The Grand National entry list makes for familiar reading. Willie Mullins has 15 horses declared for the 2026 running at Aintree — and among them sit the winners of the last two renewals.
I Am Maximus, who powered home in 2024, is back for another crack. Nick Rockett, who stunned the masses at 33/1 last April, returns to defend his crown. Between them they’ve given Mullins back-to-back victories in the world’s most famous steeplechase. Add in his 2022 triumph with Noble Yeats and the Irish maestro has now claimed three of the last four Nationals.
The raw numbers underline a remarkable run. Since 2015, Mullins has saddled 110 chase runners at Aintree. Sixteen have won — a strike rate of 14.5% that towers above the field in a race where even finding the frame is an achievement.
The Reigning Champions
Nick Rockett’s 2025 victory followed a textbook preparation. He arrived at Aintree off the back of four consecutive wins — the Goffs Thyestes Handicap at Gowran Park, the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse, and a demolition job in a Listed chase at Leopardstown over Christmas. Each step up in trip suited him better than the last. By the time he lined up for the National, the 33/1 odds looked almost insulting.
His stablemate I Am Maximus nearly made it a one-two last year, finishing second in his title defence after winning the 2024 National by three-quarters of a length. The 8-year-old had also landed the 2023 Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse, making him one of only a handful of horses to win both prizes.
What the Entries Tell Us
Fifteen entries is not excessive for a yard of Mullins’ size — it’s strategic. The Closutton handler invariably targets the National with multiple strings, knowing the unique demands of four and a quarter miles over those fences. Not all 15 will make the final cut; handicapper Martin Greenwood’s weights and the ballot will thin the field. But having two recent winners in the mix gives Mullins leverage that no other trainer can match.
The Pattern of Success
Look back at Mullins’ Aintree record and a pattern emerges. He targets the right horses — staying chasers who can jump galloping obstacles under pressure — and he prepares them methodically. The Thyestes, the Bobbyjo, the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown: these are the stepping stones that have produced National winners.
His dominance has reshaped the ante-post market before a single Cheltenham Festival race has been run. Bookmakers simply cannot ignore the Mullins factor — not when he’s won three of the last four, not when he’s got the last two winners in his string.
The rest of the National entries will be pored over in the coming weeks. But one thing is already clear: whoever lifts that famous trophy on April 11th will probably have spent the winter in County Carlow.