Five to Follow for the 2026 Grand National: Who Could Rule Aintree’s Mighty Fences?
Picking the right horse for the Randox Grand National can feel like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded – confusing, frustrating, and more often than not, you end up none the wiser. The race remains the ultimate puzzle, and punters across the country are already scouring form guides, watching replays, and convincing themselves they’ve unearthed the next Aintree hero.
A sensible starting point is to cast an eye back over the most recent renewal. Quite often, a horse who catches the eye in defeat will return twelve months later with unfinished business. Yet it’s never just about who has been around Aintree before. Horses proven over extreme distances, those with the stamina to slog it out when others have called it a day, are also worth noting.
Below, we highlight five horses who, if all goes to plan, should be lining up on April 11th for the world’s most famous steeplechase. From established stayers to upwardly mobile talents, each has something to recommend them as potential Grand National players. And for punters, remember that leading bookmaker William Hill are offering new customers a Bet £10 Get £40 in free bets deal – a handy cushion if your chosen nag finds the Canal Turn all a bit too much.
Cruz Control – Tom Lacey’s Consistent Contender
Cruz Control has made something of a habit of saving his best performances for the Grand National meeting itself. Trained by Tom Lacey, the gelding has landed back-to-back victories in the William Hill Handicap Chase, a three-mile-one-furlong contest that serves as an ideal proving ground for Aintree hopefuls.
In both victories, Cruz Control was staying on strongly at the finish, a sure sign that he may thrive over even greater distances. While he has shown his ability to slog it out on heavy going, his latest Aintree triumphs suggest that good ground brings out the very best in him – a crucial factor come April.
The obvious caveat is stamina. We know he’s effective over three miles, but four miles two furlongs is a different beast altogether. Still, he gave it a good go in the 2024 Betting.Bet Eider Handicap Chase over an extended four miles, plugging on into fifth on gruelling ground. That at least hints that stamina may not be an insurmountable problem.
Interestingly, Lacey even schooled him over replica Aintree-style fences in Lambourn prior to last year’s meeting. It’s fairly clear this race has long been pencilled in as the big target, which is always reassuring. With odds of 66/1 at William Hill, Cruz Control might be the sort of horse to tempt those with a taste for speculative punts – particularly if you’ve a few free bet bonuses burning a hole in your betting account.
Montys Star – Class in Abundance for Henry de Bromhead
Montys Star, trained by Henry de Bromhead, looks the type who could add genuine Grade One class to this year’s Grand National line-up. Since opening his chase account at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve in 2023, the Walk In The Park gelding has found himself mixing it in the highest company.
Though he didn’t manage to get his head in front last season, Montys Star was far from disappointing. He posted solid efforts in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup and the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, proving he wasn’t out of place at racing’s top table.
Connections may well have another tilt at those prestigious prizes, but should early signs suggest he’s just shy of the very best, then the Grand National could become a more attractive option. The modern National has shifted towards favouring classier types, those with a touch of quality as well as stamina, and Montys Star fits that profile perfectly.
At 33/1 with William Hill, he’s one that punters might quietly earmark. After all, there’s always a sense of intrigue around a horse with proven Grade One credentials dropping into a test that demands both heart and class.
Mr Vango – Built for the Job
If you could design a horse for the Grand National in a laboratory, it might look suspiciously like Mr Vango. Big, strong, and brimming with stamina, he is the very image of an Aintree warrior.
Last season, Mr Vango just missed the cut for the race, but victory in the JenningsBet Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter secured him a lofty new rating of 152. That ensures he won’t be sweating on making the line-up this time around.
Ground conditions will be vital. On testing, attritional ground, he comes into his own, galloping relentlessly while others are waving the white flag. That said, he proved at the back end of last season that he can handle good to soft going without much fuss.
What he lacks in turn of foot on quicker surfaces, he more than makes up for in determination. If the heavens open in April, Mr Vango becomes the horse you’d want on your side, ploughing on when the rest of the field have long since had enough. At 50/1, he could provide punters with a juicy outsider worth backing with one of those William Hill free bets.
Resplendent Grey – Olly Murphy’s Steely Stayer
Resplendent Grey has gone about his business in professional style, and last season gave plenty of evidence that he could be a player at Aintree. After opening the campaign with a win at Uttoxeter, he rounded things off with an impressive success in the bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Sandown Park – a race renowned for testing stamina.
There was also a strong performance at the Cheltenham Festival, where he finished fourth in the Princess Royal National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase, staying on resolutely. That run hinted that a longer trip would be right up his street, and Aintree’s marathon certainly qualifies.
A mark of 147 leaves him ideally placed to secure an entry, and with his eighth birthday looming, he fits neatly into the statistical sweet spot – six of the last ten winners have been eight-year-olds. The fact he likes decent ground only adds to the impression that he could be very well suited to the modern National test.
Offered at 33/1 with William Hill, Resplendent Grey is one of those who may not grab the headlines just yet, but could find himself the subject of much more chatter as April approaches.
The Changing Man – Consistency Rewarded
Joe Tizzard’s The Changing Man might not boast the glittering CV of some rivals, but he has proven himself admirably consistent in some of the toughest staying handicap chases around. Last season, he put in a string of solid efforts without quite getting his head in front, until finally making the breakthrough in the Grade Two Ebony Horse Club Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase at Ascot.
That success was followed by a second in the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham and a commendable third in the Grade One Huyton Asphalt Franny Blennerhassett Memorial Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree. While he found top-level company a bit beyond him, his reliability and stamina mark him down as one to keep onside.
A current rating of 142 means he may need to climb the weights a little to guarantee a place in the Grand National. However, such a mark also makes him well-handicapped enough to pick up a nice prize or two along the way. Should he creep into the Aintree field, he’ll have the experience and the attitude to run a very big race.
With William Hill chalking him up at 66/1, he represents another interesting outsider for those who enjoy backing consistency over sheer glamour. And if you’ve got a few bookmaker free bet bonuses in your locker, he’s the sort you wouldn’t mind taking a punt on.
Final Thoughts
The Grand National always throws up its share of surprises, and no amount of studying guarantees success. Yet each of the five horses above has something in their locker that could make them serious contenders for the big one in April 2026.
Whether it’s Cruz Control’s love affair with Aintree, Montys Star’s touch of class, Mr Vango’s staying power, Resplendent Grey’s perfect profile, or The Changing Man’s consistency, they all have the credentials to excite punters and connections alike.
And with bookmakers like William Hill offering Bet £10 Get £40 in free bets to new customers, there’s never been a better time to hedge your bets – just in case your chosen National fancy decides that Becher’s Brook is one jump too far.