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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1 I Am Maximus 9/2
2 Iroko 18/1
3 Jordans 28/1
4 Johnnywho 12/1
5 High Class Hero 66/1
34 ran Nick Rockett, Pied Piper, Spillane's Tower
Distances: 2½l, 1¼l, ½l Time: 9m 9.68s (slow by 3.68s)
🏆 I Am Maximus REGAINS the Randox Grand National! 🏆
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 11, 2026
The first horse since Red Rum to do so! @PTownend | @WillieMullinsNH pic.twitter.com/k5tHGTvuYm
The Randox Grand National once again delivered a narrative befitting its stature, but at its centre stood a performance that elevated I Am Maximus into the rarest company, becoming the first horse since Red Rum to regain the crown.
In a race that began with immediate drama, the complexion was altered before the field had fully settled. Grangeclare West exited at the first, Panic Attack followed at the third, and from that point onward the contest unfolded in the familiar blend of attrition and opportunity that defines Aintree. Amid it all, Paul Townend positioned I Am Maximus with characteristic restraint, tracking the inside and allowing the race to develop around him.
Turning for home, the initiative appeared to lie with Jordans, who made a bold move after the second last, briefly stretching clear. Yet even then, there was a sense of inevitability as I Am Maximus began to close, his rider unhurried, his mount responding with increasing authority. From the elbow, the favourite asserted, powering past to secure a second National victory, adding to his success of 2024 and his runner-up effort in between.
Behind him, Iroko completed a remarkable one-two for owner JP McManus, with Jordans third and Johnnywho fourth, the result underlining both the depth of the field and the dominance of those carrying the green and gold.
For Willie Mullins, the victory was historic in its own right, a third consecutive success in the race and a fourth overall, placing him alongside the most accomplished names in the race’s long history.
“It was a good call from JP, I’d been going down the Gold Cup route with him, but he said to stay in Aintree with him as he felt he was well handicapped. Paul just executed it so well.
“He’s a superb horse who got a fantastic ride and I think the most trouble he got was from his stablemates and his co-pilots, they didn’t give him much room.
“It is (hard to win off top-weight), but maybe the modern-day National is changing and we’re looking at it a bit differently.
“It’s the race we aspire (to win). It’s the race you want to win and be a part of – just to have a runner is a tremendous sensation.
“He is just a superstar – nothing fazes him. He comes out, does what he has to do and wins Nationals.”
Townend, whose composure throughout belied the magnitude of both the occasion and the preceding 24 hours, delivered a ride of patience and precision.
“He’s tough, isn’t he? He’ll gallop to the end of the world for you.
“I saw the one that went in front, but I wasn’t going to be the one chasing him, I had enough going OK in front of me and I was able to get a lead to the elbow.”
“It’s my job to do it, but it’s not easy. When you get out there you’ve got to perform.
“We’re used to getting falls and getting beaten and trying to win the next race, it’s like a soccer player who misses a penalty, they want to take the next one.
“I rode I Am Maximus on the track this morning and he was very fresh and well and he tanked around with me. He just loves it here.
“He was showing all the right signs at home and we got an awful lot of luck on the way round as well. There were plenty of fallers, but it was all happening out there away from me and I was in a little bubble on my own and he was tough, wasn’t he.
“It was like an old-fashioned National and I got some luck and I also got in deep to a couple fences. I think it was at Becher’s I was right on the inside and had a little peck, but he found his feet and you need luck. People talk about what the National has become, but go try to win it and then see how easy it is.”
“I always feel it’s a long way home from the elbow here, so when I saw how far clear he was I was happy to wait.
“I wouldn’t have said I was confident I was going to win, but the further we went the more likely I thought it was!”
"He waited for the horse, I think it was an outstanding ride"
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 11, 2026
JP McManus praises Paul Townend's ride on I Am Maximus! 🟢🟡 🙌#ITVRacing | @MCYeeehaaa pic.twitter.com/u6rLJuidQM
For McManus, whose fourth success in the race further cements his place in its history, the victory carried both personal and emotional resonance.
“There’s a bit of planning goes into it, everything kind of points towards the Grand National and sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. Thankfully it all came together this time.
“He carried the most weight, but managed to win. He got a great ride from Paul, I thought – he waited for the horse and it was an outstanding ride, I have to say.
“He was entered for the Gold Cup, which was a temptation, but we said we’d try to win the National again because he’s a real National type – he’s just made for it.
“He gets away with things at the fences that he wouldn’t get away with at Cheltenham and he just loves it round here. I couldn’t be happier.”
“I’m here with nine grandchildren, all my family and there are lads back at home that play such a big part in it on the farm.
“It’ll mean a lot to so many. There’ll be a few tears shed along the way, I just saw Noreen there and she’s very emotional about it.
“Noreen is a fighter. This time last year if you heard you were going to win a Grand National and we’d all be here to celebrate it it would be a great result. It’s a very special day.”
“The Grand National is something very special and there is such a tradition with it.
“We have a bit do to catch up with Red Rum, but we’ll definitely try! Red Rum is the figurehead of the National, it’s nice to be even mentioned in the same breath as Red Rum.
“When you have a horse like that you only aim for these things. It would be great to be the second three-time winner, but we’ll celebrate this one first and we’ll see what unfolds.”
For Mullins, the focus already edges forward.
“It’s extraordinary and I’m delighted. You could never dream of doing something like this. Thanks to this man (McManus) things that are not even dreams are coming true.
“Hopefully I’ll be here next year and hopefully I Am Maximus will – I’d imagine JP won’t hear of anything else!
“He’s a Gold Cup horse I think and wouldn’t be out of place running in the Gold Cup any day of the week.
“We’ll play a little game, I’ll stick him in the Gold Cup, JP will take him back out and I’ll stick him back in! That’s what was happening this year, but JP wanted to skip the Gold Cup and he was proved so right.
“The race certainly delivered atmosphere and excitement. I think the Grand National delivered in spades this year for atmosphere.”
In the end, this was a Grand National that blended drama, history and inevitability in equal measure. I Am Maximus, already a winner, returned to confirm his place among the race’s greats, and in doing so opened the door to the most tantalising question of all — whether even Red Rum’s unique achievement might yet have company.
Randox Health Grand National
Grade 3, £1,000,000 guaranteed
7yo plus, 4m 2f 74y, Class 1
34 ran
Going: Good to Soft
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