I Am Maximus has won the Grand National. The Aintree Festival is over. For casual racegoers, the jump season ends here. For serious racing followers, three more major events remain before the final curtain falls on the 2025-26 season.
Saturday April 19 — Scottish Grand National at Ayr
One week after Aintree, the Scottish Grand National at Ayr gives staying chasers a second bite at a major national-type prize. The race is run over four miles one furlong on a flat, galloping track. Prize money of just over £100,000 goes to the winner. Several Grand National entries who did not run at Aintree, or whose connections prefer the Scottish version, will be targeted here. Willie Mullins and Christian Williams have dominated the race recently and their entries, once declared later this week, will define the market.
Late April — Sandown Jumps Finale
Sandown's end-of-season Jumps Finale brings together the season's major players for their last outings before summer. The card includes the Grade 1 Celebration Chase, the Bet365 Gold Cup and the Bet365 Sandown Classic. Horses that have had long campaigns often run below their best at Sandown, but fresh horses targeting this card specifically can produce performances that shape ante-post markets for the following autumn. Nicky Henderson's horses typically appear at Sandown in force for the Finale.
April 29–May 3 — Punchestown Festival
The Punchestown Festival is the jump season's closing chapter and its five days of Grade 1 racing from County Kildare represent one of the great weeks on the racing calendar. The Grade 1 Punchestown Gold Cup on Wednesday, the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday and the Champion Chase on Thursday are the three headline events. Irish-trained horses dominate — as they have done throughout this season — but British raiders with fresh legs after bypassing Cheltenham can be among the most interesting betting opportunities of the week.
Salvator Mundi, confirmed by Willie Mullins as Punchestown-bound after Saturday's Maghull second, is already a name to watch. His trainer said he "didn't jump the way he can" — suggesting confidence that a better performance is available when conditions are right.
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