This is the one race that stops the racing world in its tracks. The Grand National is not just the centrepiece of Aintree. It is the race that defines the entire meeting.
Every year, it drags in the casual viewer, the once-a-year punter, and the hardened racing fan in equal measure, and the 2026 renewal looks as fiendishly difficult as ever.
4:00 – Randox Grand National Handicap Chase (4m2½f) (Saturday)
At the top of the weights and near the head of the market is I Am Maximus, the 2024 winner, who once again has Paul Townend booked. He races off the same mark that saw him finish runner-up to Nick Rockett in last season’s renewal, and Nick Rockett is out of this year's event.
On the face of it, there is absolutely no reason to think I Am Maximus will not run another huge race.
He is proven over the fences, proven over the trip, and trained by a yard that knows exactly what is required to win Nationals. That said, there are a few reasons not to dive in at a short enough price.
Then there is the sheer depth of the JP McManus team, who field no fewer than seven runners. Plenty of them can go well, and among them, Oscars Brother stands out as one with significant upside. His staying on fourth in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase was a strong effort, and this extreme trip promises to suit him very well indeed.
But the one who is starting to stick out like a sore thumb is GERRI COLOMBE.
If you are looking for the horse with the right blend of class, stamina, and a hint of untapped National potential, he makes an awful lot of sense. Jack Kennedy’s choice, Gerri Colombe, looked a top-class staying chaser in his pomp, but things never quite clicked again after he chased home Galopin Des Champs in the 2024 Gold Cup.
For a while, he looked like a horse whose best days may have passed him by. But there have been signs recently that he is back to his best, and strong ones at that.
His win in the Bluegrass Chase at Down Royal last month was his best effort in quite some time, and more importantly, it suggested he is beginning to rekindle the level of form that once had him competing at the very top table. If that was not just a flash of old brilliance but the start of a genuine revival, then a mark of 166 may not be enough to stop him.
He is a big, powerful, old-school staying chaser, the kind who has long looked tailor-made for a race like this. In truth, he has had “Grand National horse” written all over him for years. Now we find out if the theory becomes reality.
Others who make plenty of appeal in behind include Montys Star, Captain Cody, Grangeclare West, Quai De Bourbon, Johnnywho, and Haiti Couleurs, all of whom have the profiles to run very big races if things fall their way.
But for value, class, and the sense that he may be peaking at exactly the right time, Gerri Colombe is the one to side with.
- Selection: Gerri Colombe 33/1 (each way)
- Danger: I Am Maximus 8/1
*Odds subject to change.
Good luck!
