Grand National 2027 horse previews: Grangeclare West

Grangeclare West wins at Naas in November 2023. Image via @AtTheRaces on X

The build up to the 2027 Grand National is still in its infancy, with flat racing taking centre stage over the summer months, but it won’t be long before the anticipation starts to grow.

We’ll be highlighting the best Grand National runners to follow in the build-up, and our latest preview focuses on a former top three finisher, in the form of Grangeclare West.

Grangeclare West Grand National 2027 Preview

Grangeclare West will head towards the 2027 Grand National with a slightly unusual Aintree record. On one hand, he has already shown that he is capable of going very close in the world’s most famous steeplechase. On the other, his most recent visit lasted only as far as the first fence.

The Willie Mullins-trained chaser finished an excellent third in the 2025 Grand National, before unseating Patrick Mullins at the opening fence when well fancied for the 2026 renewal.

If he returns for another attempt in 2027, there is therefore some unfinished business.

So close in the 2025 Grand National

Grangeclare West’s strongest piece of evidence for being a serious Grand National contender remains his performance in 2025.

Sent off at 33/1, he helped complete a remarkable Willie Mullins clean sweep of the first three places, with Nick Rockett beating I Am Maximus and Grangeclare West into second and third respectively.

In fact, Grangeclare West might have finished even closer but for making costly jumping errors at the final two fences. He recovered from a particularly bad mistake at the last and stayed on strongly towards the line, eventually finishing only three lengths behind the winner.

For Grand National punters, that performance answered two important questions. Grangeclare West proved he could handle the unusual Aintree fences and, just as importantly, showed that he possessed the stamina for the marathon trip.

A perfect trial before Aintree

There was further encouragement ahead of the 2026 National when Grangeclare West won the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse.

That race has become one of the most significant Grand National trials in recent seasons. I Am Maximus won the Bobbyjo before his 2024 Aintree success, while Nick Rockett completed the same double the following year.

Grangeclare West followed in their footsteps by beating Gerri Colombe by five-and-a-half lengths in February 2026.

It looked an almost ideal preparation and helped make him one of the leading contenders for Aintree. Unfortunately, punters who backed him never got the opportunity to find out whether he could reproduce his 2025 performance.

What happened in the 2026 Grand National?

Grangeclare West was sent off at just 9/1 for the 2026 Grand National, carrying 11st 10lb and ridden by Patrick Mullins.

His race was over almost immediately.

He unseated his rider at the very first fence, meaning it is difficult to read anything into the performance itself.

For anyone considering backing him in 2027, that early exit could be viewed in two ways. Clearly, unseating at the first isn’t ideal when jumping is such an important part of the Grand National. However, it also means he didn’t endure another exhausting four-mile race, and his excellent 2025 performance remains much more useful when assessing his ability to cope with Aintree.

Age and jumping are the concerns

The biggest question surrounding Grangeclare West in 2027 could be his age.

As is the case with I Am Maximus, he’ll be an 11-year-old by the time of the race, and recent Grand National winners have generally been younger. That doesn’t automatically rule him out, but he’ll be attempting to buck one of the stronger modern trends.

His jumping also deserves consideration. Although he negotiated most of the National course extremely well in 2025, his mistakes at the final two fences arguably cost him a better finishing position. He then unseated at the first in 2026. Even before that race, his occasional jumping errors had been highlighted as a potential weakness.

Verdict

Grangeclare West would be difficult to dismiss if returning to Aintree in 2027, even more so if odds of 25/1 don’t shorten as the race approaches.

A third-place finish in the Grand National is compelling form, particularly as he might have gone even closer without making a mistake at the final fence. Add his Bobbyjo Chase victory and the fact that he is trained by multiple Grand National-winning trainer Willie Mullins, and there is plenty in his favour.

The negatives are obvious enough. He’ll be 11, his jumping hasn’t always been flawless and his 2026 National ended before it had really begun.

However, for once-a-year punters looking for a horse with genuine evidence that it can handle both the fences and the distance, Grangeclare West should still have plenty going for him in 2027.