Grand National Lucky Dip

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.