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I Am Maximus set to follow familiar path to Aintree

By Racing TV

Last Updated: Mon 26 Oct 2026

Willie Mullins says he “would like nothing better” than to rewrite the history books by winning a third Randox Grand National this season with I Am Maximus.

Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest sporting achievements of all time, when on April 2 1977, Red Rum became the first - and to date only - horse to win the world’s most famous Jumps race three times.

A household name in Britain, Red Rum was famously trained on the beach at Southport by Ginger McCain, and won the Aintree spectacular in 1973 and 1974, finished runner-up in 1975 and 1976 and then regained his Grand National crown in 1977.

Since Red Rum’s historic feat half a century ago, only two horses have won the Grand National more than once, Tiger Roll in 2018 and 2019 and I Am Maximus in 2024 and 2026. The latter, who also finished runner-up to stablemate Nick Rockett at Aintree in 2025, is now bidding to emulate Red Rum in 2027 and will follow the same route to Aintree as last year, according to trainer Mullins.

I Am Maximus on his way to a second Grand National success

The 2027 Grand National takes place at Aintree on Saturday April 10 and will be sponsored for the tenth time by Randox. With a total prize fund of £1 million, it is the richest Jump race staged anywhere in the world.

Speaking from his base at Closutton, in County Carlow, Mullins told sportinglife.com about his plans for his stable star this season.

He said: “I Am Maximus has come in from grass very well. I am very pleased with him. He's going through all his pre-season work good and taking it well. He looks good and strong.

“His route to the Grand National, I suppose, will be the same as last year. Probably the John Durkan (Punchestown, November 22), then going for the Savills (Leopardstown, December 28) at Christmas, then the Irish Gold Cup (Leopardstown, January 30) at the Dublin Racing Festival, and then on to Aintree.

“We will keep it simple, keep a routine, and hopefully he might be lucky enough to get a third Grand National.”

On what makes the J P McManus-owned son of Authorized so effective at Aintree, the trainer added: “He's a good jumper, he's intelligent and he loves the place. He just really adapts to those type of fences. Paul (Townend, jockey) gets on well with him too and it’s a serious combination. All being well, we can get him there in the same sort of order.”

Reminiscing about Red Rum’s achievements at Aintree, Mullins reflected: “Who could ever forget Red Rum and Crisp (in the 1973 Grand National)? What a fantastic horse race it was on the day. It was just exhilarating stuff to watch Crisp and then Red Rum snatched it off him. But Red Rum went on and won it with 12 stone (in 1974).

“Red Rum had a huge following in Ireland because he was only bred down the road from here, about 25 miles away (by Martyn McEnery in County Kilkenny). We knew the people who bred him and foaled him. He had as many Irish followers as English followers.

“It would be tremendous to think that this fellow could be up in the same sort of cloud that Red Rum is considered to be.”

Mullins is already the joint-most successful trainer in Grand National history with four victories, having won the contest for the first time with Hedgehunter back in 2005. He currently shares the honour with 19th Century handler George Dockery, Fred Rimell and Ginger McCain, whose success with Red Rum was followed by Amberleigh House’s victory in 2004.

However, the trainer believes it would be a very special achievement to join Ginger McCain in training one horse to win three Grand Nationals.

He concluded: “I would like nothing better than to be up in the same place (as Ginger McCain) - the trainer of one horse that won three Grand Nationals.”

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