Leading UK Trained Runners In Grand National

The Grand National has been dominated by Irish winners recently, with six of the last seven, but the UK training ranks struck back with a big effort at the Cheltenham Festival last month and will be gunning for glory on Merseyside.

The likes of Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero, Jonjo & AJ O’Neill, Dan Skelton and Rebecca Curtis all have genuine Grand National contenders and we are assessing some of the leading British-based Aintree hopes.

Jagwar

A Cheltenham Festival-winning novice in 2025, the Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero-trained Jagwar has banged on the door in three runs in major handicaps this season in the Cotswolds without success, posting figures of 322.

The most recent of those was in the Ultima at last month’s Festival as he stayed on strongly up the hill. A mark of 152 looks lenient based on that effort and it also points well to his possible stamina. Jagwar has one previous Aintree run, finishing second in a maiden hurdle in 2023.

Iroko

Iroko was a well-backed 13/2 favourite in this race 12 months ago and is another contender for the Greenall & Guerriero alliance in the silks of JP McManus. He was fourth last year, finishing best of the British, and will race from a 5lb higher mark in 2026.

He won at Ascot in December but was beaten 28-lengths when 10th in the Ultima at last month’s Cheltenham Festival on his most recent appearance.

Leading Irish Trained Runners In Grand National

Irish-trained horses have dominated at Aintree in recent times in the Grand National, as the likes of Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead have produced big results in the Merseyside marathon. Last year Mullins trained the first, second, third and fifth-place finishers, while in 2024 five of the first six finishers were Ireland-based…

Thu 02 Apr 2026

Haiti Couleurs

The Rebecca Curtis-trained Haiti Couleurs had a wonderful spring in 2025, winning the National Hunt Cup at Cheltenham and the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse. He has added the Welsh National at Chepstow this season and the Denman Chase at Newbury but he was pulled up in the Gold Cup last month at Cheltenham.

He was a 3m1f good-ground winner over fences on his only Aintree start but does have a career-high mark of 166 to defy now in his quest to be the first Welsh-trained winner since Corbiere in 1983.

Panic Attack

Dan Skelton is now cruising to his first trainers’ title in Britain and it has been a magnificent season for the Warwickshire-based handler. Could he cap it off with a Grand National win? The mare Panic Attack won her first three starts this season, including the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury in November.

She was third in the Mares’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival behind a couple of smart Irish mares in Dinoblue and Only By Night and this marathon test could see further improvement off a nice racing weight of 10st 5lb. No mare has won this great race since Nickel Coin in 1951.  

Johnnywho

Johnnywho won the Ultima Handicap Chase at last month’s Cheltenham Festival for the father/son trainer alliance of Jonjo & AJ O’Neill. That was his first start after a wind operation and he stayed on well up the Cheltenham hill to fend off the fast-finishing Jagwar. He was fifth in last year’s Irish Grand National, so stamina should be on his side. He’s 5lb well-in off his mark of 146 and is another JP McManus-owned contender.

Any Other Notable UK Runners

Strong stayer Mr Vango can never be ruled out in a marathon for Sara Bradstock and The Real Whacker would have a chance if rediscovering his best form for Patrick Neville, while Ben Pauling’s excellent season would be topped if Twig could land this prize.

He won the Becher Chase over the National fences in December, defeating Mr Vango by a short-head after three-and-a-quarter-miles around Aintree.

Recent UK-Trained Winners Of Grand National

Below is list of the last 10 winners of the Grand National that were trained in the UK.