The publication of the 2026 Grand National weights has crystallised the shape of this year’s race, with 75 horses still in contention and a typically deep Irish presence among the entries.
From proven Grade 1 performers at the top of the handicap to potential improvers creeping in at the foot, the handicapper has tried to compress a vast range of talent into a band stretching from 11st 12lb down to 9st 6lb.
Top of the Handicap
Former winner I Am Maximus once again finds himself shouldering top weight, allotted 11st 12lb off an official rating of 168 – the same burden he carried last year.
History tells you how demanding that is: no horse has won a Grand National under top weight since Red Rum in 1974, so Willie Mullins’ star is being asked a very serious question despite his class.
Sharing second spot on 11st 11lb are Banbridge and last year’s hero Nick Rockett, both on 167, reflecting the handicapper’s view that they remain just a notch below I Am Maximus but firmly among the elite.
Behind them sits a tightly packed group on 11st 10lb – Gerri Colombe, Grangeclare West, Grey Dawning, and Haiti Couleurs – all rated 166 and all with Grade 1 or high‑level handicap credentials that justify their lofty positions.
That concentration of talent at the very top underlines the quality of the modern National, which has evolved into a staying Grade 3 handicap dominated by genuine graded horses rather than old‑style plodders.
It also means that any runner carrying north of 11st 7lb will almost certainly need Grade 1 ability simply to get involved late on, given the demands of four miles, 30 fences and a likely strong gallop.
Slightly lower down, Impaire Et Passe (11st 5lb, 161) and the 160‑rated Firefox on 11st 4lb show just how deep Mullins and Gordon Elliott can reach into their squads while still finding horses worthy of lofty marks.
2026 Grand National Weights
- 1 I Am Maximus – 11-12 – W P Mullins
- 2 Nick Rockett – 11-11 – W P Mullins
- 3 Banbridge – 11-11 – Joseph Patrick O'Brien
- 4 Grangeclare West – 11-10 – W P Mullins
- 5 Grey Dawning – 11-10 – Dan Skelton
- 6 Gerri Colombe – 11-10 – Gordon Elliott
- 7 Haiti Couleurs – 11-10 – Rebecca Curtis
- 8 Spillane's Tower – 11-8 – James Joseph Mangan
- 9 L'Homme Presse – 11-8 – Venetia Williams
- 10 Impaire Et Passe – 11-5 – W P Mullins
- 11 Firefox – 11-4 – Gordon Elliott
- 12 Monty's Star – 11-3 – Henry De Bromhead
- 13 Spanish Harlem – 11-3 – W P Mullins
- 14 Gentlemansgame – 11-3 – M F Morris
- 15 Lecky Watson – 11-2 – W P Mullins
- 16 Champ Kiely – 11-1 – W P Mullins
- 17 Western Fold – 11-1 – Gordon Elliott
- 18 Iroko – 11-1 – Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero
- 19 Flooring Porter – 11-1 – Gavin Cromwell
- 20 Favori De Champdou – 11-1 – Gordon Elliott
- 21 Three Card Brag – 11-0 – Gordon Elliott
- 22 Oscars Brother – 10-13 – Connor King
- 23 Handstands – 10-13 – Ben Pauling
- 24 Mr Vango – 10-12 – Mrs Sara V Bradstock
- 25 Resplendent Grey – 10-11 – Olly Murphy
- 26 High Class Hero – 10-11 – W P Mullins
- 27 Stellar Story – 10-11 – Gordon Elliott
- 28 Better Days Ahead – 10-11 – Gordon Elliott
- 29 Ile Atlantique – 10-11 – W P Mullins
- 30 Beauport – 10-11 – Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies
- 31 French Dynamite – 10-10 – E McNamara
- 32 Captain Cody – 10-10 – W P Mullins
- 33 Jagwar – 10-10 – Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero
- 34 Perceval Legallois – 10-9 – Gavin Cromwell
- 35 Gorgeous Tom – 10-9 – Henry De Bromhead
- 36 The Real Whacker – 10-9 – Patrick Neville
- 37 Quai De Bourbon – 10-9 – W P Mullins
- 38 Answer To Kayf – 10-8 – Terence O'Brien
- 39 Jordans – 10-8 – Joseph Patrick O'Brien
- 40 Croke Park – 10-8 – Gordon Elliott
- 41 Now Is The Hour – 10-7 – Gavin Cromwell
- 42 Blizzard Of Oz – 10-7 – W P Mullins
- 43 Intense Raffles – 10-6 – Thomas Gibney
- 44 Final Orders – 10-5 – Gavin Cromwell
- 45 Marble Sands – 10-5 – David Killahena & Graeme McPherson
- 46 Panic Attack – 10-5 – Dan Skelton
- 47 Top Of The Bill – 10-5 – Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies
- 48 Leave Of Absence – 10-4 – Anthony Honeyball
- 49 Blaze The Way – 10-4 – Ms Margaret Mullins
- 50 Twig – 10-4 – Ben Pauling
- 51 Johnnywho – 10-4 – Jonjo & A J O'Neill
- 52 Stolen Silver – 10-3 – Georgina Nicholls
- 53 Search For Glory – 10-3 – Gordon Elliott
- 54 Pied Piper – 10-3 – Gordon Elliott
- 55 Imperial Saint – 10-2 – Philip Hobbs & Johnson White
- 56 Amirite – 10-2 – Henry De Bromhead
- 57 Ain't That A Shame – 10-2 – T Ellis
- 58 Yeah Man – 10-1 – Gavin Cromwell
- 59 Soul Icon – 10-1 – Keiran Burke
- 60 Hyland – 10-1 – Nicky Henderson
- 61 Harry Des Ongrais – 10-1 – Henry De Bromhead
- 62 Myretown – 10-0 – Lucinda Russell & Michael Scudamore
- 63 Deep Cave – 9-13 – Christian Williams
- 64 Monbeg Genius – 9-13 – Jonjo & A J O'Neill
- 65 O'Moore Park – 9-13 – W P Mullins
- 66 Pic Roc – 9-13 – Ben Pauling
- 67 Buddy One – 9-12 – Paul John Gilligan
- 68 Mister Coffey – 9-12 – Nicky Henderson
- 69 Anyway – 9-11 – David Kenneth Budds
- 70 The Short Go – 9-10 – Henry De Bromhead
- 71 Weveallbeencaught – 9-9 – E McNamara
- 72 Will Do – 9-9 – Gordon Elliott
- 73 Shanbally Kid – 9-9 – W P Mullins
- 74 In d'Or – 9-7 – Fergal O'Brien
- 75 Deafening Silence – 9-6 – Dan Skelton
The Crucial Mid‑range
Many National winners are found between roughly 10st 5lb and 11st, and the 2026 list again looks particularly interesting in this band.
Iroko, fourth last year and already prominent in the betting, has been set 11st 1lb from a mark of 157 – a fair enough rise that acknowledges his consistency without hammering him out of contention.
He shares that same weight and rating bracket with Flooring Porter and Favori De Champdou, suggesting the assessor views them as solid stayers rather than “plot” horses hiding much from the handicapper.
Three Card Brag, an unexposed nine‑year‑old on 11st exactly (156), is the type many punters will latch onto: just enough weight to show he’s talented, but still within a historically favourable region.
The compressed nature of the handicap means that by the time you reach the cluster on 10st 11lb – Resplendent Grey, High Class Hero, Stellar Story, Better Days Ahead, Ile Atlantique and Beauport, all on 153 – you are only giving a handful of pounds away to horses right at the top.
In a race where rhythm, luck in running and jumping can matter as much as raw class, that difference can feel much smaller than the figures suggest.
Lightweights And Potential “Plots”
Towards the bottom of the list sit the horses that traditional National punters love to hunt out: lightly weighted, often progressing, and sometimes yet to fully reveal their hand in top handicaps.
Answer To Kayf heads this section on 10st 8lb (150), joined on the same weight by Croke Park and Jordans, all three sitting at a rating where a bit of natural improvement could turn them into major players.
Now Is The Hour and Blizzard Of Oz take 10st 7lb from marks of 149, again hinting at horses on the cusp of becoming proper staying chasers at this level.
The likes of Intense Raffles on 10st 6lb (148), Final Orders and Marble Sands on 10st 5lb (147) and the progressive mare Panic Attack, also on 10st 5lb, make up a fascinating cohort who could be very attractively treated if they find further progress this spring.
What The Weights Tell Us About 2026
Stepping back from individual names, several broader themes emerge from the 2026 Grand National weights.
First, the overall quality remains extremely high: the top of the list is populated by Grade 1 horses, and even those scraping in at the bottom have triple‑figure ratings that would have looked lofty in older renewals.
Second, the handicap is tightly compressed, with just over two and a half stone separating I Am Maximus and Deafening Silence, which limits the raw advantage for the lightweights but keeps tactical options open for jockeys and trainers.
Third, Irish trainers again dominate numerically, accounting for well over half of the entries, and the recent run of Irish‑trained winners suggests that pattern is unlikely to change soon.
For punters and connections alike, these weights are the starting gun rather than the finish line.
Between now and 11 April, form in trials, going conditions, and final declarations will all interact with the handicap to reshape the market and alter perceptions of who is “well in”.
Nonetheless, the publication of the weights has already delivered a clear message: if you want to win the 2026 Grand National, you will need not only stamina and jumping, but also the class to live with a field stacked from top to bottom with high‑quality staying chasers.
BETFRED
