Randox Grand National 2026 latest | Jagwary Jagwar or rock-solid Iroko?

Jagwar is fresh and well ahead of the Randox Grand National.

That message was received loud and clear as he walked towards the gallops in a quiet corner of rural Cheshire.

Journalists gather around the edge of the all-weather circuit, and he lashes out in our direction, filling a seasoned racing reporter’s hood with sand with a mere flick of his back legs.

Iroko looks around to see what the fuss is and gets about his business. As do the team at Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero’s.

Because its crunch time. Just shy of three weeks to Aintree and in front of us are two of the biggest British darts at the world’s greatest race.

Iroko has been there and done it. Coming from a seemingly impossible position to finish a running-on fourth in last year’s race.

He scoped dirty after his prep race, in the Ultima at Cheltenham, where he was joined by Jagwar.

Where he did a very Jagwary thing. Making a bad early blunder, clouting the eighth, going left three out, switching back and around horses before taking the second last by the roots and then somehow looking the likely winner halfway up the run-in only to go duck left and have to settle for second behind owner-mate Johnnywho. It’s quite a watch – even on the replay.

Maybe he took exception to the Jagwary tag when he lashed out. But you watch him walk around in front of you and you’re struck by the fact here’s a horse with about 90% of what you need to win a National. And the other 10% is lurking in there – somewhere.

He and his stablemate are 10/1 joint-favourites with Sky Bet and Paddy Power.

Guerriero is the man facing the questions and as ever takes the responsibility in his stride.

We talk Jagwar first.

“Cheltenham taught us something we needed to know and that’s the fact he stays that trip well and will get further too the way he came up the hill,” he says.

“He wasted a helluva lot of energy through the race with his jumping.”

So how he will he handle the fences at Aintree?

“It sounds silly, but I don’t think he’s suited to Cheltenham. It’s so tight and he’s huge with a massive stride. It’s not a very rhythmic track for a big horse like him. I do think going to Aintree with that big, long straight is going to help a lot. He can stay in a straight line and use that huge stride rather than take back, go round a bend and the rest,” he continues.

“I don’t think we’ll be too far back with him in the race. We’ll probably try and ride him halfway and not ask him to make up too much ground but look where Iroko came form last year. He flew home to take fourth. It all depends on how fast they go.

How frustrating has it been to see a couple of decent pots slip through Jagwar’s hooves this time around?

“Last year he won four on the trot and then at Cheltenham. This year he just isn’t improving as fast. He is still improving but not as rapidly as he was then. He’s won a big pot and I’m sure he can winner another. He just hasn’t had things go his way this time.

“He’s lumping a lot of weight in decent handicaps now. He’s rated 156 which doesn’t make it easy but I’m sure there’s another big day in him.

“The plan is for Mark Walsh to ride, that’s why he rode him at Cheltenham, to get to know him. And hopefully Jonjo will stay on Iroko.”

So what of him?

“He just had a bit of mucus in his trachea wash after the race at Cheltenham. We scoped him three or four days before he ran after he’d done a good bit of work, and it was clean but then he’s just picked something up over the next few days.

“He was never on any medication or anything but just wasn’t on a going day because of that.”

There was a sense that last year’s National wasn’t exactly one that got away, but that the cards could have fallen a little differently for this team.

So, what can be changed this time around?

“For us, really there’s not much we can do that differently. We’ll train the horse the same but more so he’ll have learned so much from it. Just being in a massive field for one, through the race he looked a bit lost, got shuffled back and his jumping was a little bit iffy.

“This year’s he’s come back and is travelling more strongly through his races, he knows what to do. He’s been a much more complete horse since the National last year.”

And a quick scan at the market shows I Am Maximus and Grangeclare West joining the pair at the head of the market. Familiar foes for Iroko.

“They’re all getting older, as are we, but they have a few more years on us. They’ve all gone up more than us in the handicap as well. I keep saying I do think Iroko is a better horse this year and if he has improved those five, six, or seven pounds, he’s going to be right up there behind them.

“And hopefully with a bit more luck in running and being closer to the pace it might just be the difference in finding those seven lengths he got beat last year.

“Lat year we jumped off and tried to get a position, but he was just flat out. I think the ground was a big cause of that. We do want softer ground for him, he’s not very quick but keeps galloping. But now with that experience he’ll grab hold of the bridle and get himself into the race rather than backing off and hopefully goes there a much more accomplished horse.”

And like Iroko in very famous silks.

“It’s unbelievable really. To have two horses this good is amazing, the fact they are both JP’s is unbelievable as well. In some ways it’s good they’re both his because we might have taken different routes with them.

“Because JP has so many good horses he only cares about those big days. They could have got hiked up the handicap for winning big races along the way, but we’ve looked after them targeting this and it’s played into our hands the fact they’re both owned by JP."

And if we were to twist his arm for a preference?

“I’d rather be on Iroko,” he smiles. “He’s been there and done it."

So have Greenall and Guerriero. They went close in 2025. 12 months on two big players will make the short journey up the M53 and M56 to Aintree. One has the talent to win a National, the other track know-how and a rock-solid profile. No wonder the smiles are on every face throughout this visit.

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