I Am Maximus Grand National Odds 2026: 2024 winner to regain crown?

| Friday 10th April 2026, 16:01

Friday 10th April 2026, 16:01

I-am-maximus-grand-national-horse-odds-2026

We’ll start our Grand National profiles with the 2024 winner, 2025 runner-up and the AntePost favourite - and that is the Willie Mullins-trained I Am Maximus.

This 10-year-old hasn’t crossed the line first since being victorious in the race back in 2024 but has had good preparation according to those who train him. Assistant trainer David Casey believes he has the best chance of all of Mullins’ stable. Is he right? Let’s look at the chances and the Grand National Odds of I Am Maximus…

I Am Maximus Grand National 2026 Odds & Horse Betting Profile

Horse Name: I Am Maximus
Grand National Race Number: 1
Horse Age: 10
Silks/Colours: Green and Yellow Hoops
Trainer: Willie Mullins
Jockey: Paul Townend
Weight: 11st 12lbs
Betfred Odds (as of Midday, Wednesday, April 8, 2026): 7/1 fav
Betfred Odds (as of Midday, Thursday, April 9, 2026): 7/1 fav
Betfred Odds (as of time of publication - 16:00, Friday, April 10, 2026): 15/2 joint-fav
Previous Grand National Results: 2nd (2025), Winner (2024)

*Odds correct as of the time of publication

Aintree 16:00 - Winner

I Am Maximus

15/2

Bet Here

Odds correct at time of publishing.

*For those looking to head straight to Betfred's Grand National Betting Market, then please click on the Yellow Button link below

Grand National Odds

I Am Maximus:

Winning twice over the fences up at Aintree when the lights shine brightest is not something we see very often. Red Rum won three times back in the 1970s and eight other horses have done it twice. Only one of them, however, was since the Second World War, with the magnificent Tiger Roll going back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.

So history doesn’t favour his chances but the markets certainly do, with I Am Maximus having been on top or joint-top of the AntePost market for months. History, though, is always being rewritten and until recently 10-year-olds had never tasted Grand National glory. But after Rough Quest did so in 1996, six others have joined him, meaning that age is now not considered a negative factor for this race.

I Am Maximus has been given top-weight and will race over the 30 fences on Saturday with 11st 12lbs. The last time the heaviest horse emerged with victory was Red Rum back in 1974. In recent times, however, they’ve compressed the weights to encourage more top horses to enter, leading to winners such as Neptune Collonges (2012) and Many Clouds (2015), who were carrying 11st 6lbs and 11st 9lbs respectively.

His 25/26 season has been solid if unspectacular. An opening gallop over at Leopardstown in the Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase saw him finish ninth of 10. That looks iffy on paper but when you consider that race is two miles shorter than what he’ll be asked to go on Saturday, you’ll see why it was just a bit of a training run. You don’t expect prime Mo Farah to beat prime Michael Johnson over 400 metres but once you ask them to go 800 then you’d think differently.

A good performance at the same track between Christmas and New Year in the Savills Chase on Yielding ground has certainly given a glimpse that the staying power is very much there. Going off at 50/1, he came in second and stayed on all the way. Last time out he was fifth in the Irish Gold Cup, which is pretty much where the bookies expected him to be.

Going over four miles is clearly very good for I Am Maximus and it would be a shock if he didn’t stay as the betting favourite when the race starts at 16:00 on Saturday.

I Am Maximus Grand National Odds & Chances:

The Grand National is the most bet on sports event in the UK and the market is always moving as money is staked.

At the opening of the Betting Market at Midday on Thursday, the betting odds of I Am Maximus to win the race were 7/1 but, as of publication, you can back this horse at 15/2 to win the 2026 Aintree Grand National.

This indicates a 12% chance of winning when we convert their odds to implied probability.

Bet on I Am Maximus to win the Grand National:

You can bet on the big race on Saturday with us at Betfred. If you want to back I Am Maximus to win the Grand National, you can do so on betfred.com.

For all new customers, please just click on the ‘Join’ button on the top-right on Desktop or Mobile and you’ll be taken through to the sign-up process to join Betfred today and place your Bet on the 2026 Grand National at Aintree.

For all existing customers, you can log in and go to the Grand National Betting Market or you can place a bet on I Am Maximus to win the Grand National quickly and easily by just clicking on the betslip below. Once you do, the selection will be added directly to your betslip on betfred.com

Betfred Grand National Offer:

Betfred are also paying out six places on the big race at 1/5 odds for those betting on the Grand National each-way rather than the standard four. This offer is available from 12:00 on Thursday, April 9, 2026 through to 16:00 on Saturday, April 11, 2026.

All Grand National Betting Profiles:

If you aren't sure about betting on this horse to win the 2026 Grand National, then feel free to check out all of our other profiles as we write-up the recent form and history of all 34 runners in the field for Saturday's race:

You can check out all of our Grand National Tips as well as the profiles for all the other horses running in the race on our main Grand National page…

Aintree 16:00 - Winner

I Am Maximus

15/2

Bet Here

Odds correct at time of publishing.