Nick Rockett and I Am Maximus lead reduced Aintree charge

3AD835B Patrick Mullins aboard Nick Rockett after winning the Randox Grand National at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool. Picture date: Saturday April 5, 2025. / Alamy.

Nick Rockett and I Am Maximus, the winners of the last two Aintree Grand Nationals, headline a cast list of 78 contenders for this year’s Merseyside showpiece.

The Willie Mullins-trained duo join the likes of Irish and Welsh National winner Haiti Couleurs, as well as antepost favourite Iroko in the mix for the big race at Aintree on 11th April.

Overall entry down on recent times

Just 78 horses were put in the Aintree showpiece at midday on Tuesday, down from 90 last year and 94 in 2024.

They include a whopping 27 from Ireland’s two main trainers – with Mullins tallying 15 possibles and Gordon Elliott with a dozen in the mix.

The Grand National weights will be unveiled at a ceremony in Liverpool on Tuesday 17th February. Horses must be allotted a BHA rating of 130 or above to be eligible to run.

From there, there are scratching stages on 3rd and 24th March, with the final declarations being made 72 hours before the race this year. A list of six reserves will be nominated at that point in an attempt to ensure a full field of 34 when the tapes go up for the world’s most recognisable steeplechase.

There were 107 entries in 2022 and as many as 126 in 2016, with the initial field in three figures every year between those two dates.

Nicholls insists trainers are more selective

Britain’s 14-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls says owners and trainers are now more cautious when it comes to making Grand National entries.

Gone are the days of entering ‘anything and everything’ says the Ditcheat handler, who is without an entrant.

Nicholls, who won the Randox Grand National with Neptune Collonges in 2012, had five runners in the race last year and saw Bravemansgame do best as he finished 15^th. He insists he has nothing geared to the race this time around.

“I didn’t have anything suitable so I didn’t enter anything,” Nicholls said. “The thing with the National is that in the past a lot of people used to enter anything and everything. But unless you’ve got anything really suitable, it’s not worth it.”

He isn’t a fan of making up the number with horses that aren’t enough to win but has urged caution on the drop in entry numbers, insisting the race will attract a full field, as it always does.

“What’s the point of running a horse that’s got no chance? You’ve got to be realistic about what you’re going to run. There’s a bit more of a different approach these days. But I’d say there will still be a maximum field so I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

Quality over quantity the new way

Aintree clerk of the course Sulekha Varma is also unmoved at the drop in the initial entry for the £1m race.

Increased safety measures for horses in recent years have changed some of the dynamics of the Aintree contest and that, Varma says, is a contributor to the differing trends we are seeing.

“We’ve seen entry behaviour change over the years and this paired with the fact the Grand National has evolved as a race, attracting higher quality runners, is going to be reflected in the number of entries,” she said.

“We know that racing fans want to see the best competing against each other, and that’s what this year’s entries look set to deliver.”