The 2026 Grand National field is confirmed. 34 runners will go to post on Saturday at 4pm. The biggest news from Wednesday's declarations was not which horses were included — it was who is riding them.
Here is everything that matters from declarations day and what it tells you before you bet.
Townend Stays Loyal to I Am Maximus
Paul Townend had options. There was genuine speculation in the days before declarations that he might switch from I Am Maximus — the 2024 winner who has now been given top weight for the second successive year — to Grangeclare West, who won the Bobbyjo and finished third in last year's race carrying less weight. Townend chose loyalty. He rides I Am Maximus for the third consecutive year. Won on him in 2024. Beaten by Nick Rockett last year. Coming back for the third attempt.
The significance of Townend staying is twofold. First, it confirms that the Mullins operation believes I Am Maximus is still capable of winning despite the top weight — otherwise Townend would have moved. Second, it leaves Grangeclare West to be ridden by Patrick Mullins, which is an excellent consolation prize. Patrick won the National last year on Nick Rockett. He is not a rider who gets on horses without reason.
The Patrick Mullins Switch — Grangeclare West is Now the Mullins Value Play
This is the story of declarations day. Patrick Mullins, who rode Nick Rockett to victory in 2025, has not been retained for the defending champion. Instead he rides Grangeclare West. That switch tells you several things simultaneously.
Nick Rockett — the horse he won on last year — has been handed to Tom Bellamy for 2026. Bellamy is an accomplished rider who had a breakthrough Cheltenham when partnering White Noise to victory at 40/1. This is his first ride for the Mullins operation. The fact that Mullins gave the defending champion to a new jockey rather than retaining Patrick tells you that the primary confidence within the yard is not on Nick Rockett. It is on Grangeclare West and I Am Maximus.
Patrick Mullins on Grangeclare West is now one of the most powerful jockey-horse combinations in the race. Bobbyjo winner, third last year, manageable weight, proven Aintree form, and now ridden by a man who knows what it takes to win this race from the saddle.
Panic Attack and Harry Skelton — The British Challenge
Harry Skelton rides Panic Attack for trainer Dan Skelton. The Skelton combination is one of the most formidable in British jump racing and their targeting of the Grand National with Panic Attack represents a serious British challenge to Irish dominance in recent years. Panic Attack is available at 12/1 in a market where that price represents genuine each-way value if the form assessment is positive.
Willie Mullins Has Nine Runners
Nine of the 34 confirmed Grand National runners are trained by Willie Mullins. That is 26 percent of the field. He is seeking a hat-trick of wins in the race. The jockey bookings confirm the internal hierarchy: Townend on I Am Maximus is the primary play, Patrick on Grangeclare West is the secondary. The seven other Mullins runners fill the card below those two in terms of market confidence.
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