Aintree on The Race Lab

Grand National 2026 Entries: Five Contenders the Data Says You Should Watch

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

The initial entry list for the 2026 Grand National dropped this week — 78 names jostling for 34 spots on April 11. Plenty of the usual suspects, a few outsiders with no chance, and a handful of genuinely fascinating stories buried in the form book.

Here are five entries the data says deserve your attention.

Panic Attack — The Mare Making History

Only 13 mares have ever won the Grand National. The last was Nickel Coin in 1951. Dan Skelton’s Panic Attack might be the best chance to end that 75-year drought.

Edwardstone Swerves Cheltenham for Aintree — But History Is Against Him

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Alan King confirmed after the Ascot Chase on Saturday that Edwardstone will bypass the Cheltenham Festival entirely. The Ryanair entry stays in the drawer. Instead, the 12-year-old will head to Aintree for the Melling Chase in April, a race King won back-to-back with Voy Por Ustedes in 2008 and 2009.

It’s a sensible move. Edwardstone ran a solid fourth in the Ascot Chase, chasing the pace and not quite getting home over an extended two and a half miles. King was characteristically honest afterwards: “He jumped super and it was a proper horse race. It was nice to see a ten, eleven and twelve year old fighting it out.”

Mullins Arms Himself With Two Previous Winners as Grand National Entries Revealed

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000

The initial entry list for the 2026 Randox Grand National has landed, and one name dominates the trainer column: Willie Mullins. With 15 horses entered — including the last two Grand National winners — the Closutton maestro has the Aintree showpiece in a stranglehold.

No trainer has ever saddled the last two Grand National winners simultaneously in the same renewal. If both I Am Maximus and Nick Rockett line up on April 4th, Mullins will be attempting something unprecedented.

Mullins' Grand National Empire: 15 Entries and a Three-Year Winning Streak

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 12:15:00 +0000

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.

From Kempton to Aintree: Can Aswat Follow Blackmore's Trail?

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 18:30:00 +0000

Aamilah Aswat says riding in the Grand National is “still the dream.” After making history last week, that dream no longer looks quite so distant.

The 24-year-old became the first black female British jump jockey to win a race in the UK when partnering Guchen to victory in a handicap hurdle at Kempton on 2 February. It was her fourth ride under rules — all four have come aboard the same horse.