The Grand National Festival is one of the standouts on the United Kingdom’s horse racing calendar and it serves as one of the biggest jump racing events of all.
Like its annual predecessor Cheltenham it offers a party-like atmosphere alongside top-level racing with some of the greatest horses from various regions of the UK and beyond.
The headline event that consistently accumulates the highest amount of viewers globally is the race that the entire festival was built around – The Grand National which is a handicap steeplechase.
The race which is run over two and a half furlongs including 30 jumps will feature its typical competitiveness at the front of the pack in 2024. Several horses have a genuine chance of claiming victory at Aintree Racecourse.
Two joint-favourites aiming to topple the 2023 champion
I Am Maximus and Vanillier are joint-favourites to win the 2024 Grand National as both will look to prevent Corach Rambler’s back-to-back success. As of today’s horse racing odds, they are each offered at 10/1 to secure the biggest win of their careers.
The fact the favourites are offered at fairly large odds is indicative of how unpredictable the Grand National is and how tough it is to win even as an outstanding frontrunner.
The pair of outright frontrunners have already faced off in 2024 in the Bobbyjo chase at Fairyhouse in February. I Am Maximus managed an empathetic victory on that occasion by 14 lengths over Vanillier who finished runner-up.
That race showcased the level of domination that the former is capable of and may have foreshadowed how the big one in Aintree will unfold in April. There are certainly huge improvements required from Vanillier to match its rival’s pace in the Grand National.
The bond between horse & groom 💛
Vanillier runs later in the #RandoxGrandNational pic.twitter.com/aw3OLSLonU
— Aintree Racecourse (@AintreeRaces) April 15, 2023
Vanillier however does have experience in the Grand National, contrary to I Am Maximus. He finished second narrowly last year and his team will now be well aware of the ideal tactics to deploy to win the major event.
Corach Rambler is bidding for consecutive success
Corach Rambler went on an excellent run in the spring of 2023 in which he won the Handicap Chase at Cheltenham and then followed it up by winning the Grand National. He has struggled since though having not managed a single-placed finish.
Grand National winner Corach Rambler looking chill at @lucindavrussell😎
We’ve been filming with @oldgoldracing and ‘Rambler’ @cameronsword01 on all things…#SharedOwnership pic.twitter.com/kcnJ7nqMp6
— Great British Racing (@GBRacing) April 26, 2023
Last year’s champion is offered at 12/1 to win again in 2024 and he is certainly up against it compared to the duo viewed as stronger frontrunners.
Regardless of Corach Rambler’s form, it has to be considered that the Grand National is run on an incredibly tough course on which the Irish horse has already proven it can be successful.
Experience could make all the difference this year with Corach Rambler and Vanillier having fought an intense race in the prior edition of the headline event. It could be a back-to-back success or last year’s runner-up avenging his narrow defeat.
However, if form and raw speed are what decide one of the biggest horse races in the country this year then I Am Maximus will likely be the one who walks away as an impressive debut champion at Aintree.