The weights for the 2026 Randox Grand National have been announced, with 2024 winner I Am Maximus assigned top weight of 11st 12lb for the April 11 race at Aintree. Current favourite Iroko carries 11st 1lb after finishing fourth last year. Trainer Henry de Bromhead has expressed frustration over the handicap rating for his contender Monty's Star.
The British Horseracing Authority revealed the weights for the 2026 Randox Grand National on February 17, with I Am Maximus, trained by Willie Mullins and owned by JP McManus, set to carry 11st 12lb. The 10-year-old won the race in 2024 and finished second in 2025 behind stablemate Nick Rockett. No horse carrying top weight has won since Red Rum in 1974, and handicapper Martin Greenwood noted that a second victory for I Am Maximus would likely be the highest mark in the modern era, surpassing Neptune Collonges' 168 rating in 2012.
Iroko, trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, has been allotted 11st 1lb and is the ante-post favourite at 6-1 odds with William Hill. The seven-year-old finished fourth as the favourite in 2025 and has since undergone wind surgery, improving his form with a win over Firefox at Ascot in December. Guerriero commented, "He's got a lovely weight and is guaranteed a run. I just pray that it's softer ground. He's in great form." The trainer plans a final prep run at Kelso in March rather than Cheltenham.
Mullins dominates the weights list, with Nick Rockett at 11st 11lb despite recent setbacks that may prevent him from running, Grangeclare West at 11st 10lb, and others like Impaire Et Passe at 11st 5lb. British challengers include Grey Dawning and Haiti Couleurs, both at 11st 10lb.
Irish trainer Henry de Bromhead voiced anger over Monty's Star's rating of 159, up 2lb after a sixth in the Irish Gold Cup, assigning it 11st 3lb. He said, "I can’t understand how he went up 2lbs, but there you go." De Bromhead, who won in 2021 with Minella Times, may withdraw the horse in protest or opt for the Cheltenham Gold Cup instead.
Greenwood highlighted the race's increasing class, stating, "Last year, the first three horses home were all rated 160-plus." The event features a £1 million prize fund, 34 runners, and 30 fences over 4 miles 2 furlongs 74 yards. Declarations are due on April 8.