Last year's Grand National winner I Am Maximus is among the favourites but can Willie Mullins’ horse join the likes of Red Rum and Tiger Roll to become the sixth horse to win back to back Grand Nationals?
Here is everything you need to know about today's big race at Aintree.
When is the Grand National and how can I watch?
The main event will set off at 4pm this Saturday, April 5, and will be broadcast on ITV 1.
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The race is the jewel in the crown of the three day meet at Aintree with the festival's opening day taking place tomorrow (Thursday).
All three days of the event will be shown on ITV 1 live from 1:30pm to 5pm on Thursday and Friday and from 12:45pm to 5pm on Saturday.
Who are the favourites?
Owner J.P. McManus has three horses among the favourites with last year's winner I Am Maximus and one of the bookies' two main picks in Iroko.
Stumptown has emerged as another leading candidate following four wins from his last five races coming into Saturday’s main event.
The winner of the 2024 Irish Grand National, Intense Raffles, will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of I Am Maximus and take the crown the year after his Irish triumph.
Who is racing and what are their odds?
A total of 34 horses will be running in the main event, 33 runners have been decided so far with the final spot yet to be filled.
The full list of the runners, their trainers and their odds are below.
1. I Am Maximus – 6/1
Trainer: Willie Mullins; Jockey: Paul Townsend; Weight: 11st 12lb
10. Stumptown – 8/1
Trainer: Gavin Cromwell; Jockey: Keith Donoghue; Weight: 11st 2lb
18. Iroko – 8/1
Trainer: Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero; Jockey: Jonjo O'Neill Jr; Weight: 10st 11lb
5. Hewick – 10-1
Trainer: Shark Hanlon; Jockey: Gavin Sheehan; Weight: 11st 7lb
28. Vanillier – 10/1
Trainer: Gavin Cromwell; Jockey: Sean Flanagan; Weight: 10st 6lb
8. Minella Cocooner – 12/1
Trainer: Willie Mullins; Jockey: Jonathan Burke; Weight: 11st 2lb
16. Perceval Legallois – 12/1
Trainer: Gavin Cromwell; Jockey: Mark Walsh; Weight: 10st 12lb
19. Intense Raffles – 12/1
Trainer: Tom Gibney; Jockey: JJ Slevin; Weight: 10st 10lb
17. Kandoo Kid – 20/1
Trainer: Paul Nicholls; Jockey: Harry Cobden; Weight: 10st 11lb
26. Meetingofthewaters – 20/1
Trainer: Willie Mullins; Jockey: Danny Mullins; Weight: 10st 7lb
30. Hyland – 20/1
Trainer: Nicky Henderson; Jockey: Nico De Boinville; Weight: 10st 6lb
6. Minella Indo – 22-1
Trainer: Henry de Bromhead; Jockey: Rachel Blackmore; Weight: 11st 3lb
3. Nick Rockett – 25/1
Trainer: Willie Mullins; Jockey: Patrick Mullins; Weight: 11st 8lb
4. Grangeclare West – 25/1
Trainer: Willie Mullins; Jockey: Brian Hayes; Weight: 11st 8lb
12. Beauport – 25/1
Trainer: Nigel Twiston-Davies; Jockey: Sam Twiston-Davies; Weight: 11st 1lb
32. Three Card Brag – 25/1
Trainer: Gordon Elliott; Jockey: Sean Bowen; Weight: 10st 5lb
15. Threeunderthrufive – 33/1
Trainer: Paul Nicholls; Jockey: Harry Skelton; Weight: 10st 12lb
20. Senior Chief – 33/1
Trainer: Herny De Bromhead; Jockey: Darragh O'Keeffe; Weight: 10st 10lb
27. Monbeg Genius – 33/1
Trainer: Jonjo and A.J. O'Neill; Jockey: Nick Scholfield; Weight: 10st 6lb
7. Appreciate It – 40/1
Trainer: Willie Mullins; Jockey: Sean O'Keeffe; Weight: 11st 2lb
11. Hitman – 40/1
Trainer: Paul Nicholls; Jockey: Freddie Gingell; Weight: 11st 11lb
13. Bravemansgame – 40/1
Trainer: Paul Nicholls; Jockey: James Reveley; Weight: 11st
22. Fil Dor – 50/1
Trainer: Gordon Elliott; Jockey: Sam Ewing; Weight: 10st 9lb
33. Twig – 50/1
Trainer: Ben Pauling; Jockey: Beau Morgan; Weight: 10st 5lb
34. Duffle Coat – 50/1
Trainer: Gordon Elliott; Jockey: Danny Gilligan; Weight: 10st 4lb
23. Broadway Boy – 66/1
Trainer: Nigel Twiston-Davies; Jockey: Tom Bellamy; Weight: 10st 9lb
24. Coko Beach – 80/1
Trainer: Gordon Elliott; Jockey: Jody McGarvey; Weight: 10st 9lb
25. Stay Away Fay – 80/1
Trainer: Willie Mullins; Jockey: Paul O'Brien; Weight: 10st 9lb
2. Royale Pagaille – 100/1
Trainer: Venetia Williams; Jockey: Charlie Deutsch; Weight: 11st 9lb
9. Conflated – 100/1
Trainer: Gordon Elliott; Jockey: Jordan Gainford; Weight: 11st 2lb
14. Chantry House – 100/1
Trainer: Nicky Henderson; Jockey: James Bowen; Weight: 10st 13lb
21. Idas Boy – 100/1
Trainer: Richard Phillips; Jockey: Harry Bannister; Weight: 10st 10lb
29. Horantzau D'Airy – 100/1
Trainer: Michael Keady; Jockey: Ciaran Gethings; Weight: 10st 6lb
31. Celebre D'Allen – 100/1
Trainer: Phillip Hobbs and Johnson White; Jockey: Michael Nolan; Weight: 10st 7lb
How much money is in the prize pot?
The top ten runners in the race will split the £1 million pot up for grabs which makes it the biggest prize in UK horse racing.
Owners of the horses will take home the biggest share with the winning jockey receiving around an 8% cut of the takings.
The full breakdown for this year's prize is below.
£500,000
£200,000
£100,000
£65,000
£40,000
£30,000
£20,000
£15,000
£10,000
£5,000
What will the weather be like for the Grand National?
Aintree Race Course is set to be bathed in glorious sunshine for Saturday's main event with a high of 16 expected according to the Met Office.
The going on the day is likely to be good to soft.
What is the full event schedule?
1:20pm – The William Hill Top Price Guarantee Handicap Hurdle Race – 3m
1:55pm – The Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle Race – 2m 4f
2:30pm – The William Hill Handicap Steeple Chase – 3m 1f
3:05pm – The Ivy Liverpool Hurdle Race – 3m ½f
4:00pm – The Randox Grand National Handicap Steeple Chase – 4m 2½f
5:00pm – The Rosconn Group Maghull Novices’ Steeple Chase – 2m
5:35pm – The Weatherbys NHStallions.co.uk Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race – 2m 1f
Facts and figures
34 horses will make their way around the four mile and two and a half furlong long course jumping a total of 30 fences.
There are 16 different fences on the course and all, with the exception of the Chair, the tallest jump at five foot two, and the Water Jump, are jumped twice during the two laps of the course.
The fastest running of the course was set back in 1990 by Mr Frisk with a time of eight minutes and 47.8 seconds while the slowest time of 14 minutes and 53 seconds was recorded by Lottery in 1839.
The oldest horse to win the race was 15-year-old Peter Simple in 1853 while the youngest is split between five five-year-old winners. The record for the youngest winner is likely never to be broken due to the minimum seven-year-old age limit set in 2012.
Nine-year-old horses have the most success in the race winning 45 of the 169 runnings.
A win by a nose is the closest finishing margin in the event's history when Neptune Collonges took the victory after a photo finish in 2012.
Five horses have won the race with 100/1 odds including the 1928 winner, Tipperary Tim, who won the event after all 41 other runners fell. That race also holds the record for fewest finishers with two.
Previous winners
The results of the last 10 runnings of the Grand National can be seen below with the year, horse, trainer and odds listed.
2024: I Am Maximus – Willie Mullins – 7/1 joint favourite
2023: Corach Rambler – Lucinda Russell – 8/1 favourite
2022: Noble Yeats – Emmett Mullins – 50/1
2021: Minella Times – Henry de Bromhead – 11/1
2020: Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2019: Tiger Roll – Gordon Elliott – 4/1 favourite
2018: Tiger Roll – Gordon Elliott – 10/1
2017: One for Arthur – Lucinda Russell – 14/1
2016: Rule The World – Mouse Morris – 33/1
2015: Many Clouds – Oliver Sherwood – 25/1
2014: Pineau De Re – Dr Richard Newland – 25/1
