The 2027 Grand National has a rare kind of pull before the final field has even taken shape.
That is because I Am Maximus is not heading towards Aintree as just another past winner. He is heading towards the race with the chance to do something that has only been done once in Grand National history.
Win it for a third time.
Red Rum remains the only horse to have won the Grand National three times. His victories in 1973, 1974 and 1977 still sit above every other story the race has produced. Many great horses have had their day at Aintree. Some have even come back and won it again. But none, apart from Red Rum, have reached three.
That is the line I Am Maximus will be trying to join in 2027.
The Number That Makes This So Special
The Grand National has never been short of famous winners. It has made heroes of horses, jockeys, trainers and owners for generations. Yet one record has stood apart for almost 50 years.
Three wins.
It sounds simple, but the fact only Red Rum has done it shows just how hard it is. Winning the National once can define a horse. Winning it twice puts a horse in a much smaller club. Winning it three times has remained almost out of reach.
That is why the I Am Maximus story now feels so important.
His 2024 Grand National victory placed him in the history books. His runner up finish in 2025 showed he was still a force around Aintree. His 2026 win took him to another level entirely.
Now the next question is clear. Can he return in 2027 and match the number that has made Red Rum untouchable for so long?
Red Rum Is Still The Measure
Red Rum’s Grand National record is part of racing folklore.
He won the race in 1973. He came back and won it again in 1974. After two placed efforts, he returned in 1977 and won it for a third time.
That final victory sealed his place as the most famous Grand National horse of them all. His name still means something even to people who do not follow racing closely. At Aintree, he is more than a past winner. He is the standard.
That is the challenge for I Am Maximus.
This is not about taking Red Rum’s place. That cannot happen. Red Rum belongs to a different age of racing, and his bond with the public was built over years. But records matter, and if I Am Maximus wins again in 2027, he will stand beside Red Rum on the race’s greatest number.
No horse has managed that since the 1970s.
I Am Maximus Has Earned The Comparison
It can be easy to overdo historical links in racing. Every strong winner seems to get pulled into a debate with the greats. This one is different.
I Am Maximus has already done enough at Aintree to make the comparison serious.
A win, a second, and another win in three Grand Nationals is a superb record. It tells us he handles the fences, stays the trip and has the mind for the race. That last point matters. The National is not just a test of engine. Horses have to keep their rhythm and cope with the pace, the field and the long periods of pressure.
Some horses never take to it. Others can win it once when everything falls right. I Am Maximus has shown far more than that.
He has become a true Aintree specialist.
Why 2027 Will Ask More Of Him
The hard part is that every Grand National becomes tougher once a horse has a record like his.
If I Am Maximus lines up in 2027, he will do so as one of the most talked about horses in the race. There will be no hiding place. The public will expect a bold show. The handicapper will have had a full look at him. Every rival camp will know exactly what he brings.
That does not mean he cannot win. Class counts, and I Am Maximus has plenty of it. But the Grand National has a way of making even the best horses prove themselves all over again.
Weight could be a major factor. So could age. So could the weather, the ground, the pace of the race and the simple luck needed to avoid trouble.
There is no easy route to a third Grand National. That is the whole point. If there was, Red Rum would not still be alone.
The Willie Mullins Factor
One reason I Am Maximus will be taken so seriously is the team behind him.
Willie Mullins has changed what seems possible in major National Hunt races. He has the depth, the skill and the patience to aim a horse at one day and have him ready when it matters.
With JP McManus as owner and Paul Townend so closely linked to the horse, I Am Maximus has the kind of support every staying chaser needs.
That may not be enough on its own. No trainer, owner or jockey can fully control the Grand National. But it does give I Am Maximus the best chance of arriving at Aintree in the right shape.
What A Third Win Would Mean
If I Am Maximus wins the 2027 Grand National, it would be one of the biggest racing stories of the modern era.
It would bring Red Rum’s record back into the present. It would give Aintree a second horse with three wins. It would also turn I Am Maximus from a brilliant Grand National horse into one of the defining names in the race’s long history.
For younger racing fans, it would be the closest thing to seeing a Red Rum style record being made in their own time.
That is why the 2027 race already carries extra weight. It is not only about who wins on the day. It is about whether a record that has stood alone since 1977 can finally be matched.
Can He Match Red Rum?
I Am Maximus can do it. That is the key point.
He has already won the Grand National twice. He has already shown he is made for Aintree. He has the class, the stamina and the right team.
But the size of the task should not be played down. A third win would demand another huge performance in a race that never gives anything away.
Red Rum remains alone for a reason.
In 2027, I Am Maximus may get the chance to change that.
