The road to the 2026 Grand National was never going to be straightforward, but Grangeclare West’s gritty success in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse has already shifted the Aintree landscape.
In a race that has become the definitive modern trial for the National, Willie Mullins’ ten‑year‑old produced the kind of staying performance that forces bookmakers to react and connections to dream a little bigger.
In a season where every big Saturday winner seems to trigger a fresh reshuffle of casino and bookie ante‑post markets, punters could be forgiven for feeling like they’re tracking a volatile stock rather than a steeplechaser.
As the Grand National weights settle and trainers juggle options between Aintree and Cheltenham, one piece of certainty has emerged: Grangeclare West is firmly back in the conversation.
It’s the time of year when some punters park the form book altogether and wait until closer to race day to pick a favourite, for others, it is also about choosing between free‑bet offers, crossover deals, betting and casino revolut style products that become more dominant on the run up to Cheltenham and Aintree.
Grangeclare West Back In Business
This Bobbyjo Chase win ended a losing run stretching back to his Grade 1 novice chase success at Leopardstown’s 2023 Christmas festival, underlining just how high a level Grangeclare West has operated at for some time.
In the last 12 months, he has mixed it with the very best, running second to Galopin Des Champs in the 2025 Irish Gold Cup, finishing fourth in the Savills Chase, and then shaping like an unlucky loser when third in the 2025 Grand National after an error at the last.
His overall chase profile reads like that of a horse made for big‑field staying handicaps: strong traveller, sound jumper more often than not, and proven over both conventional Grade 1 tracks and the unique Aintree fences.
The key concern going into the Bobbyjo was a tame, tailed‑off effort in the Irish Gold Cup three weeks earlier, but the drop in grade and return to a stamina test brought him right back to his best.
How The Bobbyjo Was Won
Run over 3m2f on heavy ground, the Bobbyjo asked a proper question of fitness and resolve, and Grangeclare West responded by coming from last to first in a race run at a strong pace.
Paul Townend dropped him out early, where he trailed from behind in the early stages. He then crept into contention down the back before delivering his challenge in the straight.
The defining moment came at the last, where Grangeclare West made a “shuddering” mistake that could easily have cost him the race.
Instead, he picked up instantly, reeled in Gerri Colombe on the run‑in and powered away to score by five and a half lengths, reminding everyone why his jockey described him as “a class animal”.
The front two pulled clear, with Stellar Story staying on into third, and all three now look like live Grand National players.
Aintree Memories And Unfinished Business
Last April, Grangeclare West finished third in the Grand National and might well have gone very close to winning but for a significant mistake at the final fence.
He travelled strongly that day, handled the unique questions posed by the big Aintree obstacles and stayed every yard of the trip, ticking off two of the three big boxes required for National success.
The 2026 renewal offers a chance to right that wrong, albeit from a tougher mark. He is set to carry 11st 10lb off a rating of 166, 2lbs higher than last year, but his Fairyhouse performance suggested he remains more than capable of defying that sort of burden.
With his confidence restored and his stamina confirmed once more, connections have options and must decide between a tilt at the Cheltenham Gold Cup or a trip back to Liverpool, using the Bobbyjo as a springboard.
Bobbyjo Form And National Entries
One of the most striking aspects of this year’s Bobbyjo is how closely entwined it is with the 2026 National picture. Grangeclare West, Gerri Colombe, and Stellar Story are all entered at Aintree, giving the race a form line that could dominate pre‑National analysis in the weeks ahead.
Stellar Story, in particular, has the added dimension of being a possible Cheltenham Gold Cup runner as well as a National candidate, while Grangeclare West also holds Gold Cup claims after his Irish Grade 1 form.
Handicap conditions at Aintree will shift the dynamics: Stellar Story will be much better off at the weights (he was given 10-11) than both Grangeclare West and Gerri Colombe, and connections feel he would have finished closer at Fairyhouse but for a sketchy jump at the second‑last.
Add in confirmed stayers like I Am Maximus and Haiti Couleurs, plus last year’s hero Nick Rockett, and you have a National market already rich with solid, interlocking form lines rather than pure speculation.
What Comes Next?
The next few weeks will be dominated by jockey decisions, ground debates, and the small matter of the Cheltenham Festival, where several leading National contenders may sharpen up or fall by the wayside.
A big run in the Gold Cup, a pulled‑up effort in a trial, or even a change in the weather can transform a horse’s Aintree prospects overnight.
Grangeclare West has, for now, laid down a clear marker in the Bobbyjo and reminded everyone that last year’s National third still has unfinished business over the famous spruce fences.
But as anyone who follows this race closely knows, all it takes is one inspired performance between now and April for the entire picture to flip on its head once again.
