If you like a Grand National dark horse with proper course form, a featherweight on his back, and an old champion jockey living the dream as owner, Imperial Saint ticks a lot of boxes at a very workable 40/1.
An eight‑year‑old French‑bred gelding, trained at Sandhill Stables by the joint licence of Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, Imperial Saint is owned by the Richard Johnson Racing Imperial Saint syndicate.
He was bought for around £40,000 to kick‑start Johnson’s ownership venture after his retirement from the saddle, and he has more than held up his end of the bargain.
Since going hurdling in late 2023, he’s built a remarkably consistent profile: 16 runs (hurdles and chases), 6 wins, and 5 places, which puts him in the money just shy of 70% of the time.
Moving from hurdles to fences and steadily climbing the distances and classes, he hasn’t been rushed into Grade 1 company or exposed to brutal campaigns; instead, Hobbs and White have chipped away at his mark and his education, letting the horse find confidence and rhythm over time.
A Love Affair With Aintree
If you’re looking for the single biggest reason to take him seriously for Aintree on April 11, it’s his record around the place.
Imperial Saint absolutely thrives on Merseyside. He has already run there five times, won three times, and placed once.
All of that is over the Mildmay fences, of course, and the Grand National is a different beast, but horses that are comfortable with the surroundings, crowd, and long‑run rhythm of Aintree often adapt better when they step across to the big course.
The other big tick in his National‑profile box is what he did at Haydock in January. Stepped up to 3m1½f in the Grade 3 Peter Marsh Handicap Chase, travelled sweetly and saw it out strongly to win off a mark of 141.
That performance advertised not just stamina but efficiency over a proper staying trip on “good to soft” ground, conditions not a million miles from what you might expect at Aintree in mid‑April.
For a horse to turn up at Aintree on a National mark that leaves him carrying only 10st 2lb looks quietly generous. He’ll be getting lumps of weight from seasoned Grade 1 horses like former winner I Am Maximus and last year’s hero Nick Rockett.
Why This Long Shot Deserves A Long Look
At the time of writing, Imperial Saint sits around 40/1 in the National lists, down from 66/1, and crucially he just squeaked into the line-up after Nick Rockett, Spillane’s Tower, and Pied Piper all defected.
Now that he has been guaranteed a run his odds have fallen, making him quite an attractive prospect.
Add in the Hobbs & White operation, a yard with decades of experience placing staying chasers, and the presence of a four‑time champion jockey as owner, and you have connections who know exactly what they’re trying to achieve.
Richard Johnson never managed to win the National in the saddle despite 21 attempts (he holds the record for most rides without a win in the race), so wouldn’t it be ironic that while he couldn’t win as a jockey, he might just win as an owner?
Sentimental angles don’t jump fences, but they do tend to ensure every stone is turned in the preparation.
The Realistic Worries
Of course, there are reasons he’s the price he is.
First, he has yet to tackle the National fences in public. While some horses take to them first time, others find the visual and physical test overwhelming; we simply don’t know which camp Imperial Saint will fall into.
His tidy jumping around Aintree’s Mildmay and at Haydock is encouraging but not conclusive.
Second, the trip is a question, not an answer. He’s shown he stays three miles strongly and handled 3m1f at Haydock, but the National is 4m2f, effectively an extra circuit.
His style may work beautifully if he relaxes early, but if he races a touch keen, that light weight could tempt his jockey to be handier than ideal.
Third, his most recent run at Cheltenham was underwhelming, suggesting trouble in running rather than a simple lack of ability.
You can read that as a forgivable blip in a largely progressive profile, or as a sign that deep, undulating tracks at high pressure might just catch him out.
Finally, there’s the simple depth of the 2026 race. Recent winner I Am Maximus is back, Irish staying chasers such as Grangeclare West and Iroko bring Grade 1‑level form, and there’s a layer of improving second‑season chasers beneath them.
Imperial Saint, for all his charm, is still a handicapper stepping into the most competitive staying chase of the year.
So, Can He Actually Win It?
Put all of that together, and you end up with a horse who probably shouldn’t be dismissed as just another outsider.
He has a rock‑solid, upward‑curving handicap profile, genuine affection for Aintree, and proven form at the National meeting.
Will that be enough against battle‑tested Grade 1 winners over an extreme trip he’s never tried, over fences he’s never seen, in a race that breaks more hearts than it makes? Probably not, if you’re playing the percentages.
But if you’re looking for a National runner to outrun his odds, creep into contention after the Canal Turn second time and give the Johnson syndicate a couple of fences’ worth of wild hope, Imperial Saint is exactly the sort of horse who could make Saturday afternoon very interesting.
BETFRED
