Grand National 2025 LIVE!
The world's greatest steeplechase is almost upon us, with the 2025 Grand National set to take place this weekend at Aintree. There have been 57 entries and the maximum field of 34 will be confirmed this morning with the declarations, along with four reserves. The field is headed by 2024 winner I Am Maximus, who would become the first horse to carry top weight to victory since Red Rum in the 1970s.
The Willie Mullins-trained horse heads the market as owner JP McManus seeks a record fourth victory in the race. Iroko and Perceval Legallois are also well-fancied for Saturday’s feature race, along with Cheltenham Festival winner Stumptown and Vanillier, who finished second in 2023, both trained by Gavin Cromwell.
The three-day meeting begins this afternoon, with the first of seven daily races at 1.45pm BST. The headline attraction for day one looks set to be Constitution Hill and Lossiemouth locking horns again after their Cheltenham Festival clash did not go as planned. Follow the Grand National 2025 declarations live below, with an announcement expected at 10am.
Grand National 2025 runners and riders latest news
- Runners and riders confirmed
- Declarations due by 10am
Thanks for following along today. We will be back on Saturday for full, comprehensive coverage of Saturday’s action, and the Grand National steeplechase.
Sweepstake
12:11 , Alex YoungThanks to GG.co.uk, we have two versions of the sweepstake for you and your friends to use.
To join in, print this grid, cut out the names, place them in a hat, and distribute them among players. You can download both versions in hi-res here.
Thursday's market movers
10:50 , Alex Young13:45: Impaire Et Passe – 2/1 from 11/4
14:20: Puturhandstogether – 6/4 from 9/4
14:55: Spillane’s Tower – 11/4 from 10/3
15:30: Lossiemouth – 11/8 from 7/4
16:05: Lifetime Ambition – 9/2 from 5/1
16:40: My Mate Mozzie – 5/1 from 11/2
17:15: Seo Linn – 9/4 from 10/3
(via William Hill.)
Thursday schedule
10:41 , Alex Young13:45: Manifesto Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
14:20: 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 1)
14:55: Aintree Bowl (Grade 1)
15:30: Aintree Hurdle (Grade 1)
16:05: Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase
16:40: Red Rum Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
17:15: Nickel Coin Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (Grade 2)
Latest odds
10:21 , Alex YoungHere’s how the market has reacted to the confirmed field.
- Stumptown 9/1
- Iroko 10/1
- I Am Maximus 11/1
- Vanillier 11/1
- Hewick 11/1
- Perceval Legallois 12/1
- Intense Raffles 14/1
- Minella Cocooner 16/1
- Kandoo Kid 20/1
- Meetingofthewaters 22/1
- Hyland 22/1
- Three Card Brag 25/1
- Grangeclare West 25/1
- Nick Rockett 28/1
- Beauport 28/1
- Senior Chief 28/1
- Monbeg Genius 33/1
- Minella Indo 33/1
- Bravemansgame 50/1
- Duffle Coat 66/1
- Threeunderthrufive 66/1
- Appreciate It 80/1
- Twig 80/1
- Broadway Boy 80/1
- Fil Dor 80/1
- Stay Away Fay 100/1
- Chantry House 100/1
- Coko Beach 100/1
- Conflated 100/1
- Hitman 100/1
- Idas Boy 125/1
- Horantzau D’Airy 150/1
- Royale Pagaille 150/1
- Celebre D’Allen 150/1
With the field reduced from 40 to 34 horses, one knock-on effect means only 16 trainers are represented in the race.
That is a considerable reduction on years past, though the number trained in Britain makes up half the field. That number is up from seven last year.
So, there were no changes to the 34 predicted runners.
That means Harry Redknapp misses out with Shakem Up’Arry.
The four reserves will be confirmed, so there is one more hope.
So, Willie Mullins settles for five.
- I Am Maximus (Paul Townend)
- Nick Rockett (Patrick Mullins)
- Grangeclare West (Brian Hayes)
- Appreciate It (Sean O'Keeffe)
- Minella Cocooner (Jonathan Burke)
- Meetingofthewaters (Danny Mullins)
Full field confirmed
09:51 , Alex YoungWe have our 34 runners!
- I Am Maximus
- Royale Pagaille
- Nick Rockett
- Grangeclare West
- Hewick
- Minella Indo
- Appreciate It
- Minella Cocooner
- Conflated
- Stumptown
- Hitman
- Beauport
- Bravemansgame
- Chantry House
- Threeunderthrufive
- Perceval Legallois
- Kandoo Kid
- Iroko
- Intense Raffles
- Senior Chief
- Idas Boy
- Fil Dor
- Broadway Boy
- Coko Beach
- Stay Away Fay
- Meetingofthewaters
- Monbeg Genius
- Vanillier
- Horantzau D'airy
- Hyland
- Celebre D'allen
- Three Card Brag
- Twig
- Duffle Coat
Mr Vango has been declared. Has Willie Mullins decided against his final two?
Willie Mullins' pair Macdermott and Spanish Harlem, and Sara Bradstock's Mr Vango are the three left to be declared.
15 minutes to go.
Vanillier and Yeah Man complete Gavin Cromwell's fivesome.
Stumptown is in.
Gavin Cromwell's horses are now being declared.
Perceval Legallois and Malina Girl are in.
Idas Boy has also been confirmed.
As of this morning, Stumptown is the market leader for the 2025 Grand National.
With 20 minutes until the declarations deadline, the eight-year-old has not yet been confirmed.
Gordon Elliott's Where It All Began and Rebecca Curtis' Pats Fancy have been declared.
Nine to go.
Sunning is beating down at Aintree this morning. Beautiful day.
As of 9.30am, we have had 46 of the 57 confirmations declared.
Of the 11 outstanding, five of them are Gavin Cromwell’s complete compliment.
Remenber, the maximum field size is 34.
Still waiting on the five Gavin Cromwell horses to be declared, including Stumptown.
Is someone having a lie in this morning?
Two over from France as Charlie Deutsch is on board Royale Pagaille and Freddie Gingell is booked for Hitman.
Senior Chief has been declared, with Darragh O’Keefe on board.
Going update
09:15 , Alex YoungThe going update as of last night was good to soft-good in places. We’ll have another update in an hour or so.
The first race is in four and a half hours.
A few more declared:
Minella Indo
Minella Cocooner
Meetingofthewaters
Appreciate It
Grangeclare West
Nick Rockett
No surprises as 2024 winner I Am Maximus has been declared for the Grand National.
Paul Townend on board.
Nicky Henderson explains Lulamba decision
09:00 , Alex YoungAway from the Grand National showpiece, we have already seen one big name not declared in a blow to ante-post backers.
Nicky Henderson felt the extra half a mile and the generous 10lb allowance that Lulamba will receive in Saturday's Turners Mersey Novices' Hurdle at Aintree made swerving today's juvenile race a fairly easy decision.
The Triumph Hurdle runner-up had been expected to line up against his own age group in the Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle over two miles and a furlong.
However, he was entered in the two-and-a-half-mile race against his elders on Monday and the Seven Barrows handler now thinks that is the right way to go.
He said: "When we looked at it, the extra distance, the 10lb allowance, everything just swayed us towards the other race.
"It was something that only came to me in the middle of the morning on the day of entries really - the extra half-mile is what I'm really after.
"He really finished off his race strongly in the Triumph and as Nico (de Boinville) said, he needed all of the Cheltenham hill to get by East India Dock and then it wasn't his fault that one (Poniros) came past him, he just never saw him.
"We just felt the nature of the race on Thursday, I don't need to tell anybody that Aintree is a completely different track, it's very much a speedier track than Cheltenham."
Thursday's action: William Hill Aintree Hurdle
08:45 , Alex YoungConstitution Hill will clash with Cheltenham Festival heroine Lossiemouth in the William Hill Aintree Hurdle at 3.30pm today.
Nicky Henderson's star performer is set to face six rivals on Merseyside and the standout name amongst the opposition is Willie Mullins' triple Festival winner, who impressed once again at Prestbury Park when successfully defending her Mares' Hurdle crown just over three weeks ago.
It will be the second time the duo have locked horns, with Constitution Hill coming out on top during his brilliant comeback victory in the Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day, but for the first time in his career he perhaps has a question to answer having fallen in the Champion Hurdle.
After deciding against running Brighterdaysahead, Gordon Elliott relies on another high-class mare in Wodhooh, who stretched her unbeaten record to seven in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Salver (Gary and Josh Moore), Tellherthename (Jonjo and AJ O'Neill), Break My Soul (Ian Donoghue) and Take No Chances (Dan Skelton) complete the line-up.
Weather forecast
08:30It’s set to be three glorious days at Aintree.
The first race at 1.45pm today is set to experience around 18C, with a high of 19C for the rest of the day.
Grand National day on Saturday will see a slightly cooler high of 16C for race time.
Monday confirmations
08:15 , Alex YoungWe will have the full line-up for the race by 10am.
The field has been whittled down gradually in the weeks leading up to today, with Monday just gone seeing the final round of confirmations for the 34-strong field.
As of this morning, 57 entires have been made so there will be quite a few disappointed connections later on. However, four reserves will also be announced for any late non-runners leading up to post time.
Last year's winner I Am Maximus is back to take defend his crown and those withdrawals include Shakem Up'Arry, who is owned by former football manager Harry Redknapp.
As it stands
07:55Here are the runners and riders as it stands.
- I Am Maximus
- Royale Pagaille
- Nick Rockett
- Grangeclare West
- Hewick
- Minella Indo
- Appreciate It
- Minella Cocooner
- Conflated
- Stumptown
- Hitman
- Beauport
- Bravemansgame
- Chantry House
- Threeunderthrufive
- Perceval Legallois
- Kandoo Kid
- Iroko
- Intense Raffles
- Senior Chief
- Idas Boy
- Fil Dor
- Broadway Boy
- Coko Beach
- Stay Away Fay
- Meetingofthewaters
- Monbeg Genius
- Vanillier
- Horantzau D'Airy
- Hyland
- Celebre D'Allen
- Three Card Brag
- Twig
- Duffle Coat
Welcome
07:48 , Alex YoungHello and welcome to the Standard's live coverage of the 2025 Grand National Festival.
The Aintree meeting kicks off today, with three days culminating in Saturday’s famous steeplechase.
The final 34-horse field will be announced this morning for that race. Stick with us for all the updates until all the runners and riders are confirmed at 10am BST.
