No trainer has won the Grand National three consecutive years in the modern era. Willie Mullins trained I Am Maximus to win in 2024. He trained Nick Rockett to win in 2025 under his son Patrick. Saturday represents the opportunity to complete something the sport has not seen in living memory. Whether the horses at his disposal in 2026 are capable of delivering it is the question the market is trying to answer.
The 2024 Win — I Am Maximus
I Am Maximus won the 2024 Grand National under Paul Townend in authoritative fashion. The horse was trained specifically for the race, arrived fresh, and produced a performance that confirmed his class as one of the highest-rated staying chasers in training. He returns in 2026 as the favourite at around 8/1 — the same horse, the same trainer, the same jockey, but now two years older and facing the weight burden that comes with heading the handicap for a second time.
The 2025 Win — Nick Rockett
Nick Rockett's victory under Patrick Mullins in 2025 was a different kind of Grand National win. Not the dominant class performance of a market leader, but the precisely timed delivery of a well-prepared horse at the right weight, at the right price, with the right jockey. Patrick Mullins, one of the most accomplished amateur riders in the sport, produced the horse at exactly the moment the race demanded it. Nick Rockett carries the burden of a returning champion this year — a year off the track — but Mullins has managed horses back from long absences before.
The 2026 Scenario
Mullins enters multiple horses for Saturday. Paul Townend's jockey booking, confirmed at Wednesday's declarations, will identify which one the yard considers their primary chance. I Am Maximus is the market leader. Grangeclare West won the Bobbyjo and finished third last year. Both have claims. But a third consecutive win for any trainer in this race would be unprecedented in modern times — and the history of the Grand National suggests the race has a reliable habit of resisting that kind of dominance.
The data says Mullins' chances are real. The historical record says the race will not make it easy. Sign up at horseracingoracleai.com for the Grand National selection today once declarations are confirmed.
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