Orange Grand National Horses

Captain Cody was a useful bumper and hurdle horse (he won a Grade Two novice hurdle) but his biggest win has come over fences when he won the Scottish National last April. Surprisingly though that is the gelding’s only win over fences to date but there is evidence to suggest that he still might be well handicapped enough to have a live chance in an Aintree Grand National.

Winners of the Scottish National do not have a good recent record when attempting Aintree the following season but this Willie Mullins trained chaser has been giving indications that he still has some scope left in his handicap mark. Over Xmas he was well fancied for the valuable Paddy Power handicap at Leopardstown and his jockey that day, Paul Townend, was extremely frustrated with the start of that race as he felt it handicapped his chances of winning (he eventually finished 7^th, beaten less than ten lengths. Captain Cody was then extremely well backed into 7/2 favourite for the Thyestes Chase, another valuable handicap, but only got as far as the fifth fence before falling. Such stable and market confidence for these races suggests that another big win is not that far off for this eight-year-old and whilst his jumping is a cause for concern the fences at Aintree are not the stern test that they used to be.

Captain Cody seems to fall into the category of lightly raced progressive chasers that Willie Mullins has excelled with in the last couple of seasons and this gelding could well be the one to give the master trainer another big win in the Grand National in 2026.

Panic Attack boasts a perfect record so far this season with three impressive victories, including two white-hot valuable handicaps.

This season began with a win in the Paddy Power Handicap Chase at Cheltenham where the Dan Skelton trained mare was an authoritative four length winner. Connections elected to roll the dice again quickly, lining up in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury just two weeks later. This time Panic Attack was arguably even more impressive when dismissing any doubts about the step up in trip to demolish a high-quality field by six-and-a-half lengths.

Those two big handicap victories saw the mare’s handicap mark sky rocket by twelve pounds to 147 and since then the shrewd Skelton operation found what looked like a penalty kick of a Listed Mares Chase where Panic Attack sauntered home to another wide-margin victory.

Connections appear to be favouring a tilt at the Mares Chase at the Cheltenham Festival followed by a trip to Aintree but despite her winning run Panic Attack is not guaranteed a place in the Grand National. The ten-year-old will need a number of horses above her in the handicap to come out of the race for her to make the final field and even then she has a number of historical negatives to overcome. Firstly, no mare has won the Grand National since 1951 (although Magic Of Light finished runner-up in 2019) and also that the last ten winners of the big race at Aintree have all been aged in single figures. 

More of a concern for her supporters is the fact that her sire, Canford Cliffs, has yet to have a runner contest a chase of over three miles and three furlongs so Panic Attack’s ability to stay marathon distances has to be taken completely on trust.

Despite the question marks, Panic Attack is likely to be extremely popular if she makes the final field for the 2026 Grand National.

Champ Kiely was a useful horse over hurdles, winning three times and finishing third at the Cheltenham Festival but he is now even more highly rated over fences. 

Willie Mullins kept the gelding to trips shorter than three miles in the early part of his novice year and Champ Kiely was good enough to win twice but on his final start of the season Mullins moved him up to three miles at the Punchestown Festival. This proved a masterstroke as the gelding took advantage of some indifferent jumping from more fancied stablemates (such as Ballyburn and Lecky Watson) to win by over six lengths at the relatively unexpected odds of 22/1.

This season hasn’t really gone to plan for Champ Kiely and began with a short-head defeat over just two miles at Naas in November. The ten-year-old gelding then stepped up in class to contest the Grade One Savills Chase at Leopardstown but slipped up on the flat after the fourth fence. A move back in grade at Tramore followed this but he could manage only a disappointing well-beaten fifth when 2/1 favourite. 

Mullins set the gelding another tough task next when running him in the Irish Gold Cup where he was sent off 66/1 and finished seventh, beaten twenty-eight lengths.

Many punters will focus on Willie Mullins’ runners now after he has dominated the last two Nationals and this horse fits a lot of the Mullins set-up for Aintree as he has been sending lightly raced but classy horses. Champ Kiely fits the bill in experience having just had nine races over fences but he is older than most second season chasers at ten-years-old and we have to go back to Pineau De Re in 2014 to find the last Grand National winner aged in double figures.

If you can overlook his age, he will appeal to many as he is a former Grade One winner and seemingly goes well on all ground conditions.