The 2025-26 National Hunt season ends at Punchestown in five days. Before the curtain comes down, here is the season in numbers — the performances, the records and the statistics that define what has been an exceptional year.
8 — Gaelic Warrior's Cheltenham Gold Cup winning margin
Eight lengths. The most dominant Cheltenham Gold Cup winning margin in recent memory. Gaelic Warrior did not merely win the Gold Cup in March — he redefined the ceiling of what the race's winning performance looks like. For context, most Gold Cup winners win by two or three lengths at most. Eight lengths at Cheltenham is a statement about the depth of talent in a single horse.
18 — Marine Nationale's Cheltenham Champion Chase winning margin
Eighteen lengths clear of Jonbon. Another dominant Cheltenham Champion Chase performance that sits outside normal reference points for the race. Two Grade 1 chasers won their respective Cheltenham championships by margins that will be cited for years as benchmarks for the division.
52 — Years since a horse carried top weight to win the Grand National
I Am Maximus carried 11st 12lb to win the 2026 Grand National — the same weight Red Rum carried to win in 1974. Fifty-two years between top-weight winners at Aintree. I Am Maximus also became the first horse since Red Rum to regain the Grand National title, having won in 2024 and now won again in 2026.
20/1 — Kap Vert's starting price in the Scottish Grand National
Kap Vert won at 20/1, carrying 10st 12lb on only his fifth run over fences. The favourite won three times in the last 23 renewals of the Scottish National. The data pointed to a French-bred, lightly-raced, well-weighted horse. The market pointed to the short-priced market leaders. The data was right.
4 — Trotbot winners identified from April 15 to April 21
Double Rush won at Newmarket at 11/10 (C&D winner, RPR 25 above OR, Balding 21%). Crystal Island won at Ffos Las at 1/1 (Henderson 24%, soft ground match, Nico de Boinville retained). La Pinsonniere placed at Haydock at 15/2 (each-way return paid out). Cape Ashizuri won at Pontefract at 100/30 (conviction bet, £30 stake returned £76.50 profit). Four profitable returns in seven days during one of the busiest weeks of the racing calendar.
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Facts verified via web search April 24 2026.