Pisces Grand National Horses

I Am Maximus sprinted clear on the run-in in last year's Grand National, eventually coming home a comfortable seven-and-a-half-length winner and in doing so gave master trainer Willie Mullins his second Aintree Grand National victory. Connections have stated all season that defending his Grand National crown is the plan for 2025 but this time around I Am Maximus will have eight pounds more to hike around Aintree. 2025 did not start well for I Am Maximus with a poor display in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown in December. The Grand National winner continually jumped out to his left and was tailed off from a relatively early stage, although that was a Grade One race run on good to yielding ground which would not have played to his strengths. The Grand National winner put up an improved performance next time with a staying on in eighth place in the Irish Gold Cup but, again, that effort was littered with jumps where the gelding went violently out to his left. A third outing was planned for a race he won last year, the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse, but I Am Maximus was a late non-runner due to a bruised foot. He remains one of the favourites for the 2025 Grand National but his propensity to jump out to his left this season and his foot injury must be a big worry for his supporters.

Last season was extremely positive for Meetingofthewaters with two wins including a 99k handicap. The gelding was sent off second favourite for the Paddy Power Chase at the Leopardstown Christmas meeting as punters surmised that the gelding was very attractively handicapped and so it proved with Meetingofthewaters recording a smooth four and a half length victory under a confident Danny Mullins. That big win prompted JP McManus to step in to buy the horse from previous owner Paul Byrne in time for the horse to run in the green and gold colours at the Cheltenham Festival. Meetingofthewaters finished third there just under six lengths behind winner Chianti Classico. That good run at Cheltenham prompted trainer Willie Mullins to chance the young horse in the Grand National where he could be seen moving well throughout the race. Danny Mullins was in the plate and when his ride jumped the last almost in a line with the leaders it looked as if Meetingofthewaters was going to be right there at the finish. As it was he ended up finishing seventh when he seemed to run out of petrol in the last 100 yards. This season seems to have been implemented with a return trip to Aintree as the ultimate goal once again. The eight-year-old gelding has been well beaten in both his chase efforts but in between those he was sent off an extremely well-backed favourite for a 50k handicap hurdle at the DRF. Connections had spotted that the gelding was rated an incredible thirty-six pounds lower over hurdles and tried to exploit that mark but unfortunately the gamble was not landed as Meetingofthewaters trailed in well beaten. That defeat over hurdles has to leave a question mark as to if the gelding is in anywhere near the same form of last season.  The UK handicapper has given Meetingofthewaters a mark one pound higher than last season’s effort at Aintree but with the gelding's form very much in question, it would require a big leap of faith to support Meetingofthewaters this year.

Intense Raffles won three of his nine races in France but seemed to take a huge step forward when transferred into the care of Tom Gibney in County Meath, Ireland. Gibney was in charge of the gelding's novice chase career and this son of Martaline took to that discipline like a duck to water winning his first two novice chases. The trainer then selected a very bold route of sending this inexperienced horse into white-hot company in the Irish Grand National. Despite this being Intense Raffles' first run in a handicap and the first time he had raced in a big field, he acquitted himself admirably becoming only the third six-year-old to win Ireland's top handicap chase. Owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede nominated the Aintree Grand National as the horse's target for 2025 and it is noticeable that the gelding had been kept to hurdles this season prior to the publication of the Grand National weights. The handicapper eventually settled on a mark of 151 for Intense Raffles but given his improving profile and lack of experience it's highly likely he can be competitive at Aintree of this revised mark. Traditionally, seven-year-olds have had a poor record in the Grand National but Noble Yeats broke the bad run of horses that age when winning in 2022 and with the changing nature of the race, being less experienced has become less of an issue.  Intense Raffles has already indicated that he is ahead of the handicapper by finishing second in the renowned Grand National trial, the Grade Three Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse. The Irish handicapper has set his new mark at 156 so he will be five pounds ahead of his handicap mark at Aintree.  Intense Raffles must have an outstanding chance of achieving an Irish and English National double.

Iroko is another of the JP McManus battalion that is well-fancied for the 2025 Grand National. A winner at the Cheltenham Festival two seasons ago over hurdles, Iroko has improved even further over fences despite only winning one of his races over the bigger obstacles so far. The Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero trained gelding ran his best race over fences when finishing second to Inothewayurthinkin in the Grade One Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree last season. That rival has gone on to massively frank the form by winnng the Cheltenham Gold Cup this season. Things haven’t really gone to plan for Iroko this season, which began with a half-length defeat by Trelawne in a Graduation Chase at Haydock, and then a first fence fall at Ascot in December. His third run this season came in a Premier Handicap at Cheltenham in January when finishing five lengths fourth to winner Moon D’Orange. That run was investigated by the stewards that day who wanted an explanation into the gelding’s running and riding. Jockey Jonjo O’Neill Jr explained to the stewards that he was under instructions to try and get Iroko jumping soundly after his fall in his last race. The jockey lost his iron during the race and got into a difficult position as a result. The stewards accepted the explanation but the upshot of the race was that Iroko did not receive a hike in the handicap before the Grand National weights were announced. The Grand National is much less of a jumping test these days but the amount of errors in Iroko’s recent races must still be a considerable concern for his chances.

Beauport won last year's Midlands Grand National proving he has the stamina for the National test and looks to have been campaigned with this year's Aintree showpiece specifically in mind especially since winning a valuable Ascot Handicap Chase by over 30 lengths in November. He's had just two starts over hurdles since then, a path trodden by many National winners in the past who were protecting their handicap mark over fences.  His jumping has been more accomplished this season, he's won in ground conditions varying from good to soft to heavy and generally likes to race up with the pace which is a positive for the National. He has only had the three starts this season so is very fresh and is the right sort of age (9 years old) profile wise of previous National winners.  These famous silks were carried to victory in this race by Corbiere in 1983.