Randox Grand National |
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| Grade 3 Handicap, Aintree 16:00 £1,000,000 guaranteed 7yo plus, 4m 2f 74y, Class 1  |
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At this stage of the Grand National build-up, clarity is often in short supply. The latest scratching stage has, if anything, sharpened certain angles while leaving others intriguingly unresolved, with 55 horses still in contention for Aintree’s great test on April 11 and the familiar forces of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott once again shaping the narrative.
Mullins, numerically at least, holds the upper hand with 10 possibles from Closutton, while Elliott has trimmed his team to seven after the removal of Western Fold, Better Days Ahead, Croke Park and Search For Glory. Others to depart the scene include Grey Dawning, Handstands, Gentlemansgame and Intense Raffles, leaving the complexion of the race subtly altered and the cut line now firmly in focus.
Final Orders wins the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase! 🥇
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 11, 2026
What a ride from Conor Stone-Walsh! 🔥#ITVRacing | @conorstonewalsh | @gavincromwell1 pic.twitter.com/Ke2H3466bH
Among those to benefit are Cheltenham Festival Cross Country winner Final Orders and the Dan Skelton-trained Panic Attack, both now guaranteed a run. The former, trained by Gavin Cromwell, arrives with a profile that invites comparison with past specialists who have bridged the gap between Cheltenham’s banks course and Aintree’s spruce — though only Tiger Roll has managed to complete that particular double.
Final Orders could yet attempt to follow in those footsteps. His assured display at Cheltenham, where his jumping proved the decisive asset, marked him out as a natural for a test where rhythm and fluency over unusual fences remain paramount.
“He’s very well, he’s come out of Cheltenham great and he’s most likely now to head to Aintree,” said Cromwell.
“He jumped fantastically, that was his biggest asset on the day, and he got a fine ride from Conor Stone-Walsh.
“He’d definitely appreciate the ground if it was on the quicker side, we knew those conditions at Cheltenham would play to his strengths.”
Stablemates Vanillier and Stumptown, third and fourth respectively in the same race, also advertised their credentials, albeit under conditions that perhaps did not entirely play to their strengths.
Elsewhere, the powerful combination of JP McManus and Mullins looms large at the head of the market, though it is the McManus-owned Jagwar who has secured the services of Mark Walsh. Trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, the seven-year-old shaped with considerable promise when second in the Ultima at Cheltenham, a performance that hinted at both stamina and latent improvement.
“Jagwar has been very good since Cheltenham, he’ very fresh and has come out of the race very well,” said Guerriero.
“I thought initially he might have had a hard race, but he certainly hasn’t been tired, anyway.
“Cheltenham told us that he stayed that trip (three miles one furlong) very well and there’s no reason he shouldn’t stay further the way he came up the hill. He wasted a hell of lot of energy through the race with his jumping and being wide.
“He seems to struggle at Cheltenham with getting into a rhythm and I do think at Aintree with its long straights will help that a lot, he can use his big stride.
“The plan is for Mark Walsh to ride him, that was the whole point of riding him at Cheltenham, to get to know him before the National. Hopefully he’ll stay on and Jonjo will stay on Iroko.”
Iroko, fourth in last year’s race, remains on course despite a minor issue post-Cheltenham.
“He just had a bit of mucus in his scope after the race, we scoped him before he ran but he’s picked something up in the days before the race,” Guerriero added.
“It was nothing bad, but it was obviously enough to affect his performance. He’s never not put a race in, that was the first time, but then he scoped dirty.”
If Jagwar represents the progressive profile, then Gerri Colombe presents a more nuanced case. His recent success at Down Royal, achieved with a degree of authority, has reopened the question of whether Aintree’s marathon or the more conventional test of the Bowl is the more suitable target. It is a familiar dilemma for Elliott, one shaped as much by opportunity as by ambition.
“Jack said he loved the ground, he really enjoyed himself. He said he didn’t do a stroke when he got to the front.
“He jumped well, so very happy.”
That performance, coupled with an earlier second in the Bobbyjo Chase, suggests a horse returning to something like his best at precisely the moment decisions must be made.
“He’s in the National and we have the choice of the Bowl as well, so we’ll have a chat with Brian and Rob (Acheson) and the whole team (Robcour), and see what we think.
“I was delighted with him (in Fairyhouse), he’s coming along the whole way. Obviously, he had a setback and missed most of last year.
“He’s been unbelievable for me.”
And therein lies the broader shape of this year’s race: established class intersecting with emerging profiles, and decisions still to be taken at every level. The next confirmation stage will bring further clarity, but for now the Grand National remains what it has always been — a puzzle, slowly assembling, with just enough pieces still missing to keep its outcome tantalisingly out of reach.
Randox Health Grand National
Grade 3, £1,000,000 guaranteed
7yo plus, 4m 2f 74y, Class 1
55 remaining entries
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