Soldier In Milan Wins the 2026 Irish Grand National — What It Means for Aintree

Soldier In Milan won the 2026 BoyleSports Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse yesterday. Emmet Mullins' horse, ridden by Donagh Meyler, landed the €500,000 feature over 3m5f and in doing so confirmed everything that his antepost supporters had been saying all season: the entire campaign had been pointed at that race, and on the day, the preparation showed. He will not run at Aintree on Saturday. But his win matters enormously for how we should think about the Randox Grand National four days from now. What the Irish National Result Tells Us The Irish Grand National and Aintree Grand National share a specific profile of winner. Both favour horses with proven stamina at three miles or further, horses that travel well in big fields, horses that handle jumping under pressure in a competitive environment. A horse that wins the Irish National is not automatically a Grand National contender, but the characteristics that produce an Irish National winner are directly relevant to assessing the Aintree field. Soldier In Milan's win confirmed that the form of horses around him this season was genuine. He beat Kiss Will at Punchestown in February. He saw off a field of 30 at Fairyhouse yesterday. The horses he has beaten were not pushovers — and several of those same horses, or horses closely linked in form, are in Saturday's Grand National field. The Dual-Entry Horses Several horses held entries for both the Irish Grand National and the Aintree Grand National. Any that lined up at Fairyhouse yesterday and ran well — finishing second, third or close up — arrive at Aintree carrying fresh evidence of their ability to handle marathon conditions. They also arrive having had a race in the legs five days before the Grand National, which is a fitness variable worth monitoring when the confirmed field is published tomorrow morning. What to Watch at Wednesday's Declarations Final Grand National declarations are confirmed at 10am tomorrow, Wednesday April 8th. The Fairyhouse result will have informed several decisions overnight. Connections of horses that ran well yesterday but did not win may have seen enough to confirm their Aintree plans with renewed confidence. Connections of horses that disappointed yesterday face a different calculation. The morning declarations will reflect all of this information — and the jockey bookings confirmed alongside them will tell you where the leading stables' confidence is concentrated for Saturday. Horse Racing Oracle AI publishes its Grand National selection tomorrow once declarations and jockey bookings confirm. Watch the blog from Wednesday morning. Want free AI-powered tips every morning? Sign up free at horseracingoracleai.com -> Betting involves risk. Please gamble responsibly. Visit BeGambleAware.org.