Grand National 2024 will see Paul Townend ride I Am Maximus

Paul Townend will ride I Am Maximus with Mark Walsh opting to partner Limerick Lace as plans for powerful owner JP McManus’ five-strong squad in Saturday’s Randox Grand National at Aintree Racecourse were finalised.

The Irish owner has won the world’s greatest steeplechase twice, helping Sir AP McCoy win the Aintree marathon for a first time with the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Don’t Push It in 2010. Then he triumphed again with Henry De Bromhead’s Minella Times three years ago as Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the Aintree showpiece. McManus has also had plenty of success across the three days of the Grand National Festival as a whole and his famous green and gold colours will be well represented at Aintree this time. He currently has five entries in the top 34 in the Grand National, with the final declaration stage on the morning of the Opening Day of the Festival tomorrow.

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The Willie Mullins-trained Irish Grand National hero I Am Maximus and stablemate Meetingofthewaters appear his two most likely candidates for a third victory judged on the current betting. I Am Maximus is second favourite at 7-1 following his win in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse in February, although he is available at a best-priced 8-1 with Betfred. Meetingofthewaters, who was third in the Ultima Handicap Chase at last month’s Cheltenham Festival last month, is not far behind at a best-priced 9-1 with Coral, Betfred and BetMGM. Despite that McManus’ retained rider in Ireland, Walsh, has opted for the Gavin Cromwell-trained Limerick Lace, who won the Paddy Power Mares’ Chase at Cheltenham last month, and is a best-priced 20-1 with William Hill and Coral.

On jockey bookings, McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry said: “Paul is on I Am Maximus, Mark is on Limerick Lace and Danny (Mullins) is on Meetingofthewaters. Mark has never ridden I Am Maximus, so Paul will ride him. Mark had a difficult decision to make as he liked Meetingofthewaters at Cheltenham as well. It was a difficult decision, but he’s gone with the mare anyway, so he’s hoping she’ll get the trip.”

Keith Donoghue will partner the Mullins-trained Cotswold Chase winner Capodanno, while Jody McGarvey is on board Janidil. Berry added: “They’re all going there in good form, they’ll need a bit of luck in running on the day in the National as everyone knows, but hopefully they’ll give a good account.”

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With top weight Conflated, as expected, being declared to run in the Melling Chase on Ladies Day at Aintree on Fridat, the weights for the Grand National are set to rise again by a 1lb. Once his defection is confirmed tomorrow morning, the Emmet Mullins-trained 2022 Grand National winner Noble Yeats will be the new top weight on 11st12lb.

It means Christian Williams’ 2023 Scottish Grand National hero Kitty’s Light will definitely get in the line-up. The eight-year-old, who also won other long-distance contests – the Eider Chase at Newcastle and the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown last season, is a best-priced 14-1 with several firms including William Hill, Coral and Betfred.

Meanwhile the going at Aintree is heavy, soft in places on the Grand National course and soft, heavy in places on the Mildmay course. Aintree clerk of the course Sulekha Varma was expecting the heaviest of the rain to have hit the track throughout today. The three days of the meeting – which opens tomorrow afternoon and features the Aintree Hurdle, the William Hill Bowl Chase and the Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase – are expected to be mainly dry. But with light rain showers still possible over all three days, Varma doesn’t expect much change in the going.

Speaking at 9am this morning, she said: “We’re expecting some rain probably in the next hour or so, maybe a bit longer, and going through until lunchtime. There may be a little bit more overnight and then that’s the bulk of the rain gone. There might be a few showers during the three days of racing but there’s nothing significant in the forecast at the moment.”

She added: “If we get a nice dry period and it doesn’t rain overnight then we might go back to soft, heavy in places on the National course, but it would need to stay dry for a good 12 to 18 hours, which I’m just not convinced it will right now.”

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