I Am Maximus etched his name into Grand National history by winning the race for a second time, finishing as the 9/2 favourite under jockey Paul Townend. The 10-year-old gelding, trained by Willie Mullins and owned by JP McManus, chased down Jordans in the final stretch to secure victory, 12 months after finishing runner-up to stablemate Nick Rockett.
Iroko claimed second place with a late push, while Grangeclare West, Jagwar and Panic Attack failed to complete the course. The win gave JP McManus a record-breaking fourth Grand National triumph and marked Willie Mullins’ third consecutive victory in the race, making him the first trainer since Vincent O’Brien (1963–65) to achieve the feat.
A crowd of 59,962 attended the final day of the Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree, with total attendance across the three days reaching 141,196 – the highest since 2018. The race also featured a 10,517-1 four-timer for champion trainer-elect Dan Skelton.
On-course bookmaker Fitzwilliam suffered a significant loss after a punter placed a £100,000 bet on I Am Maximus at 8/1, resulting in an £800,000 payout. Fitzwilliam representative Michael Gannon told the Liverpool ECHO: “Numb. We laid a bet earlier in the day… it was a real bad result for us.” Paddy Power’s Paul Binfield said the winner was “the worst result in our book”.
Three horses fell during the race and underwent veterinary assessment. Top of The Bill fell at the final fence but is expected to travel home. Mr Vango, who fell at the sixth fence, was taken to Leahurst Equine Hospital for further tests. Quai De Bourbon fell at the second fence and will return home overnight.
Jockey Toby McCain-Mitchell, grandson of Red Rum trainer Ginger McCain, was handed a 10-day ban for failing to pull up a tired horse before it fell at the last fence on his Grand National debut.
