many Clouds (25/1) Trainer: Oliver Sherwood; Jockey: Leighton Aspell

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About the Author

Adam Kenny

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Adam has worked in online betting for pretty much his entire adult life. Having spent over a decade working for some of the biggest betting sites and online casinos in their operations and content teams, NFL, soccer and horse racing are Adam's main focuses, but there's always room for him to cast his eye over a new slot game or casino.

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