The Randox Grand National takes place at Aintree on Saturday 5 April, with 34 runners competing to leave their mark on history.
The Grand National is the highlight of a three-day festival, but it is by far the biggest race of the weekend. With a £1million prize pool and £500,000 awarded to the winner, the stakes are certainly high.
When and What Is the Grand National?
The Grand National will take place at 4pm UK time on Saturday. It is the highlight of the third day of the Grand National Festival, which begins on Thursday at the Liverpool-based racecourse.
First run in 1839, the Grand National is one of the oldest races in the world. It is Europe’s most valuable jumps race, with horses jumping over 30 fences around two laps.
The race is run over a distance of four miles and two and a half furlongs, making it the longest race of the jumps season.
The Grand National fences are well-known for being particularly challenging. Names like Becher’s Brook, The Chair and Canal Turn have become part of popular folklore as they can make or break a horse’s chances.
The 2025 Grand National Runners
I Am Maximus is looking to defend his crown, with the Willie Mullins-trained horse aiming to repeat his strong victory last time around.
There are huge disadvantages though, not least that he’ll be going off at a top weight of 11st 12lb. He has also had a disappointing season, having raced only twice. He pulled up in the first race and finished eighth of 10 runners in the second.
The last time he raced was over 60 days ago, while the ground is also unlikely to be to his liking. In many ways, last year he had the perfect build-up and conditions. This will not be the case this time.
There will be strong challenges from the likes of ante-post favourite Intense Raffles, trained by Thomas Gibney. Gibney isn’t the most well-known Irish trainer, partly because he has not trained a winner in over three months.
Intense Raffles won last year’s Irish Grand National as part of a three-race winning run, but it’s fair to say he’s had a mixed season so far. Ninth at Navan in December and 14th on the same track in January does not inspire confidence, but Intense Raffles returned to form at Fairyhouse on 22 February, finishing a narrow second in a Grade 3 Chase.
It’s believed Intense Raffles has been trained specifically for the Grand National but there are huge doubts about his chances. Not having won this season is one thing, but all of his wins have come on soft or heavy ground. These conditions are unlikely at Aintree on Saturday.
It has been 10 years since an English trainer last won the Grand National, but hopes are high for Iroko. Trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, Iroko finished a two-and-a-half length runner-up to Grey Dawning in the bet365 Premier Chase at Kelso on 1 March.
It seems clear that Iroko has been trained specifically for this race, but there are significant doubts regarding his chances too. No seven-year-old has won the Grand National in the last 10 years, while Iroko has never won over fences in a race of this distance. He also has failed to win a race this season.
Gavin Cromwell Targets the Grand National
Stumptown is another strong contender with a long list of stats in his favour. He has won all three starts this campaign, including the Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. This is often seen as a bell-weather for a strong performance in the Grand National. Tiger Roll, for example, has won both races. He’s also won three races this term at or beyond three miles.
Trainer Gavin Cromwell is also in form, spectacularly winning the Gold Cup at Cheltenham with Inothewayurthinkin. Considering that age, weight and the fact he is Irish are also on Stumptown’s side, he could be the pick. He has also never run in the Grand National before, which is often an advantage.
Vanillier is another Cromwell contender attracting interest. Disappointingly finishing 14th last year, the runner-up in the 2023 Grand National has lots going for him. Meanwhile, an 18-length win at Punchestown back in February suggests he has hit form at the right time.
He finished third in the Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham despite his jockey nearly taking the wrong course when leading early in the race. It was this error that allowed Stumptown in. Vanillier lost a lot of ground and had to race in the rear before storming up the field to claim third place. His recovery suggests he can certainly compete at this year’s Grand National.
The final runner of interest is Perceval Legallois, Cromwell’s third in the Grand National. He is both the right age and carries a lighter weight than many of his main rivals, which is to his advantage. He has also won his last two races, both at three miles and one a Listed Handicap Chase. In both those victories, he was pushing for more distance, which he will get here.
The only doubt is the quality of those races. However, the Grand National does allow horses to showcase improvement so it would be remiss to discount Perceval Legallois here.
