Grand National on The Race Lab

Panic Attack's Grand National Dream: The Numbers For and Against

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0000

No horse had ever won both the Paddy Power Gold Cup and the Coral Gold Cup in the same season. Then Panic Attack did it inside a fortnight.

We went through every winner of both races in the SmartForm database. Not one horse had doubled up in a single campaign — until this ten-year-old mare rattled off victories at Cheltenham on November 15th and Newbury on November 29th, improving from a rating of 135 to what is now 147 after her stroll in a Listed mares’ chase at Newbury in January.

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.

Impaire Et Passe Returns From 291 Days Off to Win Gowran — Where Next?

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

When a horse wins on its first start in 291 days, you pay attention. When that horse is a former Cheltenham Festival winner with entries in the Ryanair Chase, Gold Cup, and Grand National, you pay very close attention.

Impaire Et Passe returned to action in Saturday’s Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park and got the job done in the style that has defined his career — held up, travelling sweetly, then finding plenty when asked. Held up in rear, he made a mistake at two out but kept on well to lead close home, winning the Grade 2 on heavy ground.

Haydock Grand National Trial: Myretown's Jumping Demons and the £500,000 Question

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 21:00:00 +0000

The William Hill Half A Mill Grand National Trial at Haydock on Saturday (3:15) has the lot: a cracking field of 11 staying chasers, a £100,000 first prize, and the tantalising carrot of a £500,000 bonus for any horse who can win this and follow up in the Randox Grand National at Aintree on April 11th.

It’s a race that asks serious questions of its participants. Three and a half miles around Haydock in February is no joy ride, and the form of previous winners tells an interesting story — Famous Bridge landed the prize 12 months ago but failed to kick on, finishing sixth in the Ultima and pulling up in the Scottish National.

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.