Green 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 that defending his Grand National crown is the plan for 2025 but this time around I Am Maximus is likely to have around ten pounds more to hike around Aintree. A winner now of six races including an Irish Grand National and a Grade One novice chase, where I Am Maximus showed his versatility by being able to win such a high-class race over just two-and-a-half miles. 2025 did not start well for I Am Maximus though 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 eighth place in the Irish Gold Cup but, again, that effort was littered with jumps where the gelding went violently out to his left. He remains the ante-post favourite for the Grand National in 2025 but his propensity to jump out to his left this season must be a big worry for his supporters.

Meetingofthewaters is in his novice season over fences but has already won a 99k handicap for Willie Mullins. The seven-year-old 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 the gelding recording a smooth four and a half length victory under a confident Danny Mullins. Understandably the Irish handicapper was suitably impressed and put Meetingofthewaters up fifteen pounds for that win with an additional two pounds added by the UK handicapper for the Grand National to give him a mark of 147. The handicappers weren’t the only people impressed by this gelding as legendary owner JP McManus persuaded Paul Byrne to sell him this horse at the beginning of March. Meetingofthewaters travelled over to the Cheltenham Festival to run in the Ultima Handicap Chase where he went off one of the favourites at 6/1. Mark Walsh was in the saddle as the gelding carried the famous colours of JP McManus for the first time and he ran really well beaten just under six lengths in third by Chianti Classico.  That run looks to have set Meetingofthewaters up perfectly for Aintree where he looks sure to be a very popular selection.