Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2026 Grand National Preview
First of all, remember to head over to our dedicated Grand National site which is packed full of information from detailed backgrounds on each of the forty Grand National runners, Grand National tips and tools galore to help you make a selection such as Grand National lucky dip and grand national winner predictor.
The race as we know it was first run in 1839 when Jem Mason rode Lottery to success, the race features some of the most famous fences in racing with Bechers Brook, Foinavon, the Canal Turn, Valentine's Brook and The Chair all challenging the runners. It's hard to talk about the Grand National without mentioning the great Red Rum, the only runner to win the race three times with wins in 1973, 74 & 77.
The race is a Premier Handicap which carries a prize fund of £1m with the winner receiving £500k, runners aged seven or older can enter the race which is run over a distance of four miles, two and a half furlongs during which a total of thirty fences will be jumped as the runners do two laps of the course.
Grand National Information:
In April, the only thing racing fans are interested in is the Grand National tips from the OLBG expert racing tipsters, which of the forty runners are they predicting to win the showcase race at Aintree? We cover every race at the Aintree Grand National Meeting and below you can find links to all of the races for each of Thursday, Friday & Saturday.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Grand National market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2024 when the race had an over-round of 137%. The race in 2015 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 165%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Grand National, the over-round has been 150%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £150 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Grand National Trends, see which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal, we also have a section that looks at the Grand National Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Grand National over the last 20 renewals:
- Many Clouds (8:56.80) in 2015
- Tiger Roll (9:01.00) in 2019
- Ballabriggs (9:01.20) in 2011
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 20 if you had followed the winner of the Grand National next time out then you would have backed a total of 0 winners. Backing all 18 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of -18.00. Before placing your bet on the 2026 Grand National see which other runners today are being backed on the racing predictions page.
The runner that holds the record over the past 20 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2006 renewal when Numbersixvalverde from Martin Brassil under the guidance of Niall P Madden, won in a time of 9:41.00, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Many Clouds, trained by Oliver Sherwood and ridden by Leighton Aspell set the quickest time of 8:56.80 in the 2015 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
| Grand National 04 Apr @ 16:00 - AntePost | ||
|---|---|---|
| Haiti Couleurs | 21.00 | |
| Iroko | 26.00 | |
| I Am Maximus | 26.00 | |
| Nick Rockett | 26.00 | |
| Jagwar | 26.00 | |
| Grangeclare West | 34.00 | |
| Myretown | 34.00 | |
| Captain Cody | 34.00 | |
| Better Days Ahead | 41.00 | |
| Minella Cocooner | 41.00 | |
Grand National Past Winners
Here are the Grand National past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won along with the age & weight of the horse. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Grand National are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 9:06.14 | Nick Rockett (IRE) 8yo 11-8 33/1 | Mr P W Mullins W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2024 9:27.68 | I Am Maximus (FR) 8yo 11-6 7/1F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2023 9:10.62 | Corach Rambler (IRE) 9yo 10-5 8/1F | Derek Fox Lucinda Russell (GB) |
| 2022 9:03.06 | Noble Yeats (IRE) 7yo 10-10 50/1 | Mr Sam Waley-Cohen Emmet Mullins (IRE) |
| 2021 9:15.42 | Minella Times (IRE) 8yo 10-3 11/1 | Rachael Blackmore Henry De Bromhead (IRE) |
| 2019 9:01.00 | Tiger Roll (IRE) 9yo 11-5 4/1F | Davy Russell Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2018 9:40.10 | Tiger Roll (IRE) 8yo 10-13 10/1 | Davy Russell Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2017 9:03.50 | One For Arthur (IRE) 8yo 10-11 14/1 | Derek Fox Lucinda Russell (GB) |
| 2016 9:29.00 | Rule The World (GB) 9yo 10-7 33/1 | David Mullins M F Morris (IRE) |
| 2015 8:56.80 | Many Clouds (IRE) 8yo 11-9 25/1 | Leighton Aspell Oliver Sherwood (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Grand National have been based:
- GB: 10 winners with an additional 28 placings from 478 runners
- IRE: 10 winners with an additional 32 placings from 288 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 15 runners
Grand National Trainer Statistics
There are two leading trainers in the Grand National over the last 20 renewals with both W P Mullins and Gordon Elliott who have both won the race three times. W P Mullins winners have been with Hedgehunter (2005), I Am Maximus (2024) and Nick Rockett (2025). Gordon Elliott winners have been with Silver Birch (2007) and Tiger Roll (2018 & 2019). The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Grand National is Lucinda Russell (2 wins). Multiple trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Grand National, Nigel Twiston-Davies (0-35), Nicky Henderson (0-20), Philip Hobbs (0-18), Peter Bowen (0-12), T M Walsh (0-11), Evan Williams (0-10) and Tom George (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.
Here are some of the top Grand National trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| W P Mullins | 63-3-11 | -13.00 | -12.46 |
| Gordon Elliott | 51-3-8 | -1.00 | +0.63 |
| Lucinda Russell | 7-2-2 | +17.00 | +8.75 |
| Paul Nicholls | 60-1-4 | -26.00 | -29.62 |
| David Pipe | 36-1-2 | -28.00 | -28.37 |
| Jonjo O'Neill | 31-1-5 | -20.00 | -9.74 |
| Venetia Williams | 17-1-1 | +84.00 | +46.50 |
| Donald McCain | 17-1-1 | -2.00 | -7.25 |
| Henry De Bromhead | 17-1-3 | -5.00 | +7.88 |
| M F Morris | 10-1-1 | +24.00 | +11.63 |
Grand National Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Grand National over the last 20 renewals is Derek Fox who has won the race two times with those two winners coming from One For Arthur (2017) and Corach Rambler (2023). Multiple jockeys have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Grand National, Sam Twiston-Davies (0-14), Mark Walsh (0-13), Nick Scholfield (0-11), Sean Bowen (0-10), Richie McLernon (0-10) and Harry Skelton (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple rides to the race.
Here are some of the top Grand National jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Fox | 5-2-2 | +19.00 | +10.75 |
| Paul Townend | 14-1-3 | -6.00 | -5.49 |
| Rachael Blackmore | 7-1-2 | +5.00 | +4.88 |
| Mr P W Mullins | 6-1-2 | +28.00 | +17.26 |
| Ryan Mania | 5-1-1 | +62.00 | +37.25 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 14-0-0 | -14.00 | -14.00 |
| Mark Walsh | 13-0-2 | -13.00 | -10.12 |
| Nick Scholfield | 11-0-2 | -11.00 | -4.62 |
| Richie McLernon | 10-0-1 | -10.00 | -7.50 |
| Sean Bowen | 10-0-1 | -10.00 | -8.25 |
2026 Grand National Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, (2, 3), (F, PU, REF), (1, 6), 7, (1, 4), 6, (3, 9), 13, (3, UR), 5, (2, 16), 4, PU, 1, PU, 2, 1, (1, 10), 4
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (72%) - Break of 22 - 350 days (Last Place)
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Not in a G2/Cl3-4/Cl6 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Had 1 - 5 placings (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Ran in 3 - 10 races (Season)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Not BB/BL/CH in colour
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Achieved an RPR of 136+ (Season)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Ran in 7 - 27 races (Chase)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Fewer than 2 placings (Course)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Ran over 1m5½f - 3m½f (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Off a break of 20 - 83 days
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Ran in 2 - 6 races (180 Days)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Fewer than 5 wins (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Beaten no more -23l (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Carried 141 - 170lbs (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Not in a Cl3/Cl5-6 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - No bigger than 14/1 (Last Win)
- 19 / 20 (84%) - Held an OR of 137+ (LTO)
- 19 / 20 (86%) - Won within last 9 starts
- 18 / 20 (64%) - Achieved an RPR of 150+ (Hcps)
- 18 / 20 (82%) - Not fallen (Season)
Remember to use the trends listed above along with the Aintree racing predictions to see if you can find the winner of the Grand National. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, It is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Grand National by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Grand National Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +58.00 is when runners ran on Soft ground last time out.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 places in the past year, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-162.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Grand National is Cheltenham, there has been a total number of 8 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out. The next best course which has produced the second most winners is Fairyhouse, there has been a total number of 3 winners of this race who ran at Fairyhouse last time out.
The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 766 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 15 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Grand National:
- Authorized (3 Wins)
- Old Vic (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Grand National despite multiple attempts:
- Flemensfirth (0 Wins from 21 runners)
- Shantou (0 Wins from 16 runners)
- Accordion (0 Wins from 14 runners)
- Kings Theatre (0 Wins from 14 runners)
- Network (0 Wins from 14 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Mon Mome in 2009, winning for Venetia Williams at odds of 100/1 under the guidance of Liam Treadwell. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals there have been 6 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Grand National remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Route to the Grand National
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Grand National, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Nick Rockett Fairyhouse - 1st of 6 (5/6) | Bobbyjo Chase |
| 2024 - I Am Maximus Fairyhouse - 1st of 4 (1/1) | Bobbyjo Chase |
| 2023 - Corach Rambler Cheltenham - 1st of 23 (6/1) | Ultima Handicap Chase |
| 2022 - Noble Yeats Cheltenham - 9th of 24 (14/1) | Ultima Handicap Chase |
| 2021 - Minella Times Leopardstown - 2nd of 22 (15/2) | Leopardstown Handicap Chase |
| 2019 - Tiger Roll Cheltenham - 1st of 15 (5/4) | Cross Country Chase |
| 2018 - Tiger Roll Cheltenham - 1st of 16 (7/1) | Cross Country Chase |
| 2017 - One For Arthur Warwick - 1st of 20 (14/1) | Classic Chase |
| 2016 - Rule The World Naas - 4th of 7 (2/1) | Naas Directors Plate Novice Chase |
| 2015 - Many Clouds Cheltenham - 6th of 16 (7/1) | Cheltenham Gold Cup |
Schedule for Thursday at the Aintree Grand National Meeting
The three-day Grand National meeting kicks off on Thursday with four Grade 1 events on the seven-race card which features both the Aintree Hurdle and the Bowl Chase.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:45 Aintree Manifesto Novices Chase | Impaire Et Passe (FR) 7yo - 9/4 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:20 Aintree Anniversary 4YO Juvenile Hurdle | Murcia (FR) 4yo - 11/4 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:55 Aintree Bowl Chase | Gaelic Warrior (GER) 7yo - 11/4 | W P Mullins Mr P W Mullins |
| 15:30 Aintree Aintree Hurdle | Lossiemouth (FR) 6yo - 5/4 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:05 Aintree Foxhunters Chase | Gracchus De Balme (FR) 9yo - 22/1 | J J O'Shea Mr Huw Edwards |
| 16:40 Aintree Red Rum Handicap Chase | Sans Bruit (FR) 7yo - 5/1 | Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden |
| 17:15 Aintree Nickel Coin Mares Bumper | Seo Linn (IRE) 5yo - 15/8 | P Twomey W J Lee |
Schedule for Friday at the Aintree Grand National Meeting
Day 2 of the Grand National meeting is Ladies Day or Fabulous Friday, the highlights on the track being the Melling Chase plus there is the Topham Chase over the Grand National fences.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:45 Aintree Mildmay Novices Chase | Caldwell Potter (FR) 7yo - 11/4 | Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden |
| 14:20 Aintree National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle | Wellington Arch (GB) 6yo - 14/1 | Jonjo & A J O'Neill Jonjo O'Neill Jr |
| 14:55 Aintree Top Novices Hurdle | Salvator Mundi (FR) 5yo - 7/2 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 15:30 Aintree Melling Chase | Jonbon (FR) 9yo - 4/6 | Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville |
| 16:05 Aintree Topham Chase | Gentleman De Mee (FR) 9yo - 14/1 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| 16:40 Aintree Sefton Novices Hurdle | Julius Des Pictons (FR) 6yo - 14/1 | Jamie Snowden Gavin Sheehan |
| 17:15 Aintree National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle | Shes A Saint (IRE) 8yo - 25/1 | Dan Skelton Tristan Durrell |
Schedule for Saturday at the Aintree Grand National Meeting
The Grand National is obviously the showpiece of the Aintree meeting and day 3 also includes three Grade 1 events, the feature of those being the Liverpool Hurdle.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Aintree National Meeting 3m Handicap Hurdle | Deep Cave (IRE) 7yo - 28/1 | Christian Williams Jack Tudor |
| 13:55 Aintree Mersey Novices Hurdle | Honesty Policy (IRE) 5yo - 5/1 | Gordon Elliott Mark Walsh |
| 14:30 Aintree Freebooter Handicap Chase | Cruz Control (FR) 8yo - 10/1 | Tom Lacey Stan Sheppard |
| 15:05 Aintree Liverpool Hurdle | Hiddenvalley Lake (IRE) 8yo - 12/1 | Henry De Bromhead Darragh O'Keeffe |
| 16:00 Aintree Grand National | Nick Rockett (IRE) 8yo - 33/1 | W P Mullins Mr P W Mullins |
| 17:00 Aintree Maghull Novices Chase | Kalif Du Berlais (FR) 5yo - 15/8 | Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden |
| 17:35 Aintree Champion Standard Open NH Flat Race | Green Splendour (GB) 5yo - 100/30 | W P Mullins Mr P W Mullins |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Grand National Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.
Darren Brett
Tipster Competition Manager
Andy Powell
Content Editor
