Randox Grand National - What the trainers say

Randox Grand National: Trainers on their big Aintree runners

By Graham Clark

Horse Racing

Fri April 10, 2026 · 3h ago

Check out what the trainers are saying of their chances of winning Saturday's Randox Grand National at Aintree.

Sara Bradstock - Mr Vango

“Mr Vango is back in sparkling form. He had a corn after his Sandown Park run and when he ran at Newcastle all the horses had a bit of a bug. He is in great form now. Everybody has written him off after a couple of bad runs, but we know why they happened.

“He jumped the fences well in the Becher Chase as he worked out quickly that he could get through the top of them. If it was soft ground you would be saying he is a good thing. Hopefully it is good to soft at the quickest otherwise he won’t be able to lay up with them.”

Mr Vango on his way to victory in the Midlands National

Henry de Bromhead - Amirite, Gorgeous Tom, Monty’s Star

“Amirite jumps, and he stays, and he ran well in the Topham here last season. Hopefully the extra distance will suit him. He was obviously disappointing at Fairyhouse, but he wouldn’t have liked the really soft ground, and he wouldn’t want too much rain here.

“Monty’s Star is up there near top weight. He ran really well in the Irish Gold Cup and he is in good form so we said we would give this a go.

“He has always looked like a horse that this race would suit, but we like to aim for the Grade Ones if we can if we have a horse good enough for them. It looks on form that he just falls short of Grade One company. He ran very well in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last year, but we said we would come here this year.

“It was always the plan to come here with Gorgeous Tom after his run in the Coral Gold Cup earlier in the season. He kind of missed the start in the Coral Gold Cup and Darragh (O’Keeffe) felt if he had a better start he would have finished a lot closer."

Terence O’Brien - Answer To Kayf

“His best form seems to be on heavy ground, but I’m hoping that the four and a quarter miles will counter act that. Hopefully he will be able to travel in his comfort zone. All his runs this season have been quite good, even in the Bobbyjo Chase. Grangeclare West beat us in that, but that was off level weights and we are getting sixteen pounds off him in this so hopefully we could finish not too far off him.

“He won the Troytown off one hundred and forty one. He was weighted to be competitive that day on ground that was ideal for him. I’m more than happy with him and I just hope he can run a good race. He has the right sort of form so he deserves to take his chance.

“We have the easy fix fences here and we put some palm on top of them and he schooled very well over them so the fences should be fine.

“I think he is way over priced. If we get in the first ten I would be very happy and to be honest I think he has a chance of doing that as he has not run a bad race all season.”

Final Orders wins the Cross Country

Gavin Cromwell - Final Orders and Perceval Legallois

“Final Orders had a super run in the Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham. We effectively look ten pounds well in, but that remains to be seen. He will love the ground and the flat track will suit him lovely. I’m just not certain he has the high class, but he has a lovely lightweight and he is in great form.

“He is at the right end of the weights, but there are some very classy horses in there and that is the race it has become and those class horses seem to come to the fore. He is such a good jumper so hopefully he can do the same around here.

“Perceval Legallois is in great form. We haven’t had a great season with him, but we fancied him coming into the race last year. We thought he would win a big race, but he fell. You would like to be coming into the race on the back of at least a better run, but he is in good nick at home.

“It was always in the back of our heads that we might end up here again, but I would have liked to have had a better season. He has just had a few little niggly things. We have a great rider in Harry Cobden on board so hopefully we can get a bit of luck.”

Rebecca Curtis - Haiti Couleurs

“He seems good. I’ve not done loads with him since Cheltenham. He has had a couple of small bits of work as he is fit and he seems well. I think the ground was a big thing in the Gold Cup as it was so fast and the time of the race suggested that.

“That made everything faster, and he is not the fastest horse in the world as he is all about stamina. Sean (Bowen) is adamant he wasn’t himself that day and I will admit I don’t think he looked his best in the Gold Cup. I just thought his coat was a little bit off at Cheltenham.

“He looks much better in his coat now and he looks a lot better for Aintree than he did for Cheltenham and I’m confident of that.

“Eleven stone ten pounds is a lot of weight to carry and it would be nice if he had four or five pounds less on his back.

Haiti Couleurs is in control of the Denman Chase

“I’ve never popped any of the ones that I have run in the Grand National over those style fences before going over them and they have all run well so I’ve stuck to what I’ve always done as I think it helps them respect them.

“His style of running should suit the race. He is one of those that when he is well he will dictate where he wants to be so hopefully he will be handy somewhere, but that doesn’t necessarily mean going off in front.

“I think he handles decent ground as the Welsh Grand National on what was fairly good ground and over this extended trip they go that bit slower. Aintree also do a good job watering and as it is a flat track and the ground there is more spongy. I don’t feel the same sort of pressure as I did going into the Gold Cup as it is one of those races where you need a bit of luck.”

Gordon Elliott - Favori De Champdou, Firefox, Gerri Colombe, Stellar Story, Three Card Brag

“Favori De Champdou has run well in all of his races this side of Christmas. He is in good form and I’m looking forward to running him, but I don’t think he is well-handicapped though. It was a good effort over the cross country fences at the Cheltenham Festival last time trying to give all that weight away.

“Firefox is a classy horse having finished fourth in an Irish Gold Cup and sixth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He is a classy horse to be coming into the race off eleven stone four pounds. I don’t think he didn’t stay in the Gold Cup it was just a very good race. He went very well in the Irish Gold Cup before that so we are very happy with him.

“Gerri Colombe is obviously going to be the class horse that we have in the race. Jack Kennedy went form, he is in good form and he will love the ground.

“I think it is getting to be that type of race where you are going to get a Silver Birch winning it and to win it you need a horse at the top end with a bit of class which he has. He had slowly been working his way back to form and it was great to see him win last time out.

“I think the spin over hurdles he had earlier in the season was just more of a confidence boosting thing, and it seems to have worked as he ran well the last day. He had schooled very well over the Grand National style fences and he is coming here in a good place. We did actually dream about the Grand National with him years ago, but whether he is still the horse he was I’m not sure.

Gerri Colombe - has a touch of class

“If it does rain Stellar Story will run well. I’ve been happy enough with his campaign. I think he is well-handicapped. This race has been the plan all season for him. My only worry with him is if I don’t know if it will be soft enough for him.

“Three Card Brag didn’t get home in the race last year, but this season he has been in great form. I shouldn’t have run him last time as he just did too much on real soft ground. If you look back at his Coral Gold Cup run he has to have a massive chance as he will love the ground.

“I was always going to put Jordan (Gainford) on him as he gets a good tune out of him. We might ride him a bit more conservatively than we did last year.”

Oliver Greenall - Iroko and Jagwar

“Iroko has been around there before after finishing fourth last season. He had a blip at the Cheltenham Festival in the Ultima. He just wasn’t quite right and he scoped badly afterwards. It is the first time he has really run like that.

“His Haydock Park run and his Ascot run are probably the two best runs that he has had. Having that experience over the fences definitely helps in the that regard over Jagwar, but you still need a lot of luck in running.

“Jagwar has been knocking on the door all season. We are putting the cheekpieces on him, but he is in good form and we know he will travel well in a race like this. They are forecast rain and if it went soft it might hinder him a little bit getting the trip, and that might favour Iroko a bit more.

“I think he will get the trip, and as we have seen the fences are a bit easier around here now, and he will get in a nice rhythm. He has always been too keen really, but at home the cheekpieces haven’t made him keen and I think it will just concentrate his jumping and help him finish.

“He hasn’t won this season, but a few things haven’t gone right. It was frustrating he didn’t win last time, but the first four pulled a long way clear of the rest as he did with the winner the time before.”

Imperial Saint wins at Haydock

Richard Johnson - Imperial Saint

“It is great to have a horse good enough to take part in the Grand National. He was a bit unlucky in the Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival as he was nearly brought down. He likes Aintree and the ground should be ideal for him. He has been a star for us from day one and he has barely ever run a bad race.

“The longer we have had him the further we have stepped up in trip and he has kept on improving. He is only an eight-year-old so hopefully there is lots more to come.

“They have just schooled him as normal, but the fences are not what they used to be and he is a pretty safe jumper so hopefully he will run pretty well."

Willie Mullins - Captain Cody, Champ Kiely, Grangeclare West, High Class Hero, I Am Maximus, Lecky Watson, Quai De Bourbon, Spanish Harlem

"We saw good ground, drying conditions and a longer trip bring the best out of Captain Cody in the Scottish National last season. That form puts him in here with a good chance.

"Danny was keen to get on Champ Kiely and he’d have plenty of class for a race like this. If Danny can get him settled and into a nice jumping rhythm that puts him right in the mix.

"Grangeclare West has been doing plenty for me at home and likes the track having finished third last year. It could have been a different story had he not made a mistake at the last fence that day and he has an excellent chance under Patrick.

"High Class Hero ran well in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown last season but has disappointed the last twice. We’re looking at the drying ground and longer trip to hopefully help him bounce back.

"I Am Maximus goes there in great form. I think the ground will be fine for him and he’s in great order. I’m very happy with a clear run that he’ll go very close. He’s only a pound higher than when second last year and has a great chance.

Grand National JockeyBox - Willie and Patrick Mullins on their Aintree heroics!

"Sean O’Keeffe rode Lecky Watson to win last year’s Brown Advisory at Cheltenham and I’m very happy with his homework and I think the prevailing weather conditions will be a big help to him. He’s potentially a lively outsider.

"It’s great to get a jockey of the calibre of Donagh Meyler for Quai De Bourbon, he rode the Irish Grand National winner for my nephew Emmet on Monday. Drying conditions will suit this fellow, he jumps well, I think he stays well. I give him an each-way chance.

"Spanish Harlem’s Thyestes Chase run puts him in here with a fantastic chance and couple that together with his Kerry National win and I think he can run very well for Dr Fitzgerald and the sponsors. Brian Hayes takes the ride for what could turn out to be a great day for Randox. Another good each-way prospect at his current price."

AJ O’Neill - Johnnywho

“He has come out of Cheltenham really well and we were delighted with the performance there where Richie (McLernon) gave him a really good ride. He had threatened to do that a number of times and it was great to do it at Cheltenham.

“We felt that we had a good strong chance of getting a run in this so that was a big part of coming here as opposed to the Irish Grand National and Monbeg Genius was rated slightly lower so we decided to go there with him.

“He has always been a strong stayer and he has been over the fences before and he took well to them, which is certainly a help as well. It is nice to have that bit of experience and that box ticked so hopefully he will go well.”

Twig leads Mr Vango over the last in the Becher

Ben Pauling - Twig

“He is in great order and he is in better form than when he came into the race last year. We will try and ride him more positively than last year. We had planned to ride him more positively, but he ended up out the back and floated around and passed beaten horses to run on very nicely and finish tenth.

“We are not going to get another stab at it so we will try and ride him to be very competitive. I don’t think he has got ten pounds in hand so it will take a bit of luck for us to be better than last year, but he loves the track and he loves the fences.

“If he can get in a rhythm we will see how we get on. That spin over hurdles at Uttoxeter will have put him spot on."

Dan Skelton - Panic Attack

“I think she has all the attributes that you need to go well. It is just a case of now is she good enough. It is hard to win a Grand National and no mare has won one since 1951. I feel if you look back at the mares that have run in it, did they have as good a chance as her, perhaps not

“Jessie Harrington’s mare Magic Of Light was second a few years ago and we would like to be cheeky and go a little bit better. The ground will be no problem to her. She has had a great preparation and she looks fantastic. She has had the season of her life and we are just super proud of her.

“She is running a marathon and marathon runners need marathon training, and I feel like she has had that. I’ve taken a view of how to win the race, but I’ve never won it before so it is not tried and tested.

"I don’t think she lacks anything and she has got ten stone five pounds on her back which is a help. We will give it our best and hope it is enough. We will be proud of however she runs."

Harry Skelton celebrates on Panic Attack

Willy Twiston-Davies - Beauport and Top Of The Bill

“I thought Beauport ran a really good race in the Grand National last year. He pulled very hard early on last year so we will ride him a lot more reserved this year. His odds are massive, but I think he can out run them and I would like to think he can be in the first ten.

“I think he ran with the choke out last year and that is why he didn’t get home, but he has proved he stays the trip as he has won a Midlands Grand National.

“The boys that had been riding him had noticed he had been making a slight noise so we tinkered with it and usually, as they say, it is the second time out where you see the improvement, so hopefully that is here, but we are under no illusions how hard it will be.

“Top Of The Bill ran well the last day to finish second and a horse that has been as consistent as him this season would look right in a normal handicap, but it shows the strength and depth of the race. However, he is in good form at home."