The 2026 Grand National weights are out, and it is I Am Maximus from trainer Willie Mullins, who tops the list as the lone top-weighted runner on 11-12.
This is exactly the same as last year, except this time the BHA Handicapper has decided his rating has increased to 168 (from 167), and as such, he has the dubious honour of carrying the most weight.
Numbers two and three, with both being handed 11-11, are last year’s winner Nick Rockett as well as Banbridge from trainer Joseph O’Brien.
Four horses find themselves being rated at 166 and have duly been given 11-10 – Gerri Colombe, Grangeclare West, Grey Dawning, and Haiti Couleurs.
I Am Maximus
The 2024 Grand National hero and 2025 runner‑up finds himself in familiar territory, heading the weights on 11st 12lb after the unveiling at the traditional Weights Lunch on February 17.
It is the second year in a row that I Am Maximus has been asked to concede weight to the entire field, underlining the regard in which his Aintree and Grade 1 form is held.
Twelve months ago, he shouldered top weight when finishing second to Nick Rockett, having carried 11st 6lb to victory in 2024, so there is no hiding place now for a horse whose chasing CV has pushed him into bona fide top‑class territory.
If he were to regain his crown off a mark of 168, it would rank among the highest ratings ever achieved in the modern Grand National era, drawing comparisons with the likes of Neptune Collonges, who was rated 168 following his 2012 success.
Nick Rockett: The Defending Champion
Sitting just 1lb lower in the handicap, Nick Rockett has been allotted 11st 11lb for his bid to follow up last year’s Aintree triumph.
The interesting nuance is that both of the last two renewals have now fallen to horses carrying hefty imposts, the sort of burdens that used to send punters scurrying down to the bottom of the page in search of a lightweight improver.
Their back‑to‑back successes illustrate how the modern National, with safer fences and a compressed handicap, has become slightly more forgiving for high‑class horses than the brutal tests of old.
There have been three early withdrawals with Appreciate It now retired and, further down the list Paggane and Beaufort Scale, also a non-runners.
That means 75 entries are still in contention and move on to the next stage following the 2026 Grand National weights.
And here they all are…
2026 Grand National Weights
So, without further ado, here is the full list of weights for all 78 remaining entries.
- 1 I Am Maximus – 11-12 – W P Mullins
- 2 Nick Rockett – 11-11 – W P Mullins
- 3 Banbridge – 11-11 – Joseph Patrick O’Brien
- 4 Grangeclare West – 11-10 – W P Mullins
- 5 Grey Dawning – 11-10 – Dan Skelton
- 6 Gerri Colombe – 11-10 – Gordon Elliott
- 7 Haiti Couleurs – 11-10 – Rebecca Curtis
- 8 Spillane’s Tower – 11-8 – James Joseph Mangan
- 9 L’Homme Presse – 11-8 – Venetia Williams
- 10 Impaire Et Passe – 11-5 – W P Mullins
- 11 Firefox – 11-4 – Gordon Elliott
- 12 Monty’s Star – 11-3 – Henry De Bromhead
- 13 Spanish Harlem – 11-3 – W P Mullins
- 14 Gentlemansgame – 11-3 – M F Morris
- 15 Lecky Watson – 11-2 – W P Mullins
- 16 Champ Kiely – 11-1 – W P Mullins
- 17 Western Fold – 11-1 – Gordon Elliott
- 18 Iroko – 11-1 – Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero
- 19 Flooring Porter – 11-1 – Gavin Cromwell
- 20 Favori De Champdou – 11-1 – Gordon Elliott
- 21 Three Card Brag – 11-0 – Gordon Elliott
- 22 Oscars Brother – 10-13 – Connor King
- 23 Handstands – 10-13 – Ben Pauling
- 24 Mr Vango – 10-12 – Mrs Sara V Bradstock
- 25 Resplendent Grey – 10-11 – Olly Murphy
- 26 High Class Hero – 10-11 – W P Mullins
- 27 Stellar Story – 10-11 – Gordon Elliott
- 28 Better Days Ahead – 10-11 – Gordon Elliott
- 29 Ile Atlantique – 10-11 – W P Mullins
- 30 Beauport – 10-11 – Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies
- 31 French Dynamite – 10-10 – E McNamara
- 32 Captain Cody – 10-10 – W P Mullins
- 33 Jagwar – 10-10 – Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero
- 34 Perceval Legallois – 10-9 – Gavin Cromwell
- 35 Gorgeous Tom – 10-9 – Henry De Bromhead
- 36 The Real Whacker – 10-9 – Patrick Neville
- 37 Quai De Bourbon – 10-9 – W P Mullins
- 38 Answer To Kayf – 10-8 – Terence O’Brien
- 39 Jordans – 10-8 – Joseph Patrick O’Brien
- 40 Croke Park – 10-8 – Gordon Elliott
- 41 Now Is The Hour – 10-7 – Gavin Cromwell
- 42 Blizzard Of Oz – 10-7 – W P Mullins
- 43 Intense Raffles – 10-6 – Thomas Gibney
- 44 Final Orders – 10-5 – Gavin Cromwell
- 45 Marble Sands – 10-5 – David Killahena & Graeme McPherson
- 46 Panic Attack – 10-5 – Dan Skelton
- 47 Top Of The Bill – 10-5 – Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies
- 48 Leave Of Absence – 10-4 – Anthony Honeyball
- 49 Blaze The Way – 10-4 – Ms Margaret Mullins
- 50 Twig – 10-4 – Ben Pauling
- 51 Johnnywho – 10-4 – Jonjo & A J O’Neill
- 52 Stolen Silver – 10-3 – Georgina Nicholls
- 53 Search For Glory – 10-3 – Gordon Elliott
- 54 Pied Piper – 10-3 – Gordon Elliott
- 55 Imperial Saint – 10-2 – Philip Hobbs & Johnson White
- 56 Amirite – 10-2 – Henry De Bromhead
- 57 Ain’t That A Shame – 10-2 – T Ellis
- 58 Yeah Man – 10-1 – Gavin Cromwell
- 59 Soul Icon – 10-1 – Keiran Burke
- 60 Hyland – 10-1 – Nicky Henderson
- 61 Harry Des Ongrais – 10-1 – Henry De Bromhead
- 62 Myretown – 10-0 – Lucinda Russell & Michael Scudamore
- 63 Deep Cave – 9-13 – Christian Williams
- 64 Monbeg Genius – 9-13 – Jonjo & A J O’Neill
- 65 O’Moore Park – 9-13 – W P Mullins
- 66 Pic Roc – 9-13 – Ben Pauling
- 67 Buddy One – 9-12 – Paul John Gilligan
- 68 Mister Coffey – 9-12 – Nicky Henderson
- 69 Anyway – 9-11 – David Kenneth Budds
- 70 The Short Go – 9-10 – Henry De Bromhead
- 71 Weveallbeencaught – 9-9 – E McNamara
- 72 Will Do – 9-9 – Gordon Elliott
- 73 Shanbally Kid – 9-9 – W P Mullins
- 74 In d’Or – 9-7 – Fergal O’Brien
- 75 Deafening Silence – 9-6 – Dan Skelton
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Who Will Make The Cut?
The Grand National weights are always exciting because it lets us speculate where we think the cut-off point will be for the runners.
With the change to six reserves plus the move to a 72-hour declaration stage, the race should go off with a maximum of 34 Grand National runners in 2026.
Last year, Duffle Coat was the final horse to make the cut, having started at number 56 on the list after the weights were announced.
Based on that, it means connections for Amirite, Imperial Saint, and Ain’t That A Shame could have a long wait to find out if they are heading to Aintree or not.
Of course, that isn’t guaranteed, and it will all depend on which horses get withdrawn between now and then, and with Cheltenham on the horizon, anything can happen.
Next Stages For The 2026 Grand National
So now that the entries are in and the 2026 Grand National Weights are out, what comes next?
The first scratchings deadline will be at noon on the 3rd of March, although not much really happens at this point. Horses that are known to be injured generally come out at this stage.
Following that is the second scratchings deadline at noon on the 24th of March. This is always more interesting for two reasons.
The first is that it is the deadline for qualification. Prior to this date, the potential runner must have been placed first, second, third or fourth in a steeple chase with an official distance description of ‘two miles, seven and a half furlongs’ or more, at any time during the horse’s career.
The second reason is that the Cheltenham Festival will be over by March 13th. Plenty of horses will have entries into both, and how they come out of Cheltenham will often determine whether or not they also go to Aintree.
The five-day confirmation stage for the 2026 Grand National is at noon on April 6th, with the final declaration stage at 10am on the 8th of April.
And then, of course, we have the big day itself – Grand National Day on Saturday, April 11th, 2026, at 4pm.
Why Top Weight Remains Such A Burden
For all that recent history has favoured class over camouflage, winning the National under top weight remains one of jump racing’s sternest exams.
Red Rum, who carried 12st when winning his second Grand National in 1974, was the last horse to land the race under the full burden allocated by the handicapper.
In doing so, he cemented his status as an Aintree icon, and no horse since has managed to emulate that particular feat despite many trying.
The raw stats tell the story: for decades, the race has typically favoured those lurking lower down the handicap, often well‑treated stayers stepping up in trip for the first time or progressive types on the upgrade.
Even with I Am Maximus and Nick Rockett rewriting recent trends from the upper half of the weights, the psychological and historical pull is still towards horses carrying somewhere around 10st 6lb to 11st, where the balance between class and burden often looks most appealing.
Lighter Weights Still Appeal To Punters And Connections
When the full list of 2026 entries and their weights dropped, much of the initial focus inevitably centred on I Am Maximus and Nick Rockett, but shrewd judges quickly turned their attention to the cluster further down the pecking order.
Even with safer fences and a more compressed handicap, 4¼ miles around Aintree remains a gruelling examination, and every extra pound has to be lugged over 30 demanding obstacles.
The fact that you must now be a high‑class performer even to reach the upper reaches of the handicap – as I Am Maximus and Nick Rockett clearly are – only reinforces the sense that each additional pound can be the difference between getting home strongly and fading from the elbow.
Proven Class Or An New Champ?
I Am Maximus, the 2024 hero and dual top‑weight, is being challenged by last year’s victor Nick Rockett, both trying to defy burdens that history tells us are usually too great.
Punters will once more have to decide whether to side with proven Aintree class at the top or side with tradition and look down the page for a well‑treated contender carrying less weight, hoping that the age‑old pattern that has ruled since Red Rum’s day reasserts itself.
What is certain, after the latest unveiling at St George’s Hall, is that the 2026 Grand National has a clear focal point: I Am Maximus, again asked to do what no horse has managed since that legendary bay, and to shoulder top weight to glory over the most famous fences in the sport.
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