Paul Townend relives the Grand National - 'It was a bit like a National of old' Two-time Aintree Grand National-winning jockey, Paul Townend, spoke to Betway about his second win aboard I Am Maximus;, a potential three-time win in next year's race and how he celebrated with a great night in Liverpool! Read his thoughts below. A huge achievement The magnitude of what I Am Maximus achieved on Saturday in becoming the first horse since Red Rum to regain his National crown should never be understated, and to do it under top weight in the manner that he did was a truly special achievement. I was confident going into it that he’d run a huge race, but it’s a Grand National, and no matter what people say about the race these days, you still need a lot of luck to win it. When that torrential downpour came an hour or so before the race, my valet shouted at me ”Townend, stop doing that rain dance”, and I just knew every drop that fell was only going to enhance our chances. Maximus was bouncing before the race I had a sit on him on the morning of the race, and he definitely knew where he was. I just felt him come alive underneath me, and some horses just love Aintree, and he’s definitely one of them. Because I Am Maximus jumps slightly to his left, the plan was always to go down the inner, and it just so happened that I was away from a bit of the chaos that was happening on my outside. It was a bit like a national of old, with fallers all over the place, but thankfully we were out the way of that, and we had a lovely clear passage. He’s definitely figured out the fences over there now, because you could certainly never accuse him of overjumping them. He just has that knack of knowing that he can clip the top and get away with it, and although he got a bit tight to a couple of them on the way round, he was clever enough to be able to sort his feet out. He just travelled so well all the way around, and I always felt he’d be bang there barring any accidents. Experience paid off I’d say my experience of riding in so many nationals really helped me, because when Ben Jones kicked for home on Jordans, I was still pretty far back, but I knew there was a long way to go still, and that’s where that experience really helps as a jockey. There were still a lot of horses in front of me, travelling well, so I just latched onto them and allowed them to carry me into the race, and everything went to plan in that regard. Between the last fence and the elbow, I knew we’d win, and that was special, because I could really savour it and enjoy it. If anything, this felt even more special than the first win, because the heartbreak of getting beaten last year just added to the joy and the relief of regaining our crown. You then cross the line, and you’re punching the air and high-fiving people, and you’re just trying to take it all in, because this is what you do it for. You can’t describe that feeling, and the crowd gave us an amazing reception coming back in. It was just such a special day. Celebrations into the night People always say there aren’t many better cities than Liverpool to celebrate a big win, and they aren’t wrong. We had a lovely meal in the city in the evening, then there might have been a bit of music and a bit of dancing late into the night afterwards! But you have to enjoy and savour these moments, because these are the ones you truly want to remember when your career comes to an end. Conversation will undoubtedly now turn to whether I Am Maximus can emulate Red Rum again as a three-time winner of the race. But for now, we’ll just enjoy his success, admire what he’s already achieved, and try our best to get him there ready to fire again in 2027. But whatever happens, I Am Maximus has now put his name amongst the greats to have won this famous race, and nobody can ever take that away from him.
