Willie Mullins’ top three chances at the Aintree Grand National Festival Willie Mullins enjoyed an excellent Cheltenham Festival, landing three of the four principal races with victories in the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Gold Cup. The master of Closutton stables sent out a 128-1 four-timer on the first day of last season’s Aintree Festival before saddling a previously unprecedented 1-2-3 in the Grand National, and he is sure to take a strong team to Aintree in April. We’ve highlighted three of the trainer’s best chances at the three-day fixture. Mullins’ leading Aintree contenders Topham Chase - Gentleman De Mee Grand National - I Am Maximus Grand National - Grangeclare West Topham Chase - Gentleman De Mee Leading owner JP McManus has outstanding claims of a third Topham Chase success. The famous green and gold silks are set to be carried by Willie Mullins’ Gentleman De Mee and Henry De Bromhead’s Waterford Whispers, both of whom are towards the head of the ante-post betting markets. Gentleman De Mee won the race last season, the 10-year-old staying on strongly from the last to edge out Lisnamalt Lad by three-quarters of a length under Mark Walsh at odds of 12-1. He was slowly away on that occasion and didn’t always jump with the greatest fluency, so it was a performance that could easily be marked up. He is set to race off the same mark of 155 and warrants serious consideration, having run respectably in the face of some stiff assignments since, including an excellent fourth behind subsequent Gold Cup winner and stablemate Gaelic Warrior in the Grade 2 Oaksey Chase at Sandown. Grand National - I Am Maximus Another McManus-owned gelding, I Am Maximus, comes alive over the big fences at Aintree, the 10-year-old winning the 2024 Grand National and finishing a fine second behind his stablemate Nick Rockett last year. His win came off a mark of 159 and while he’s now 9lb higher, it’s the same rating he was on 12 months ago when he was beaten just two-and-a-half lengths. He has not won since his victory here two years ago, but he’s been very lightly raced during that period and arrives in good form, having run to within 5lb of his top Racing Post Rating of 172 when an excellent second in the Grade 1 Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas and a respectable fifth behind runaway winner Fact To File in the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown in February. Grand National - Grangeclare West The 10-year-old Grangeclare West sits alongside stablemate I Am Maximus at the top of the ante-post market at 8-1 and fully deserves that position, having produced an excellent effort to win the Grade 3 Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse on his last outing, a race that has produced the last two winners of the Grand National. The son of Presenting has run to Racing Post Ratings in the mid to high 160s on five separate occasions over the last year or so, including when a keeping-on third in the Grand National and when fifth in the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown under the welter burden of 12st. He was beaten just three lengths here a year ago and was finishing arguably best of all. Indeed, a better jump at the final fence may well have seen him go very close to winning.
