With the 2026 Aintree Grand National Festival on the horizon, 14-time champion trainer and Betfair Ambassador Paul Nicholls talks us through his team of runners day-by-day, revealing his best chance of the week and a dark horse to watch in the handicaps.
Thursday, 14:20 Aintree – Blueking d’Oroux
Blueking d’Oroux is a good, tough, genuine little horse, and earlier in the season he wasn't on fire with his jumping, he just took a few runs to get his jumping really where we wanted it. Since we have put some cheekpieces on him it has transformed him and the last time he ran at Kempton and just got chinned, I think it was a nose or something like that, he ran very, very well, and jumped brilliantly.
He is in the Grade 1 Manifesto Novices’ Chase on Thursday. There's only five runners but I do think it's a good race. He's a lively outsider of the five, but he'll run OK. He loves the ground, he is nice and fresh, but he's got it all to do.
He'll give a good account of himself, he'll pick up some good, good prize money. I think we're only about £85,000 off £2 million in prize money, so anything we could do this week would be brilliant, and if we did do that, I think that's the 23rd year in a row we'll have had £2 million in prize money, which isn't too bad.
He's a good fun horse, ran a cracker the last day, jumped very well, back in novice company, who knows, some of them have had hard races at Cheltenham and different things like that. You get some funny results at Aintree, and we don’t have many opportunities to place him the rest of the season, so we're probably chucking him in the deep end, but you never know with novice chasers.
Like last year in Caldwell Potter's race, although he was still in front, there was a bit of carnage behind him and a few ifs and buts, you know, if you're not in it, you can't win it.
Thursday, 14:55 Aintree – Pic d’Orhy
What a legend he's been for us. He's won a million pounds in prize money. He’s won at Aintree, he's won at Ascot, he's won all sorts of great races. First time out this year, he ran very well in the Charlie Hall over three miles, giving weight to a very smart horse who won next time out.
We ran him a bit quicker at Ascot the next day, but we didn't have too many options of where to go with him. He came back nice and fresh against Jonbon in the Betfair Ascot Chase 54 days ago.
What a race he ran that day with Jonbon, you know, two good old warriors, genuine horses, and that’s as good a race as he ran that day, probably nearly a career best in a lot of ways.
He’s 11 now, what a fantastic horse he's been for us, you know, we could do with a load more like that. He loves his work, he's tough and well, so we're going to let him run there Friday in the Bowl. I'm sure three miles suits him better now than 2.5.
There is only five runners, and there are ifs and buts about all of them really. He'll love the ground, and there is a couple of the others who want the ground a little bit softer possibly.
Jango Baie is the one obviously to beat who ran very well in the Gold Cup, but you know, I didn't have a great record with horses that ran in the Gold Cup and then ran at Aintree afterwards, you know, they have a hard time. They don't always reproduce that form. The likes of Kauto Star and Denman, it didn't ever work really.
So, there's a question mark about if you've had a hard race at Cheltenham, but there is a bit more time this year, which suits quite well. For me I just hope it's not too soon from Ascot having had a really hard race. That's my only thing I don't really know, but you can't ask him that. He looks great, he had a lovely away day last week with Matterhorn and yeah, he's ready to go, fantastic.
I think we will keep him in training next year, I was talking to Johnny yesterday, I mean, you know, they're a long time retired, aren't they? And while he's shown some good form, I suspect we'll probably start him next year in the Charlie Hall again. He’s good, fresh and well, and you know, as I said, he didn't go to Cheltenham so let’s see.
Thursday, 15:05 Aintree - Golden Son
The drop back in trip might not help him as he stays very strong. It's good that the ground on the National course is good to soft because he wouldn't want it too quick.
He might just get a bit outpaced so that could be an issue for him as he's not the quickest in the world, he's a real stayer; he won well at Taunton on heavy ground, and he won over three miles plus at Warwick on soft ground.
He's been around Auteuil and lots of those tracks so I'm sure he'll give Olive a lovely ride round, but the slower the ground the better it will suit him. He's got a chance, he was fourth in the Foxhunters at Cheltenham, he'll be staying on strongly.
Thursday, 16:40 Aintree – Sans Bruit
Sans Bruit is like us, he likes the sunshine and not the winter for the last two years, he just has not really performed and doesn't like the ground really soft, hence he drops down the handicap, and it comes this time of year in the spring and ends up on a decent mark again.
He’s won the Red Rum the last two years on the trot, similar sort of ways of running through the winter but obviously we've had this race in mind for him all season really. He's in good shape. He's had an away day, and is very fit and well, but I'd have preferred to carrying 10st 1lb rather than 11st 1lb, but everything's gone up in the weights.
He loves a bit of decent ground in the spring and loves Aintree, so hopefully he’s got a great chance. He used to be very free. If someone goes faster than him, then they're going quick so you can sit in wherever you like. I will leave the tactics to Harry. Sans Bruit just seems to love Aintree and is fresh this time of year as much as anything, he loves it.
Friday, 13:45 Aintree - Captain Teague
Captain Teague was obviously a Grade 1 Challow Hurdle winner. He had a year off and he's just took a little bit of a while to find his form this year. He pulled up at Windsor, ran well to a point, and it didn't happen at Ascot.
He needs to find his form again, but he runs on Friday in the 2.5-mile handicap in the first race of the day. To me he's arguably quite well handicapped, if he found some of his old form, he'd be very, very dangerous and he's had a bit of time now, it wouldn't surprise me if he ran ok, but then next year, he'll go novice chasing. Although he had a walk over at Exeter, he's still a novice over fences.
He just doesn't want extremes like really fast ground probably. But again, he is like No Drama This End we will monitor the ground and make sure it's ok for him to run. He's one of those that'll pop up in a handicap one day at a big price.
Friday, 14:20 Aintree - Regent’s Stroll
Regent’s Stroll runs Friday in the 3-mile 1 furlong Grade 1 Mild May Novices’ Chase, the race we won last year with Caldwell Potter. He has been progressive all season and ran very well at Cheltenham in the Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap chase, finishing third.
He jumped well and looked like for the first time ever he wanted three miles. He's dead relaxed now. Decent ground suits him well, so it'd be nice to think he can do what Caldwell Potter did last year.
He actually ran very well at Aintree last year in the Grade 1 Novice Hurdle. He was only just beat, he led all the way and just got beat close home, it looks like being a smallish field on Friday, which will suit him, but he's got so much more mature now and he's crying out for three miles.
I am looking forward to seeing him run on Friday. I've always thought three miles would suit him very well, early in the season, the way he was behaving, if you go back to his first run over 2.5 miles, he was far too free, and he actually stayed on very strongly that day, I think the race Wendigo won, but he's got better and better and more and more mature, and his last two runs at Cheltenham have done him good.
Whether he's quite got the class of Caldwell Potter had at the same stage of his career, I don't know, but I think potentially he's obviously a nice horse for next season, but I think he'll run very well on Friday.
I think three miles will bring out an improvement in him. I mean he's going to want to step up and trip next year, so I think there's a lot of improvement to come with another summer.
We're actually going to tweak his wind in the summer. We've always thought he might need a wind op, and I just think it's come at the right time so in the summer we'll do that, so I think there's improvement to come, yeah.
Friday, 16:05 Aintree – Hitman
Hitman's been a wonderful horse for us and absolutely loves Aintree. He won the Old Roan Chase first time out of this season, very impressively, he was good that day.
He likes decent ground, he likes the sun shining, but he always seems to be a little bit better in the autumn than he is in the spring. I don't know why. To be fair to him, last year we kept him fresh and ran him in the national. He actually ran really well, jumped well, just didn't get the full National trip.
He’s back in trip this time in the Topham on Friday, over 2 mile 5 furlongs and that will suit him much, much better, the ground would be perfect for him. The only thing he's probably not the best handicapped horse in training anymore, he's absolutely brilliant fresh, that's why we haven't run him since his last run, on testing ground, he wasn't quite right then.
I think he's got it all to do, but he’s a grand horse, and I dare say we'll be going back for the Old Roan again in October with him at Aintree. But as I said, good solid jumper, no surprise if he ran ok.
He's one of those, you know, next year I think I can see him running in veteran's races, but he's got a high enough mark really for what he's done, but you know, every year he wins a nice race. Freddie Gingell will ride him.
Friday, 16:05 Aintree – Viroflay
This is an interesting horse, a very consistent horse that is in the Topham on Friday, and at the moment he's got 10st 3lb, Olive takes five off, she always rides him, she'll only carry 9st 12lb.
He's been really consistent this year, ran some really cracking races, ran very well at the Punchestown Festival last year in the Hunter Chase, and he's took to handicaps well. 2 mile 5 is a perfect trip for him and he worked very, very well this morning. I don't think I've ever seen him work better. He is lively outsider at 25/1.
He has a big each way shout, but it's a race where you need lots of, lots of luck, there is lots of jumping, but he always races predominantly in the first four or five. He likes to be in the nice and handy, he's been a very good solid jumper in all his races, so hopefully he'll give Olive a great ride, and it wouldn't surprise me if he ran very well. He worked with Regent’s Stroll this morning, and went very, very well.
Olive is beaming to ride him, but you know, you need a lot of luck, but he is a forward racing sort of horse which suits him. He's a good solid jumper and hopefully he'll give her a great ride.
Friday, 16:40 Aintree – No Drama This End
I've been deliberating all morning as to quite what to do, but we are going to declare him on Friday.
He will be stepping up the three miles in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle, which will be absolutely no harm to him at all, he's a laid-back horse for this time of year, you'd think he's just come out of the field, he's just a burly type of horse.
I do my head in nearly every time he works, so I'd see him in the morning thinking, oh, he looks fat, he looks fat, but I've been consistent with that all season, that's just him.
I think three miles will bring out improvement in him. Ultimately, he's going to be a three-mile chaser.
What we've decided to do is, I've entered him for Aintree but entered him at Punchestown as well and that's in the background, but we're going to declare him for Friday. They say that they're aiming to get good to soft ground, they're putting loads of water on. They do a good job at Aintree, and if the ground's good to soft, he'll run. I'm there Thursday, so I can make a decision and see, and I think three miles will bring out improvement in him.
You have to put a line through Cheltenham, and we all know about the starts and things like that, and, unless you were in the first three or four you had no chance, he got in all sorts of trouble.
Obviously, you're hoping that everything's been a bit of a learning curve with the starts ahead of Aintree this week. It's a lot easier for the starts at Aintree because they're in a straight line more and I know Cheltenham are reviewing that, so we won't go too much down that route.
Hindsight's a wonderful thing. I now wish I'd run him on the Friday in the Albert Bartlett after he'd had a bit of rain as the ground was a bit easier that day. Sam Twiston-Davies is going to ride him, because I'm going to run two. I haven't said to Harry which one do you want to ride, just quite obviously Sam will be riding him next year almost certainly.
Harry starts his new job on the 1st of May, so with running the two it's easier if he rides Talk To The Man and Sam rides No Drama This End as he will ride him next year, that's, the only thing we've done.
I do think three miles will bring out an improvement. He's had a good season whatever happens on Friday and he'll have a nice summer break, and I can't wait for him to go novice chasing next autumn.
If he was to go to Punchestown, that would be in the three-mile Grade 1 Novice Hurdle, and he'd only go to Punchestown if he didn't run on Friday. He wouldn't run in both, definitely not.
He's so laid back, he's just like Denman, and you know I’ve tried to explain that he’s got that same mould as Denman, shows nothing at home, slow at home, big and fat and lazy, but shows it all on the track, whereas some of the other horses always show you plenty at home. He doesn't.
I had no idea he was going to run like he did at Cheltenham, but when he's away or when he's racing, that’s when he shows you his best. They always say don't they the best horses they do. I mean, Denman literally before he ran the first time I said to Paul Barber, I don't actually know what we’ve got here, he doesn't show anything at home. And then of course he won and kept winning.
Friday, 16:40 Aintree – Talk To The Man
Talk To The Man is a very interesting horse, he runs in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle on Friday with No Drama This End.
He is a totally different horse to No Drama This End, this horse has got loads of pace, but has been very backward, he won his point to point in Ireland, and ran OK in a couple of bumpers, especially the last time, the one he ran in was a valuable bumper at Newbury, I think he was fourth in the bumper at Newbury. I think he ran well but was always this year's horse.
He just needed time, and we gave him loads and loads of time and he didn't make his debut over hurdles until I think it was January or February at Taunton where he won very nicely. Then he went to Newbury and he won again very nicely. Now, he hasn't beaten too much, but the manner of his wins has been very good. He goes beautifully at home, and he has improved enormously from his last run.
Harry Cobden is going ride him for the reasons I said, you know, I didn't even say to him which one do you want to ride, we just talked about it, and it just makes sense. He is a beautiful horse by Walk In The Park, I think he's fourth favourite at the moment, but he looks great in his coat, he's been going very nicely and a totally different horse to No Drama, who's very laid back at home. He goes very nicely at home; he's been working with some nice horses.
He's got to take a step up. I think on ratings he's 12 behind below No Drama, but then he's never had the opportunity to go any higher because he's only run there twice. So, he's an exciting young horse, he won't mind the ground or the step up to three miles, and it wouldn't surprise me if he ran very, very well.
I think whatever happens when he has a summer this year, a good summer of grass, he can be some sort of chaser next season. A very exciting horse.
Friday, 17:15 Aintree – Pourquoi Pas Papa
This is a nice horse; he just keeps improving. He was second to the Albert Bartlett winner Johnny’s Jury at Exeter and then he won at Wincanton, he ran very well in the Victor Ludorum at Haydock, and he actually ran well in the Fred Winter finishing fourth. Like I said he just keeps improving.
He is in a couple of races this week. He's in the conditional jockey's handicap on Friday. He needed 10 to come out to get in and they have. Now he has got in this race I think he'll have a chance.
He’s a proper 4-year-old, proper chasing type of horse, he'll run very well. You know, to finish fourth in Fred Winter's decent form, and he was staying on up the hill and probably wants 2.5 miles but will make a lovely chaser the next season.
He looks fantastic and next season he'll probably have a start over hurdles and probably go chasing later in the season.
Saturday, 13:20 Aintree - Absolutely Doyen
Absolutely Doyen has had a fantastic season. He won five races on the trot before he went to Cheltenham for the Pertemps and he ran a solid enough race there, finishing eighth. I thought they might have gone a bit quick for him that day.
He's in the three-mile handicap on Saturday, our only runner on Saturday and runs off a mark of 135, so he's gone up a long way from starting the season on 113. I've just got in the back of my mind he's had a busy time, whether he's had one run too many, but if he bounced back, he will enjoy this flat track at Aintree. I'm not convinced Cheltenham suited him.
He liked Wincanton and places like that, Musselburgh, so, you know, there'll be 22 runners in the three-mile handicap to pick the winner of that is hard, but he'll run nicely. He always runs with credit, and then he'll go chasing next season. I think flat track at Aintree suits much better, and he likes decent ground as well, and he'd be a great horse to go chasing next year.
Paul Nicholls’ best chance of the week
There are some lovely, lovely chances all through the week. The two in the novice hurdle, Talk To The Man and No Drama This End either one of those could run really well. However, for me if Regent’s Stroll runs to his very best, I think he's one of our best chances of the week. And if you want a big outsider each way outsider, Viroflay in the Topham Handicap Chase can go well.
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- Alex Hammond Grand National Blog
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- 2026 Grand National preview podcast
- Dan Skelton: My Aintree squad
