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2027 Aintree Grand National Meeting
In this blog, we will be looking at all things Aintree, covering the Grand National meeting, looking at the past trainer and jockey records and more.
We will also provide links to each race blog during the meeting, which contains trends for that specific race.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026
Aintree Tipster Competition
We are running our annual Aintree tipster competition with a total cash prize fund of £200 and over 13 prizes.
The winner will receive a £50 cash prize, there's £25 for 2nd & 3rd and then £10 for the next ten tipsters.
The competition is FREE TO ENTER. Enter your tips in the normal fashion on the make-a-tip menu for the races.
To be in with a chance of landing one of the prizes, you must fulfil the following criteria:
- Place 10 or more tips
- 5 or more of those must be profitable
- Each tip must contain 20 or more words
- You must finish with a profit
Then, during the three-day meeting, you can visit the tipster competition table to keep track of your progress throughout the week.
Does the Cheltenham Festival form stack up at Aintree?
With the dust settling after the Cheltenham festival and the attention of national hunt fans switching to the Aintree meeting, the same old questions crop up each year when trying to work out the best Grand National meeting tips.
Will the Cheltenham form hold up at Aintree?
The two tracks are very different, with the undulations and steep climb up the Cheltenham hill compared to the flat, sharpish turns of Aintree, so any horse winning at both meetings deserves plenty of respect in showing top-class festival form and versatility.
The other question is, is the break long enough, with only around a three-week break between the two festivals?
Will those who had tough races at Cheltenham be ready for Aintree?
Before we delve into greater detail by looking at the Aintree meeting trends and stats as a whole and an in-depth look at the Grand National trends, the cold, hard figures over the past ten festivals (2016 inclusive and excluding 2020) of those coming here via competing at that season's Cheltenham Festival last time out are:
103 winners and a further 191 placed from 1,029 runners, which is slightly better than a 1 winner in ten strike rate and a level stakes loss of £330.22 points to industry SP.
That would have been a hell of a lot of bets placed during the three days of the Aintree meeting over the past ten festivals, following those blind and many would have taken each other on in the same race in any case.
The figures in reality, when referring to the initial question and those showing the quality in winning at both meetings, are much more manageable and show a nice level stakes profit:
22 winners (23 placed) from 80 runners (27.50%) followed up with a win here after winning at the Cheltenham Festival, in the process showing a £2.12 profit to £1 stakes.
Breaking those 22 winners down, we are looking at:
- 19 of 61 runners won a Non-Handicap race
- 17 of 57 runners won a Grade 1 event
- 15 of 34 runners were sent off as clear favourites
Don't forget to check out the daily Aintree tips from OLBG's Best Horse Racing Tipsters.
Grand National Meeting Trainer Statistics
Willie Mullins dethroned Nicky Henderson from the top spot after the 2025 meeting and remains top. Mullins has 28 winners over the past ten festivals from 165 runners and does actually have a small LSP of +3.90.
Nicky Henderson is second on the list, only five behind Mullins with 23 winners from 162 runners; however, backing all Nicky's runners would have resulted in a £83.45 loss to £1 stakes
Gordon Elliott is now third on the list, from 142 runners, he has notched up 16 winners, one ahead of both Paul Nicholls and Dan Skelton.
The following trainers have had no luck, having had plenty of runners at the Grand National meeting since 2016, but failed to hit a winner:
- 0-43 Venetia Williams
- 0-19 Rebecca Curtis
- 0-19 Sue Smith
- 0-16 Sam Thomas
The following trainers have hit a single winner but have sent out a lot of runners in doing so and have a low strike rate:
- 1-67 (1%) Donald McCain
- 1-35 (3%) Harry Fry
- 1-34 (3%) David Pipe
- 1-33 (3%) Charlie Longsdon
Here's a table of how some of the current trainers have performed at the Grand National meeting since 2016:
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| W P Mullins | 165-28-65 | +3.90 | +10.27 |
| Nicky Henderson | 162-23-53 | -83.45 | -62.29 |
| Gordon Elliott | 142-16-41 | -45.37 | -30.25 |
| Paul Nicholls | 177-15-43 | -89.96 | -78.69 |
| Dan Skelton | 172-15-53 | -9.50 | -10.83 |
| Henry De Bromhead | 91-8-21 | -24.00 | -11.71 |
| Lucinda Russell | 28-5-10 | +85.00 | +57.54 |
| Joseph Patrick O'Brien | 28-5-15 | -10.09 | +0.88 |
| Fergal OBrien | 51-4-10 | +27.50 | +1.38 |
| Tom Lacey | 35-4-8 | +11.00 | +5.64 |
Grand National Meeting Jockey Statistics
Nico de Boinville has retained his position at the top of the list for winners since 2016. He has recorded his 13 winners from 91 mounts and is showing a £51.07 loss to £1 stakes.
Paul Townend has now joined him at the top with 13 winners (Nico has 1 more placing), his have come from fewer rides, 59, and he shows a small loss of -£4.97 to £1 stakes.
Next on the list, and just one behind the top two with 11 winners, is Harry Cobden from 106 rides, and Harry shows a positive LSP of +4.04.
Both Harry Skelton and Mark Walsh are next on the list with 11 wins apiece, Skelton from 124 rides (-55.00) and Walsh from just 48 rides (+18.51).
At the other end of the spectrum, here are the jockeys who have failed to ride a winner over the past ten festivals from 30+ rides:
- 0-40 James Bowen
- 0-33 Charlie Deutsch
- 0-30 Brendan Powell
And these are the jockeys who have recorded a single win from 20+ rides, giving them a low strike rate:
- 1-66 (2%) Brian Hughes
- 1-30 (3%) David Bass
- 1-26 (4%) Adam Wedge
- 1-21 (5%) Sean Flanagan
Here's a table of how some of the current jockeys have performed at the Grand National meeting since 2016:
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nico de Boinville | 91-13-28 | -51.07 | -40.30 |
| Paul Townend | 59-13-27 | -4.97 | -5.71 |
| Harry Cobden | 106-12-33 | +4.04 | -1.98 |
| Harry Skelton | 124-11-44 | -55.00 | -26.65 |
| Mark Walsh | 48-11-25 | +18.51 | +13.87 |
| Jack Kennedy | 39-9-20 | +19.96 | +26.73 |
| Mr P W Mullins | 30-6-13 | +32.33 | +17.60 |
| Gavin Sheehan | 42-4-11 | +23.00 | +4.45 |
| Derek Fox | 20-4-6 | +76.00 | +49.41 |
| Sean Bowen | 80-3-12 | -54.00 | -40.45 |
Thursday Trends Preview
The three-day Grand National meeting kicks off on Thursday with four Grade 1 events on the seven-race card, which features both the Aintree Hurdle and the Bowl Chase.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:45 Aintree Anniversary 4YO Juvenile Hurdle | Mange Tout (FR) 4yo - 5/1 | Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy |
| 14:20 Aintree Manifesto Novices Chase | Koktail Divin (FR) 6yo - 3/1 | Henry De Bromhead Darragh O'Keeffe |
| 14:55 Aintree Bowl Chase | Jango Baie (FR) 7yo - 1/1 | Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville |
| 15:30 Aintree Foxhunters Chase | Barton Snow (IRE) 9yo - 7/4 | J J O'Shea Mr Henry Crow |
| 16:05 Aintree Aintree Hurdle | Brighterdaysahead (FR) 7yo - 13/8 | Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy |
| 16:40 Aintree Red Rum Handicap Chase | Ryans Rocket (IRE) 8yo - 14/1 | Fergal O'Brien Jonathan Burke |
| 17:15 Aintree Nickel Coin Mares Bumper | Nans Choice (IRE) 5yo - 9/2 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
Friday Trends Preview
Day 2 of the Grand National meeting is Ladies Day or Fabulous Friday, the highlights on the track being the Melling Chase, plus there is the Topham Chase over the Grand National fences.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:45 Aintree National Meeting 2m4f Handicap Hurdle | Wellington Arch (GB) 7yo - 6/1 | Jonjo & A J O'Neill Jonjo O'Neill Jr |
| 14:20 Aintree Mildmay Novices Chase | Gold Dancer (FR) 7yo - 100/30 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:55 Aintree Top Novices Hurdle | Storming George (IRE) 6yo - 16/1 | Neil King Jack Quinlan |
| 15:30 Aintree Melling Chase | Grey Dawning (IRE) 9yo - 5/1 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| 16:05 Aintree Topham Chase | Will The Wise (IRE) 7yo - 9/1 | Gavin Cromwell Conor Stone-Walsh |
| 16:40 Aintree Sefton Novices Hurdle | Zeus Power (GER) 5yo - 3/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien J J Slevin |
| 17:15 Aintree National Meeting 2m Handicap Hurdle | Melon (GER) 5yo - 10/1 | Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero Toby McCain-Mitchell |
Saturday Trends Preview
The Grand National is obviously the showpiece of the Aintree meeting, and day 3 also includes three Grade 1 events, the feature of those being the Liverpool Hurdle.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 12:45 Aintree Maghull Novices Chase | Mirabad (FR) 7yo - 50/1 | Dan Skelton Tristan Durrell |
| 13:20 Aintree National Meeting 3m Handicap Hurdle | Wade Out (IRE) 7yo - 18/1 | Olly Murphy Gavin Sheehan |
| 13:55 Aintree Mersey Novices Hurdle | Bossman Jack (GB) 6yo - 11/4 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| 14:30 Aintree Freebooter Handicap Chase | Mr Hope Street (IRE) 8yo - 4/1 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| 15:05 Aintree Liverpool Hurdle | Home By The Lee (IRE) 11yo - 5/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien J J Slevin |
| 16:00 Aintree Grand National | I Am Maximus (FR) 10yo - 9/2 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 17:00 Aintree Champion Standard Open NH Flat Race | Forthfactor (IRE) 5yo - 10/1 | Dan Skelton Miss Heidi Palin |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Aintree Grand National Meeting Preview are Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse Racing Tips team, overseeing the tipsters and managing the tip settlement, while also creating and managing all the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.
Darren Brett
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
Other Principal Races at the Aintree Racecourse
Here are some other notable races at the Aintree racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.
