Grand National Favourites 2026: Best Odds & Horses to Bet On
Last Updated 5 Apr 2025 | By The GrandNational.org.uk StaffYou can find all the 2026 Grand National favourites and best ante-post odds for the year’s biggest race right here. The iconic race is scheduled for Saturday, 11th April 2026, meaning the betting market is heating up. We’ll look at all the favourites in the Grand National betting to help you decide how best to use any Grand National free bets you acquire.
Who is the main Grand National 2026 favourite?
Last year’s champion, I Am Maximus, is the current Grand National betting favourite. He had been the ante-post betting favourite for many months before dropping down in the betting slightly. However, he’s reclaimed his position as favourite after the impressive performance of Willie Mullins’s other horses across the Grand National festival’s first two days.
The Cheltenham Cross Country Chase winner Stumptown was the betting favourite earlier in the week. He’ll come to Aintree on the back of four straight wins and is a real contender. Iroko is another challenger for favouritism who also has a solid chance. Perceval Legallois and Intense Raffles are two more runners towards the top of the Grand National betting market.
Grand National Favourites & Best Odds
Want to know who is the favourite for Grand National 2026? Just check the table below. We’ll give you the best Grand National betting odds for favourite Haiti Couleurs, former winners I Am Maximus and Nick Rockett, and all the other contenders. Interpreting the odds of the Grand National favourites can be tough, particularly if you don’t bet on a regular basis, so we’ve also converted the odds into percentages to help you understand how likely your bet is to win.
| Grand National Favourites 2026 | Grand National Odds | Implied Chance % |
|---|---|---|
| Haiti Couleurs | 16/1 | 5.9% |
| I Am Maximus | 25/1 | 3.8% |
| Jagwar | 25/1 | 3.8% |
| Nick Rockett | 25/1 | 3.8% |
| Iroko | 25/1 | 3.8% |
| Captain Cody | 33/1 | 2.9% |
| Grangeclare West | 33/1 | 2.9% |
| Myretown | 33/1 | 2.9% |
| Monty’s Star | 40/1 | 2.4% |
| Quai de Bourbon | 40/1 | 2.4% |
| Better Days Ahead | 40/1 | 2.4% |
| Lecky Watson | 40/1 | 2.4% |
Odds & % correct at 4pm on 2nd June 2025. Odds subject to change. % can add up to more than 100% due to bookmakers margin.
Grand National 2026 favourites, runners and odds
We won’t know the confirmed runners and riders until close to the race. So, for now, we’ll focus on some of the betting favourites for the 2026 Grand National at Aintree:
Haiti Couleurs
- Age: 8
- Trainer: Rebecca Curtis
- Previous Grand National Form: N/A
- Known For: Winning the 2025 Irish Grand National.
- Grand National 2026 Odds: 16/1
Nick Rockett
- Age: 8
- Trainer: Willie Mullins
- Previous Grand National Form: 1st in 2025
- Known For: Winning the 2025 Aintree Grand National.
- Grand National 2026 Odds: 25/1
I Am Maximus
- Age: 9
- Trainer: Willie Mullins
- Previous Grand National form: 1st in 2024. 2nd in 2025.
- Best known for: Winning the Grand National in 2024.
- Grand National 2026 best odds: 25/1
Iroko
- Age: 7
- Trainer: Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero
- Previous Grand National Form: 4th in 2025
- Best known for: Winning the Martin Pipe at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival.
- Grand National 2026 best odds: 25/1
Jagwar
- Age: 6
- Trainer: Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero
- Previous Grand National Form: N/A
- Known For: Winning the 2025 Plate Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
- Grand National 2026 Odds: 25/1
*Odds displayed above correct at 5pm on 2nd June 2025.
Who will win the Grand National in 2026?
We’re all keen to know who will win the Grand National 2026. Perhaps you’ve got some Grand National free bets that you’re keen to use. Bookmakers believe that Haiti Couleurs will win the race as they have the Irish Grand National winner as the current favourite.
However, the favourite doesn’t always win. Since 2011, only 4 betting favourites have won the Grand National. Before you place our bet, make sure to have a look at our latest Grand National tips and predictions.
How many favourites have won the Grand National?
A grand total of only 16 favourites or joint-favourites have landed the Grand National since the turn of the 20th century, the most recent of which being I Am Maximus in 2024.
- I Am Maximus – 2024 (7/1)
- Corach Rambler – 2023 (8/1)
- Tiger Roll – 2019 (4/1)
- Don’t Push It – 2010 (10/1jf)
- Comply Or Die – 2008 (7/1jf)
- Hedgehunter – 2005 (7/1)
- Earth Summit – 1998 (7/1)
- Rough Quest – 1996 (7/1)
- Grittar – 1982 (7/1)
- Red Rum – 1973 (9/1jf)
- Merryman II – 1960 (13/2)
- Freebooter – 1950 (10/1)
- Sprig – 1927 (8/1)
- Poethlyn – 1920 (11/4)
- Jerry M – 1912 (4/1jf)
- Drumcree – 1903 (13/2)
Previous Grand National favourites’ results
| Year | Horse | Odds | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Iroko | 13/2 | 4th |
| 2024 | I Am Maximus | 7/1 | Won |
| 2023 | Corach Rambler | 8/1 | Won |
| 2022 | Any Second Now | 15/2 | 2nd |
| 2021 | Cloth Cap | 11/2 | Pulled up |
| 2019 | Tiger Roll | 4/1 | Won |
| 2018 | Total Recall | 7/1 | Pulled up |
| 2017 | Blaklion | 8/1 | 4th |
| 2016 | The Last Samuri Many Clouds | 8/1 | 2nd 16th |
| 2015 | Shutthefrontdoor | 6/1 | 5th |
| 2014 | Double Seven Teaforthree | 10/1 | 3rd Unseated |
| 2013 | Seabass | 11/2 | 13th |
| 2012 | Seabass Shakalakaboomboom | 8/1 | 3rd 9th |
Grand National predictions
Grand National 2026 predictions are what discerning punters try to find to make informed betting decisions. Whether you see content put together from Grand National experts or teams of long-term horse racing tipsters, it is crucial that you find trusted sources. Sometimes, it’s better to look past the Grand National favourites.
What percentage of favourites place in horse races? On average favourites win about 35% of horse races. But, that win percentage can fluctuate based on the distance, surface and class.
These experts will make their 2026 Grand National tips based on several factors:
Age
There are pros and cons that come with betting on different aged Grand National horses. Younger horses tend to have more speed than stamina while older ones go vice versa. However, the latter usually come with a better record in the race due to their experience in making difficult jumps. A horse needs to be in its prime to stand a chance in the Grand National, and this usually happens between 8 and 11 years of age.
Those making Grand National predictions go back through the history of the Festival and see how age affects performance. 24 of the last 31 Grand National winners were aged 9 or older, while the last 7-year-old to win the Grand National before Noble Yeats in 2022 was Bogskar way back in 1940.
Weight
A Grand National horse’s weight is perhaps the most essential statistical factor Grand National tipsters take into consideration. When they analyse how horses have done in the Grand National over the years, the weight a horse carries is believed to play a vital role. 25 of the last 32 Grand National winners carried 10st 13lbs or less.
Previous experience
A Grand National contender’s ability to perform in high-class races should also be considered. Runners that have shown their competitiveness in a listed race, or at the Irish and Welsh Grand Nationals, are not to be missed, while having previous experience over the Grand National fences is another plus.
Stamina
Stamina is a key factor for long-distance wins, more so at the Grand National which is run over more than four miles and typically lasts around nine minutes. Given that the Grand National comes shortly after another demanding meeting – the Cheltenham Festival – horses need to be in tip-top form to recover from the tough run and enter the Grand National with a winner’s attitude. 28 of the last 32 Grand National winners had a chase race over at least 3m, with Noble Yeats being one of the few horses to buck this trend.
Other Grand National trends are worth looking back on too, to find the best profile of previous Grand National winners. After all, if a certain horse (age, weight, form) has performed well in the race many times in the past, there’s a big chance a horse with a similar profile will also do well. The Virtual Grand National is the ultimate Grand National predictor, combining all these factors and trends in a visual way, and with a fair amount of success too.
Take a punt on the world’s most famous race and bet on the 2026 Grand National! Who will win the Grand National 2026? Have a look at our Grand National betting tips and predictions.
Grand National Betting Favourites FAQs
Who is the favourite to win the 2026 Grand National?
The current betting favourite to win the 2026 Grand National is the Irish Grand National winner, Haiti Couleurs. Two former winners of the English Grand National are the biggest challengers to his status as favourite – Nick Rockett and I Am Maximus.
How often does the favourite win the Grand National?
Grand National favourites have struggled to justify their positions at the head of the Grand National betting odds, with just one Grand National favourite winning the race between 2011 and 2022. Grand National favourites have performed better of late though, with favourites Corach Rambler and I Am Maximus both coming out on top, in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
What date is the 2026 Grand National?
The Grand National is on Saturday 11th April 2026 at 4pm.
How many horses will be running in the 2026 Grand National?
Up to 34 horses will be allowed to run in the Grand National. The 2024 Grand National was the first to have the runners for the race reduced from 40 to 34 and it remained a great spectacle.
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