Grand National Weights: I Am Maximus fancied to defy trends

When picking your Grand National winner, you can look at the form, the trainer, jockey, what colour silks it’ll be wearing and what the horse had for breakfast.

But we’ve taken a closer look at the Grand National weights, after all, the Aintree showpiece is a handicap, meaning each horse is weighted based on their ability.

Grand National betting tips

Grand National 2026

The top weight for this year’s Grand National is I Am Maximus, who was the winner of the race in 2024 before returning last season to finish second. Racing to an official rating of 168, the Willie Mullins-trained 10-year-old will have to carry 11-12 to victory.

He’s the race-favourite at the time of writing and a class act, but he’ll have to defy the trends with Red Rum in 1974, the last top weight to win the National, lumping around 12 stone that day.

Grand National Weights Trends

• 9 of the last 11 winners carried between 10-5 and 11-8
• Only four of the last 12 winners have carried over 11 stone to victory
• As the class of the horses entered has improved, the last two winners carried 11-6 and 11-8

Grand National Trends

Another horse towards the top of the weights is former King George VI Chase winner Banbridge, who will carry 11-11.

Last year’s third-place Grangeclere West carries 11-10 and is number four on the racecard. But for a blunder at the last fence where he lost a lot of momentum, the fast-finishing Willie Mullins-trained 10-year-old has weight in hand on his two stable rivals and was an impressive winner of the Bobbyjo Chase in his last run.

At the other end of the scale, there are a few eyecatchers with weight in hand.

Johnnywho was the impressive winner of the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last month, will go up 6lbs in the future but races off a mark of 146 here towards the bottom of the weights (10-4).

Cross Country Chase winner at Cheltenham Final Orders is in a similar position, and he’ll carry 10-5 on Saturday, whilst the Dan Skelton-trained Panic Attack also performed well at Cheltenham and she’ll run off a mark of 147 (10-5).

Full Grand National Entries With Weights

1 - I Am Maximus - 11-12
Nick Rockett - 11-11 - Non runner
3 - Banbridge - 11-11
4 - Grangeclere West - 11-10
5 - Gerri Colombe - 11-10
6 - Haiti Couleurs - 11-10
Spillane’s Tower - 11-8 - non-runner
8 - Firefox - 11-4
9 - Monty’s Star - 11-3
10 - Spanish Harlem - 11-3
11 - Lecky Watson - 11-2
12 - Champ Kiely - 11-1
13 - Iroko - 11-1
14 - Favori De Champdou - 11-1
15 - Three Card Brag - 11-0
16 - Oscars Brother - 10-13
17 - Mr Vango - 10-12
18 - High Class Hero - 10-11
19 - Stellar Story - 10-11
20 - Beauport - 10-11
21 - Captain Cody - 10-10
22 - Jagwar - 10-10
23- Perceval Legallois - 10-9
24 - Gorgeous Tom - 10-9
25 - The Real Whacker - 10-9
26 - Quai De Bourbon - 10-9
27 - Answer To Kayf - 10-8
28 - Jordans - 10-8
29 - Final Orders - 10-5
30 - Marble Sands - 10-5
31 - Panic Attack - 10-5
32 - Top Of The Bill - 10-5
33 - Johnnywho - 10-4
34 - Twig - 10-4
Pied Piper - 10-3 - Non runner
36 -Imperial Saint - 10-2
37 - Amirite - 10-2