I Am Maximus remains the horse everyone has to beat, at least according to the betting markets, after the second Grand National 2026 scratching stage left 55 entries standing for Aintree on Saturday, 11 April.
The latest forfeit stage has cut the field from 69 to 55, a neat reminder that this modern Grand National is as much about admin deadlines as spruce fences.
Fourteen more have disappeared from the list, including a clutch of high‑profile staying chasers and some familiar names who never quite managed to tick all the qualification boxes.
With a maximum of 34 runners allowed on the day, the race is moving steadily from longlist to shortlist, and a few connections will have slept easier last night knowing their horses are now effectively safe in the top tier.
The second scratching stage sits in an awkward but important spot on the calendar, arriving after Cheltenham but before Fairyhouse, just as trainers are working out which festival efforts have taken more out of their horses than they’d like to admit.
For some, Aintree remains the main objective; for others, the dream quietly switches to something a shade less demanding on Easter Monday in Ireland.
Who Has Come Out
Among the horses taken out this time are Western Fold, Better Days Ahead, Croke Park, and Search For Glory, all from Gordon Elliott.
They join Intense Raffles, Stolen Silver, Grey Dawning, Handstands, Pic Roc, Resplendent Grey, Gentlemansgame and Leave Of Absence, while O’Moore Park drops off the list having failed to qualify.
Several of those had the sort of profile that would have made them interesting National runners, but in a season where campaigns are carefully plotted around ratings and ground preferences, opting out can be as logical as lining up.
Their absence has a direct effect further down the weights, where those hovering on the cut line suddenly find the door opening.
The removal of proven graded performers like Grey Dawning and Gentlemansgame also slightly reshapes the perceived depth of quality in the middle of the handicap, even if the top of the list remains as strong as ever.
It is one of those stages where punters tend to read far too much into who has gone, but for owners on the margins, the names missing from the latest list are very good news indeed.
Marble Sands, Final Orders, and Panic Attack Step Forward
The obvious beneficiaries are the horses who have crept into a guaranteed‑run position.
Marble Sands, Final Orders, and Panic Attack are among those now safely inside the 34‑runner limit, turning what looked like a waiting game into something more concrete.
Panic Attack, in particular, has been on the radar since the weights came out, and the latest scratchings confirm that her staying profile and consistent form have not gone unrewarded.
Dan Skelton is hopeful about her chances, having recently said, “I feel she has the right attributes for the National and hopefully she gets in.
“The race is a lottery to some degree, but she’s got a nice weight and she was great in the autumn, and I don’t think she’s in any less form now.”
Final Orders and Marble Sands bring solid handicap credentials and the sort of battle‑hardened experience that tends to serve horses well around 4m2½f, even if each will still need to prove their stamina on the day.
Their odds reflect faith punters have in them, but at least all three now offer the satisfying sense of being “live outsiders” rather than theoretical entries.
Irish Grand National Clash Keeps Options Open
Any temptation to think the field is set should be resisted, though, because the next key date comes on 6 April – the same day as the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse and the next scratching stage for Aintree.
A number of horses hold dual entries, and connections will have to decide whether to stay at home for a valuable staying chase on more conventional fences or roll the dice over Aintree’s unique test five days later.
That overlap could see the list whittled down again as trainers weigh up factors such as travelling logistics, ground forecasts and the relative competitiveness of each race.
Some horses will always shape more like Fairyhouse types than Aintree specialists, and vice‑versa. By the time the Fairyhouse dust settles, the Aintree picture should look much closer to its final form.
I Am Maximus Still Sets The Standard
At the top of the handicap, I Am Maximus continues to act as both top weight and race favourite, a familiar double role for a horse who has already won one National and finished second in another.
He heads the weights on 11st 12lb off a mark of 168 and remains the clear class act in the line‑up, even if the burden he must shoulder would test almost any staying chaser in the modern era.
His presence sets the tone for the race: this is not a renewal short on quality, merely one with fewer bullets being fired.
Behind him sit the likes of Banbridge and Nick Rockett on 11st 11lb, Gerri Colombe and Grangeclare West on 11st 10lb, and a supporting cast that includes Haiti Couleurs, Spillane’s Tower, L’Homme Presse, and others who would not look out of place in a Grade 1 over shorter.
The top of the weights reads more like the entry for a staying chase at the Punchestown Festival than a handicap, and that depth should ensure the market remains competitive even with a clear favourite.
Whether I Am Maximus can defy history and another big weight is the obvious question; whether anyone below him can exploit a more lenient mark is the more interesting one.
What Comes Next On The Road To Aintree?
From here, attention turns to that early‑evening slot on Saturday 11 April, when the tapes will go up at 4:00 for the 4m2½f Randox Grand National Handicap Chase, now run as a 34‑runner Premier Handicap for horses aged seven and older.
The new 72‑hour declaration stage for 2026 adds another twist, giving trainers a little more time – and punters a little less uncertainty – before final fields and riders are locked in.
Between now and then, there will be the usual ground debates, schooling sessions over National‑style fences, and the odd late setback to keep everyone honest.
For now, though, the story of the second scratching stage is straightforward enough: a field trimmed to 55, a handful of notable names heading elsewhere, some grateful connections newly assured of a run, and I Am Maximus still looming over the race in both literal and figurative terms.
The puzzle – such as it is – will sharpen again after Fairyhouse, but Aintree 2026 is already beginning to take a shape that looks both competitive and suitably testing for the world’s most famous steeplechase.
BETFRED
