Willie Mullins is the greatest trainer of jumps horses in the history of the sport and the Irishman has rewritten the boundaries of possibility in the sport in his record-breaking career.
Mullins first landed the Grand National in 2005 with Hedgehunter and, while he had to be patient thereafter, the Closutton powerhouse arrives in 2026 seeking to complete a hat-trick of wins after successes with I Am Maximus and Nick Rockett in the last two runnings of the Merseyside marathon.
Below we’ve picked out some of the leading contenders from the Mullins yard for the 2026 Grand National.
Nick Rockett
Nick Rockett is the defending champion after he provided the fairytale win 12 months ago for father/son combo Willie and Patrick Mullins. The powerhouse trainer has won just about everything imaginable in the game but described watching his son land the Grand National as his proudest moment.
He has won seven races under Rules, four over fences and was third behind Gerri Colombe at Down Royal last month on his only appearance since this race last year.
He is rated 4lb higher than he was 12 months ago and will carry 11st 11lb this time around aged nine.
I Am Maximus
The JP McManus-owned I Am Maximus won this race in 2024 for Mullins and Paul Townend and was second last time around to Nick Rockett. Once more he will carry top weight of 11st 12lb this year.
Winner of the 2023 Irish Grand National, he was most recently spotted finishing a creditable fifth in last month’s Cheltenham Gold Cup behind Fact To File and this will be his third Aintree Grand National.
Grangeclare West
This Presenting gelding was a Grade 1-winning novice over fences at Leopardstown in 2023 and finished second to Galopin Des Champs in the 2025 Irish Gold Cup at the same track.
He runs in the famous silks of Cheveley Park Stud and he was third in 2025 on his first attempt in the National.
On his most recent outing Grangeclare West won the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse in February – the same race won by I Am Maximus and Nick Rockett before their triumphs at Aintree.
Captain Cody
Captain Cody landed the Scottish Grand National at Ayr last year under Harry Cobden. That remains his sole success over fences in nine attempts. He has run some good races since, but was 33 lengths behind Grangeclare West in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse most recently and a mark of 152 demands more.
Lecky Watson
He won the Grade 1 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival in 2025 and was unbeaten over fences at the time but Lecky Watson is 0-5 since. He came up short in a trio of Irish Grade 1s this season and was tailed off in the Bobbyjo Chase on his most recent outing despite coming down in grade.
Any Other Contenders
The Mullins contingent could also include the likes of Spanish Harlem, Champ Kiely, High Class Hero, and Quai De Bourbon at Aintree.
Spanish Harlem won the Kerry National in 2025 but has failed to complete in three starts since, while Champ Kiely has toiled at times this season but could be a contender based on his Grade 1-winning novice form over fences.
High Class Hero and Quai De Bourbon have also had their problems in recent starts but are in superb hands for a return to form on the big stage.
Willie Mullins’ Grand National Record
Willie Mullins has trained three winners of this great race and he needs just one more to equal the record tally.
Hedgehunter in 2005 was his first Aintree success and he had to wait for further glory before I Am Maximus (2024) and Nick Rockett (2025) won the last two renewals, leaving Mullins in the brink of a landmark hat-trick of successes.
Mullins typically has a strong hand in the race. He saddled the first, second, third and fifth-place finishers last season as he famously landed the father/son success with Patrick on board the winner.
I Am Maximus won under Townend in 2024, playing a leading role in helping Mullins secure his first trainers’ championship in Britain that season.
Going all the way back to 2005, long before Mullins was the dominant force in National Hunt racing he is now, Hedgehunter and Ruby Walsh gave the Carlow-based trainer his first taste of Aintree glory.