I Am Maximus, the 2024 winner, heads to Aintree on Saturday as favourite to triumph again.Here is a look at the chances of all 34 contendersOne of two previous winners at the top of the weights and he backed up his 2024 success by pressing Nick Rockett all the way to the Elbow 12 months ago before finally crying enough.He had shown precious few hints of his National-winning form in two runs before that exceptional performance under top weight and has more to recommend him this year, having finished second in a Grade One in December and fifth in the Irish Gold Cup.In strict handicapping terms, he should probably find one or two too good, but Aintree aptitude is a serious weapon and another podium place is no forlorn hope.Verdict: each-way hope on Aintree form, but no top-weight winner since 70sThe strict rules on eligibility these days meant that even last year’s winner had to run in a chase this season to qualify for his attempt at a repeat success.

He duly booked his place in the field by finishing about seven lengths behind Gerri Colombe – also a rival on Saturday – at Down Royal last month.The reason for his long absence after last year’s race has never been entirely clear – “he took time to come to hand” covers plenty of bases – but he is just 4lb higher in the weights and will be in the mix if – and it has to be a significant if – he is in the same form and mood this time around.Verdict: weighted to go close, but long absence before last race a concernHas three Grade One wins over fences to his name including the King George VI Chase at Kempton, the mid-season championship, in 2024, and he was a flared nostril away from making it four in the same race this season.Joseph O’Brien’s gelding was a long way below that form in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham festival, however, which does rather fit in with a distinctly patchy record in the best company overall, and he is also unproven at anything like this trip.“If it was three miles, I’d fancy him,” O’Brien said recently.

It isn’t and you can’t,Verdict: top-class at best, but inconsistent and unproven over long tripsEnded a long losing run over fences when successful in the Bobbyjo Chase – often among the most significant National trials – in February,While he is a pound or two behind the best of the Grade One chasers, he was third in his first attempt at this race 12 months ago,He would have finished even closer to Nick Rockett had it not been for a costly blunder at the last, but the occasional iffy jump in the closing stages is becoming something of a habit,Has more weight this time, which feels like one question too many.

Verdict: solid chance on last year’s third, but jumping may let him downFive wins at Grade One level over fences is an exceptional record for any chaser, never mind a horse that has been through a couple of extended breaks from racing due to injury in recent seasons.The last of those top-level successes was in the Bowl at Aintree two years ago though a burden of 11st 10lb for his first start in a handicap could suggest it was last month.His only success since April 2024 was in a weak four-runner race at Down Royal a few weeks ago and while the second behind Grangeclare West in the Bobbyjo gives him a squeak and stamina seems assured, several younger and more progressive rivals are likely to have his measure.Verdict: has held his own against the best earlier, but may struggle nowForm figures of 1P11P this season may suggest the Welsh Grand National winner has two ways of running, but his blowouts were in Grade One events – most recently the Cheltenham Gold Cup, no less, where he led until the final run down the hill.If it is the version of Rebecca Curtis’s chaser that posted a convincing win at Chepstow in December that turns up on Saturday, he will be a force to reckon with.

Curtis coaxed him back to peak form after an even worse showing in the Betfair Chase in November and he is a tall, powerful chaser in the old-school fashion, more than capable of lugging a big weight around two circuits of Aintree,Has an obvious chance if his trainer can work the same magic again,Verdict: old-fashioned chaser with many Aintree assets, but poor latest run Left in at the final declaration stage in case the drying ground forces him to miss Thursday’s Bowl and could give Jimmy Mangan’s small family farming and training operation in County Cork a second National winner, 23 years after Monty’s Pass, his first runner at Aintree, took the great race in 2003,Another win would be astonishing given the size of Mangan’s operation, but in terms of age, form and racing weight, his latest contender has much to recommend him,Skipped the Gold Cup at Cheltenham due to unsuitably fast ground and stamina for a full-on gallop over four miles is a doubt too.

Verdict: improving eight-year-old ,but last half-mile could find him outRarely runs a bad race despite competing in strong company, but rarely manages to get his head in front,In theory, that should put him in with a chance as he gets 6lb or more from the best in the race and Gordon Elliott’s gelding took his form to a new level when stepped up to three miles for the first time in the Irish Gold Cup in February,Ran well below that peak in last month’s Cheltenham Gold Cup, however, when he was clearly running on empty in the final quarter-mile,An extra mile on Saturday is highly unlikely to suit,Verdict: didn’t stay at Cheltenham and hard to fancy over extra tripLike a few of the runners around the 11st mark, Henry de Bromhead’s nine-year-old has knocked on the door of the Grade One Winners’ Club several times, only to be told his name’s not on the list.

Did well in the circumstances to finish sixth in the Irish Gold Cup last time after going for home a long way out, but was a long way behind Panic Attack and Three Card Brag from an identical mark on his only previous start in a handicap.Far from the most unlikely winner if everything goes his way, but not obviously over-priced.Verdict: weighted up to his best and less scope for improvement than rivalsCould be seen as ahead of his mark when the weights came out in February, as he looked poised to win the Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park in January – the same race Nick Rockett landed before his National win last year – before unseating his inexperienced jockey at the final fence.Ran a shocker in the Bobbyjo next time up, when he was pulled up with five fences to jump.While they say you should always forgive one bad run, it is probably beyond even Willie Mullins’s transformative powers to engineer the bounce-back required.

Verdict: has a squeak on his best form, not a hint on his latestIn the final moments of Mick Hucknall’s mercurial debut for Fulchester United in Viz in the late 1980s, a voice in the crowd points out that “in a bizarre recreation of his musical career, Mick Hucknall from Simply Red’s considerable early promise has been followed up by a series of lacklustre disappointments”.It has been a similar story for Lecky Watson over fences: a Grade One win last season, but one poor run after another in the current campaign.While he is still the right side of nine years old, it would take a huge turnaround in form to put him in the frame.Verdict: long way below his strong novice form in all four starts this seasonA Grade One winner over hurdles and fences, and lightly raced for a 10-year-old chaser having been off the track for nearly two years before his fencing debut in January last year.So far, so promising, but there is nothing in his form that suggests this big step up in trip is what he needs.

Quite the opposite, in fact, as his stamina visibly expired before the final fence in the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown in February.Verdict: useful at best, but cut no slack on handicap debutAfter a decade of almost unbroken humiliation at the hands of their Irish counterparts, British jumps stables staged a major fightback at Cheltenham last month and a two-pronged challenge from the yard of Olly Greenall and Josh Guerriero will attempt to extend the revival to Aintree.There is little to choose between this one and Jagwar on form and his fourth place behind Nick Rockett 12 months ago was a fine first spin around the track.His latest run at Cheltenham, though, was less encouraging, and he has 11 runs over fences against his stable companion’s eight, which might just be enough to tip the stable bragging rights Jagwar’s way.Verdict: clear chance on last year’s form, but latest showing not ideal Eleven-year-olds enjoyed a golden spell from 2012 with three straight victories, but their record since is a truly miserable zero-from-83.

This suggests the regular tweaks to the fences and conditions over the past decade have heavily favoured youth over experience,That said, Gordon Elliott’s gelding will arrives in the form of his life, having taken an ultra-competitive handicap chase in December (at odds of 66-1, no less), before two excellent runs in cross-country handicaps at Cheltenham,Elliott used the same route through the Cross Country at Cheltenham to prep his three previous winners – Silver Birch and Tiger Roll, twice – so it would be rash to rule this one out solely on account of his age,Verdict: too old on trends, but is following trainer’s tried-and-tested pathBack for another crack after finishing 11th last year and a sound jumper whose consistency is beyond reproach,It takes more than mere consistency to win a National, however, and he failed to see it out after racing close to the pace for much of the way 12 months ago.

Since he is 10lb higher in the weights this time around, improvement is needed just to stand still and there is no obvious reason why it may be forthcoming.Verdict: didn’t stay last time and set for mid-division anonymityIt could be argued, with some justification, there is a distinct lack of romance in a modern National.Where are the homespun stories, the against-all-odds surprises or a Velvet Brown for the 21st century? Well, here’s one runner with “film adaptation” scribbled all over him or Netflix mini-series at the very least.He is 50% of the string at 29-year-old Connor King’s County Tipperary stable, will be ridden by the trainer’s younger brother, Daniel, and was picked out at the sales, for a bargain-basement price, by their dad.The backstory alone will attract plenty of interest, but his form suggests a big run as he is a young, progressive novice with every chance of improving for the step up in trip.

Nit-pickers may say he could have shown a little more when fourth in a Grade One novice at the festival last month, but his profile is highly positive for a modern-day National.Verdict: great backstory and his form and profile are not too shabby, eitherWould have been the pick of the weights 12 months ago had he not narrowly missed the cut after reeling off several impressive strong-staying victories.He would be a hugely popular winner for his trainer, Sara Bradstock, whose father, the amateur rider and broadcaster Lord Oaksey, finished second aboard Carrickbeg in 1963.Needs significant cut in the ground to show his best form and while his latest mark is now more than high enough to guarantee a run, it may also be too high to be a winning one.Verdict: popular frontrunner, needs it softer and has plenty of weightSent off favourite for a big handicap chase at Sandown in April 2025 on his fourth start over fences and looked set for a rewarding campaign when second on his return to action at Punchestown in November.

His form since has fallen off a cliff and he arrives at Aintree with a longish list of questions to answer having been pulled up two races in a row.Faded rapidly after a mistake four out at Naas in March and something similar is likely on Saturday, quite possibly at a much earlier stage.Verdict: needs major revival and more, “PP” is not National-winning formHas been racing in classy company since finishing a close second in a Grade One novice at Cheltenham in March 2025, having set off at double-figure odds for three Grade Ones and a Grade Three and run pretty much in line with the market’s expectations each time.That will not have made for an easy assessment when the handicapper was setting the weights and he has the frame and pedigree of a potential improver at marathon trips, so appeals as one of the likelier second-season chasers to have crept in a pound or two light.Verdict: strike rate unimpressive, but good racing weight if stays tripHas had three trips to the races since finishing 12th last year and two of those were over hurdles, a clear sign that his dual National-winning stable has been targeting this return all year.

He went out like a snuffed candle after racing too close to the pace 12 months ago, and has shown few – correction, no – signs of being anywhere close to a return to peak form in his recent outings,Verdict: needs a career-best to figure and nowhere near it this seasonNo doubting his stamina or talent as he took the Scottish Grand National as a novice last year on his fifth start over fences,Has struggled to go on from there this season and made an early exit in the Thyestes at Gowran in January when sent off favourite under a big weight,Less lead in the saddle on Saturday, but has rarely seemed to be in the conversation around Willie Mullins’s major chances and looks summed up by his handicap mark,Verdict: time on his side, but big win in 2025 means a big weight in his saddleThe second prong in the Greenall/Guierro challenge is a year younger than Iroko and has 5lb less weight to carry despite finishing a long way in front of his stable companion on identical terms in the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.

The excellent Mark Walsh maintains the partnership and that form, on his eighth start over fences, suggests he could still be some way ahead of his current mark.Tends to make the odd mistake along the way, but the fences are more forgiving these days and track and trip seem sure to suit.Iroko went close with a very similar profile last year and the latest seven-year-old challenger from the stable could have even more up his sleeve.Verdict: young, well-weighted and improving.Ideal profile for NationalSet off as a 10-1 chance 12 months ago with Mark Walsh, the owner’s No 1 rider, holding the reins, but failed to get past Valentine’s on the first circuit having jumped soundly enough to that point.

Has clearly been campaigned with a return to this race in mind, but his form in two starts this season – pulled up when 40-1 for the Coral Gold Cup and then fourth of seven in a Grade Three – is hardly encouraging,Verdict: fancied last year, but one of three fallers and not in the same formThe days when a 40-runner Grand National had a smattering of definitely-maybes and a whole host of definitely-nots are long gone and Henry de Bromhead’s runner is just one among at least half of the 34-strong field that could outrun a working person’s price,He is the right age – like four of the past eight winners – and has big-field experience when fourth in the Coral Gold Cup in November, his second start outside novice company,That performance can be marked up as he lost several lengths at a standing start and his National-winning trainer has plenty of previous when it comes to getting a horse right on the day,Verdict: young, improving and from top stable, intriguing each-way chanceOne of the few British-trained horses to register a Grade One win at the Cheltenham festival in recent years when he beat Gerri Colombe by a short head in the three-mile novice chase, but has struggled to recapture that form in 13 starts since.

It hints at his decline that he has 15lb less to carry than Gordon Elliott’s runner,Has failed to beat an opponent in his past two starts and while there might be a couple of slower rivals he is odds-on to be closer to last than first,Verdict: top-class novice, but his best days seem to be behind himThe ninth and final member of the Willie Mullins battalion and like many a runner in this year’s race there is a single, standout piece of form that gives him a shout,In his case, it is a 10-length third behind Haiti Couleurs in last year’s Irish Grand National and he can re-oppose Rebecca Curtis’s runner on 22lb better terms,On the other hand, he has more letters than numbers in his form line since his last win in January 2025, which is rarely a good sign, though he did seem to improve for the addition of blinkers when dropped back in trip at Leopardstown last time.

Verdict: low-profile member of Mullins’ squad, needs to return to best A dubious stayer despite a marked preference for heavy ground and always prone to a mistake or three along the way.Finished fourth of nine behind three of today’s rivals in the Bobbyjo Chase, which is often a decent Aintree trial, but realistically the only box he ticks for a well-run Grand National on spring ground is the one marked “none of the above”.Verdict: stamina, going and jumping doubts, unlikely to be thereaboutsJoseph O’Brien has two runners as he bids to become the first trainer to win the two biggest handicaps – the Grand National over jumps and the Melbourne Cup on the Flat – and while Banbridge is undoubtedly the classier of the pair, this one is arguably better suited to the task at hand.Posted the best performance of his career when second in the Grade One novice chase at this meeting last year and looks sure to appreciate a step up in trip, though he was a little underwhelming when 11th of 16 runners at Leopardstown last time.Verdict: trip and ground should suit, but this may be a year too soonHas found a fresh lease of life since a switch to cross-country events last year and saw off the challenge of Favori De Champdou to land the Cross-Country Chase at Cheltenham last month.

That has been a stepping-stone to Aintree success several times in recent seasons, the obvious caveat being that it is essentially a race for older horses and specialists and the National feels like an event for younger, improving runners these days.With 28 chase starts and 42 more over hurdles and on the Flat, Gavin Cromwell’s 10-year-old is not, by any stretch of the imagination, one of those.Verdict: thriving but vulnerable to quicker contendersWell beaten in the Topham over a circuit and a bit of the National course at this meeting last year, but steps up to the big one after showing somewhat unexpected stamina to win over three-and-a-half miles at Cheltenham in November.Also went close in a Flat race at Goodwood last summer, but his form over jumps remains a long way short of what is likely to be needed.Verdict: versatile, but basically making up the numbersDan Skelton’s mare already has one rare achievement to her name having completed a double in the two biggest handicap chases in the first part of the season, but an even sterner challenge awaits as no mare has won the National since Nickel Coin in 1951 and just three since the turn of the 20th century.

Few have lined up with as strong a chance as this one, though, and having spent much of her career racing between two and two-and-a-half miles, she fairly powered away from the field in the three-and-a-quarter mile Coral Gold Cup at Newbury in November.Her trainer is all but sure to be crowned Britain’s champion regardless of what happens on Saturday, but if her stamina extends to another mile, a big chunk of prize money is not out of the question.Verdict: stamina a concern, but decent chance to match Nickel Coin featShowed plenty of stamina to stay on again into second in the Grand National Trial at Haydock in February, but tends to come up short in better company and has been known to down tools.One of a handful in the field that can be ruled out with confidence.Verdict: plodder who will be run off his feet by the youngstersClosely matched with Jagwar on their form when first and second respectively in the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham last month and his success coincided with a welcome upturn in the fortunes of the Jonjo and AJ O’Neill stable.

Handicapped to go very close if he can run to the same level over a much longer trip, though it does nag away just a little that he emptied between the final two fences in the Irish Grand National last year,Verdict: big chance if stays, but Irish National form last year is a worryThe second British-trained runner across the line last year, though such was the dominance of the Irish that it was good enough for only 12th,Will pick up an additional £500k bonus if he can follow up his win over these fences in the Becher Chase in December, but there is no obvious reason why he should fare any better this time around,Verdict: winner in lesser company, won’t see which way these rivals goIt is probably fair to say Queen Elizabeth II was dreaming of a Classic winner on the Flat when she sent her mare, Pure Fantasy, to the 2008 Derby winner, New Approach, in the spring of 2017,Breeding thoroughbreds is an inexact science at the best of times and the result of that liaison is about to line up for the world’s most famous steeplechase.

His regal origins are likely to remain his only major claim to fame on Saturday evening as he arrives off the back of falls in his past two races and was going nowhere fast when he exited at the 21st in the cross-country event at Cheltenham last month.Verdict: impeccable pedigree – but for the Derby, not the NationalExcuses when eighth behind Johnnywho in the Ultima but needs a big dollop of luck to make it to the start.Decent stayer at the right level, but this isn’t it and little chance he will make it into the final field.An example of nominative determination in action as his decline since finishing sixth behind I Am Maximus two years ago means he is highly unlikely to get a run.Has experience of the National fences in last year’s Topham, but would not get this trip even if he somehow managed to creep into the race.

Sixth in the Ultima but last of the reserves, Nicky Henderson’s quest for a first National winner will continue.*The deadline for any reserves to get into the final field is 1pm on Friday.