Grand National Tips The Grand National is the biggest racing event on the calendar and it appeals to a wider demographic of the sporting audience than any other race. It's all set for another spectacular Aintree renewal on Saturday, with Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, Gavin Cromwell and Henry De Bromhead amongst those bidding to continue the recent Irish dominance, with five of the last six winners hailing from these shores. We've picked out three runners to consider against the field in the big race — two Irish contenders and one for a top British yard. Fancy A Free Bet For The Grand National? For those with a bet365 account,check out more of the best betting sites. Grand National Tips I Am Maximus @ 13/2 with bet365 Three Card Brag @ 22/1 with bet365 Threeunderthrufive @ 66/1 with bet365 Defending champ has strong credentials Tiger Roll won this race in successive years in 2018 and 2019, the first horse since Red Rum to achieve that feat, and now I AM MAXIMUS will bid to emulate them. He won in fine style 12 months ago for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend, travelling sweetly in mid-division before looming large to contend and then sweeping eight-lengths clear of the field from the elbow to the winning line, with the likes of Minella Indo, Meetingofthewaters and Coko Beach all beaten off in behind. He's rated 8lb higher now and must defy top-weight to win again, something that hasn't been achieved since Red Rum, but that burden would surely not have prevented him scoring 12 months ago. He hasn't set the heather on fire in two runs this season but they were both in Grade 1s and this race has always been the long-term target. The Mullins/Townend team started the meeting in red-hot form and back-to-back Nationals are a real possibility. Selection: I Am Maximus @ 13/2 with bet365 Elliott's Three Card trick could dazzle Gordon Elliott is bidding to win a record fourth Grand National and the Cullentra handler has assembled a strong team once more, with four in the race. Chief amongst them could be THREE CARD BRAG, a strong stayer who has long been thought of as a potential National contender. His form last season saw him placed behind proper horses like Corbetts Cross, Monty's Star and Spillane's Tower. His second season over fences brought a beginners' win at Navan (3m, soft) in January on his second outing, while the then chased home stablemates Better Days Ahead and Stellar Story in a Grade 2 novice over the same course and distance — a piece of form that duo held up strongly at the Cheltenham Festival. He's a second-season novice with plenty of experience and this stamina test could unlock a further jolt of improvement, while Britain's champion jockey-elect Sean Bowen is an excellent ally in the saddle. Selection: Three Card Brag @ 22/1 with bet365 Nicholls' runner a major player? Paul Nicholls won this great race in 2012 with Neptune Collonges, the grey getting up to score by a nose in one of the closest finishes Aintree has ever witnessed. The Ditcheat supremo has five contenders now, including Kandoo Kid, Stay Away Fay and Bravemansgame, but THREEUNDERTHRUFIVE is one the golfing aficionados will identify with and he's a contender at massive odds. He's a dour stayer, as his Scottish National fourth in 2023 emphasised, and he's hardly run a bad race in six starts since that Ayr contest. He went out on his sword at Ascot when defending the Swinley Handicap Chase in February, edged by Victtorino in a photo, and a mark of 153 with 10st 11lb to carry could be optimal for a horse Nicholls has long wanted to see tackle this race. Selection: Threeunderthrufive @ 66/1 with bet365
