This week is all about Aintree, with the Grand National Festival taking centre stage and the biggest race in the sport just days away.
The build-up has already taken a major turn, with last year’s winner Nick Rockett ruled out on Thursday. His withdrawal shook up the market and opened the door for Pied Piper, who was also taken out before even travelling over from Ireland. That late change means Imperial Saint now takes his place in the line-up.
At the head of the betting sits I Am Maximus at around 7/1, with Grangeclare West and Panic Attack both close behind at 9/1. It is shaping up to be another wide-open renewal, with plenty of runners holding realistic claims in a race where anything can happen over four miles and two and a half furlongs.
If you want the latest updates, a full list of runners and riders, and all the key angles covered, head over to www.grandnational.fans, where everything is being kept fully up to date in the build-up to the race.
Friday’s card at Aintree includes the Topham Chase (4:05), always one of the most enjoyable races of the meeting over the National fences, while across in the United States, Keeneland hosts the Maker’s Mark Mile, a Grade 1 contest on turf.
Saturday centres on the Grand National at 4:00pm, while further afield, Royal Randwick stages a strong card featuring the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Sydney Cup and Australian Oaks.
Sunday keeps things moving with the Japanese 1000 Guineas, along with domestic racing at Down Royal and Leopardstown, where the Classic Trials meeting offers an early look at some of the Flat season’s emerging talent.
The week continues with meetings at Hexham, Leicester and Newcastle on Monday, before attention turns to Newmarket on Tuesday and Wednesday as the Flat season continues to build momentum.
Big races this week
Maker's Mark Mile Stakes: 10:16am Keeneland (USA), 10 Apr (Sky)
Topham Chase: 4:05pm Aintree, 10 Apr (iTV)
Australian Oaks: 5:05am Royal Randwick (Aus), 11 Apr (Stream)
Grand National: 4:00pm Aintree, 11 Apr (iTV)
Japanese 1000 Guineas: 7:40am Oka Sho, 12 Apr (RTV)
*All races above are listed in UK time (GMT).
Race Notes
4:00pm Grand National - 11 Apr, Aintree
The Grand National is the one race where the stats genuinely matter. Over the last 20 runnings, the trends point firmly in one direction: eight or nine-year-olds with eight-year-olds dominating in the past 10 years.
Favourites have won only five of the last 20 runnings.
Form coming into the race matters too. Twenty-one of the last 33 winners finished in the top four last time out, with the ideal prep run somewhere between 30 and 55 days ago. Irish-trained horses have won six of the last seven renewals.
Horses that fit the profile:
Johnnywho (12/1) ticks most of the boxes. He won the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham last month, arriving here in confirmed recent form, carrying a manageable weight.
Grangeclare West (9/1) is the strongest profile horse in the race. Nine years old, trained in Ireland and in excellent recent form. Weight carried (11st-10lb) is the major red flag.
Panic Attack (17/2) Winning three out of four starts over fences this season, she won both the Paddy Power Gold Cup and the Coral Gold Cup. The trip is an open question, but the form is hard to argue with and the price has been shortening all week.
For each-way players, Haiti Couleurs (16/1) arrives with the right profile for a race that rewards genuine staying ability.
One to keep an eye on if the ground deteriorates: Mr Vango (66/1) has shown his best form on genuinely heavy ground and would be a very different proposition if Aintree gets a soaking before Saturday.
Weekend Nap
SOBER GLORY (4/7) – 2.55pm (Friday 10 Apr) Aintree:
Sober Glory looks the standout this week. He is a highly progressive type with an excellent record, winning seven of his nine starts, and he continues to improve with each run.
He impressed at Newbury last time when making all and defying a big penalty, showing both pace and toughness from the front. His second in the Supreme at Cheltenham reads even better than it looks on paper, as he made a mistake at the last and still stayed on well despite some trouble on the run-in.
Antepost Watch
Early market support has come for Havaila, who has shortened from 28/1 into 14/1 for the Scottish Grand National (18 April 2026).
The Gary and Josh Moore-trained runner put himself firmly in the picture with a strong display in the Sussex National Handicap Chase, staying on well to score and looking every inch a horse suited to a stamina test.
That performance has not gone unnoticed, and he now sits among the more interesting contenders for Ayr as the market begins to take shape.
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Racing News
Here are a few racing updates that caught the eye this week.
Racing Legends - Corach Rambler
Most syndicates exist on a small scale. Owners share costs, follow results, and operate largely out of public view. Even successful seasons tend to pass quietly beyond racing circles.
The Grand National is different. It breaks that pattern in a single afternoon.
No other race combines money, attention, and commercial impact in the same way. For a syndicate, simply having a runner at Aintree can change its profile overnight.
Owners step out of the background and onto racing’s biggest stage, with consequences that last long after the race is run.
Thanks for reading! Let’s catch up again next week.
Regards
The Newsletter Team
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