I Am Maximus made history at Aintree on Saturday, becoming the first horse since Red Rum to regain the Grand National crown. The 10-year-old bay gelding, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend, also became the first horse since the legendary ‘Rummy’ to win while carrying top weight. The result was a landmark, but the race that delivered it was one of the most eventful in recent years, with half the field failing to complete the course.
Just 16 of the 34 starters saw the finish line, and the attrition started almost immediately. Even some of the morning movers and early market leaders failed to make it round, and before the field had even settled, the race’s early complexion had been ripped apart entirely.
False start and early chaos
There was a false start before the field was sent on its way, and from the moment they went, the race unravelled at a pace that left several pre-race fancies standing in the field, literally. Grangeclare West, one of the more prominent market fancies, unseated his rider at the very first fence. Patrick Mullins, who had won the race 12 months earlier aboard Nick Rockett, was on the ground before the race had barely begun.
Quai De Bourbon fell at the second, hampering Panic Attack and Jordans in the process. Then, at the third, Panic Attack hit the deck. Dan Skelton’s mare had been backed into favouritism during the morning and was widely expected to go close. She never got the chance to show what she was capable of.
The middle circuit
With Panic Attack out and Grangeclare West gone, Amirite moved to the front and led the field into the first turn. Gerri Colombe departed at the first ditch, hampering Jordans again, and Mr Vango fell at Becher’s Brook.
A loose horse caused further interference later in the race, moving across the front of the field on the approach to The Chair and causing High Class Hero to make an error. Oscars Brother and Banbridge both came down in the ruckus, while I Am Maximus and Champ Kiely made errors along the inside.
Robbie Dunne came down aboard Stellar Story and was assessed on course by the medical team. He was conscious and talking after the fall but was taken to a nearby hospital. Top Of The Bill fell at the final fence and was checked by vets on course before being walked back to the stables, where he remained under observation. A stewards’ inquiry was held to consider whether Toby McCain-Mitchell should have pulled up Top Of The Bill before his fall, and McCain-Mitchell was suspended for ten days for failing to do so.
The final fallers list
Seven horses fell outright: Panic Attack, Marble Sands, Quai De Bourbon, Stellar Story, Mr Vango, Gerri Colombe and Top Of The Bill. Seven more unseated their riders, among them Grangeclare West, Banbridge, Jagwar, Captain Cody, Oscars Brother, Beauport, and Perceval Legallois. Three were pulled up: The Real Whacker, Lecky Watson, and Spanish Harlem.
How I Am Maximus got through it
Townend rode the race patiently, keeping I Am Maximus away from the worst of the interference. The horse had not been travelling with the same fluency that marked his 2024 win, dropping towards midfield at various points, but Townend bided his time. He made steady headway from two out, went fourth before the last, and led on the flat to win comfortably.
Iroko finished second at 18/1, with Jordans third and Johnnywho fourth. JP McManus had the first two home, a feat that has never been achieved before in the race’s long history, and three of the top four. The victory made McManus the most successful owner in the race’s history with four wins, while Mullins became the first trainer since Vincent O’Brien in the 1950s to win three successive editions.
The 2026 renewal will be remembered as much for what it took out of the field as for who came through it. I Am Maximus stood above the chaos, but 18 horses did not make it to the line, a number that will keep the debate about the race’s demands alive for some time yet.
