Grand National 2027 horse previews: Soldier In Milan

Soldier In Milan winning the Irish Grand National. Image via @myracingtips on X

The 2027 Grand National remains some months away, with the National Hunt season really getting going at the back end of September. Much of the attention is expected to surround I Am Maximus’ attempt to join Red Rum as a three-time winner, but a number of new contenders are sure to be in contention too.

We’ll be highlighting all the horses to follow in the build-up, and our latest preview focuses on April’s Irish Grand National winner, Soldier In Milan.

Soldier In Milan Grand National 2027 Preview

Every year, a handful of horses emerge as exciting new contenders for the Grand National. In 2027, few fit that description better than Soldier In Milan.

While he has yet to tackle the famous Aintree fences, the Emmet Mullins-trained gelding has already shown many of the qualities needed to become a serious Grand National horse. His emphatic victory in the 2026 Irish Grand National immediately catapulted him into the betting for Aintree 12 months later, and it’s easy to understand why he is now the 14/1 second favourite.

For casual racing fans who only tune in once a year, Soldier In Milan may not yet be a household name. However, if his career continues on its current trajectory, that could soon change.

An Irish Grand National winner

One of the strongest pieces of Grand National form a horse can bring is victory in the Irish Grand National.

Run over an extended three and a half miles at Fairyhouse, it asks many of the same questions as Aintree. Horses need stamina, accurate jumping and the ability to keep finding more in the closing stages.

Soldier In Milan answered every one of those questions in spectacular fashion.

Despite being only a seven-year-old novice, he travelled strongly throughout before pulling further and further clear to win by an astonishing 16 lengths, one of the most dominant performances seen in the race for many years.

It wasn’t simply the winning margin that caught the eye. He looked comfortable over the marathon trip and was still full of running at the finish, suggesting even the Grand National’s four-and-a-quarter miles should hold no fears.

An unconventional route to the top

One of the most interesting aspects of Soldier In Milan’s career is that he largely skipped a hurdling campaign.

Trainer Emmet Mullins always felt he was a chasing type and sent him straight from bumpers to fences, believing his size, scope and jumping ability would be better suited to larger obstacles. So far, that decision looks to have been fully justified.

His fencing has generally been neat and efficient, an important quality in a race where mistakes can quickly end a horse’s chances.

Emmet Mullins also knows exactly what it takes to prepare a horse for these marathon handicaps. He famously trained Noble Yeats to win the 2022 Grand National and has developed a reputation for targeting the sport’s biggest prizes with remarkable success. That experience could prove invaluable.

The profile punters love

Grand National trends are never a guarantee, but Soldier In Milan ticks several of the boxes that many punters look for.

He’ll head into the 2027 race as an eight-year-old, an age that has produced numerous recent winners. He’s also a progressive horse with relatively few miles on the clock, meaning there could still be plenty of improvement to come.

Many recent Grand National winners have arrived at Aintree after improving rapidly over fences rather than being exposed veterans, and Soldier In Milan appears to fit that mould perfectly.

Reasons for caution

As exciting as he is, there are still questions to answer.

The biggest is experience.

Winning the Irish Grand National was a tremendous achievement, but the Aintree Grand National presents a completely different challenge. The unique spruce fences, larger field and intense atmosphere can catch out even the most talented horses.

He also remains lightly raced, having had only a handful of starts over fences. While that means there may be significant improvement still to come, it also means he lacks the battle-hardened experience of some of his rivals.

There’s also the possibility that his Irish Grand National success will push his handicap mark higher, meaning he’ll have to carry more weight than he otherwise might have done.

Verdict

Soldier In Milan has all the makings of a future Grand National star.

His dominant Irish Grand National victory demonstrated stamina in abundance, his jumping continues to improve and he’s trained by a man with an outstanding record of preparing horses for the biggest staying handicaps.

Of course, he’ll still need to prove himself over the unique Aintree fences, and the lack of previous Grand National experience is a small concern. But that’s balanced by the fact he arrives as one of the most progressive staying chasers in training.

For anyone looking beyond Grand National horses with previous experience of the course, Soldier In Milan could be one of the most exciting horses in the 2027 Grand National field. If he handles Aintree as well as he handled Fairyhouse, he has every chance of becoming one of the race’s major protagonists.