The 2025 Randox Grand National: all the trainer quotes

Willie Mullins: “It was huge to win it last year for the second time. I felt very spoilt winning a second . It’s top weight and it’s tough but we had an idea that it would be tough. He’ll probably run in the Bobbyjo and we’ll see how he is.

“He likes the track (Aintree). Sometimes when horses go back a second time they don’t like it and we’ve got all that to take into account. Horses go round it once and the second time it can be different, but he had a good experience last year and I’m hoping that it won’t be a problem.” 

Henry de Bromhead: “It’s nice they’re all in [four entries]. Obviously we’ll see what will go there. Envoi Allen seems well. At the moment he's heading for the Ryanair Chase.”

Willie Mullins: “I was very pleased with his run (when second in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup on February 1st) and if he can put in a performance like that . . . however, he paid the penalty by being raised in the weights so it’s going to be tougher, but he might take his chance (in the Randox Grand National). I’m not sure he’ll run before (the Grand National) but I’ll think about that.”

Willie Mullins: “I thought he was very good winning the Thyestes and that’s always a very good pointer towards the National, so hopefully he’ll take up the engagement.”

Gavin Cromwell: “Inothewayurthinkin (11st 5lb) is on 160 which is the same as his mark in Ireland. I wouldn’t say he is a certain runner at this stage and we will look at other options for him, including the Bowl at . He will also get an entry in the Irish National as well."

Henry de Bromhead: “At the moment  Monty’s Star is heading for the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup. He is in great form. He has come out of his last race well.”

Henry de Bromhead: “Minella Indo is aiming for the National and Senior Chief is aiming for there as well. Minella Indo ran really well last year. It was brilliant. He’s come out of Navan ok. He ran well and Rachael (Blackmore, jockey) was happy. He might have got a bit tired in the ground but he ran well.

"He’s got a great attitude. He’s an amazing horse, he’s been brilliant over the years and he’s a great man. We’re delighted with him. He certainly enjoyed it last year. Rachael was brilliant on him and gave him a great spin. We’ve opted to go this way and hopefully he’ll run well."

Willie Mullins: “He’s shown a nice change of form on nice ground in Thurles to win (in January). ground is usually lovely so he has his chance and plenty of 11-year-olds have won in the recent past.”

Willie Mullins: “Capodanno was running a good race last year. The handicapper’s given him a chance and he jumps those fences no problem so I’m happy enough.”

Willie Mullins: “He jumps well. He won the Whitbread (bet365 Gold Cup) at Sandown last year. It’s going to be a tough assignment to win another big handicap within the calendar year but he’ll take his chance.”

Gavin Cromwell: “Both Stumptown (11st 2lb) and Vanillier (10st 6lb) could go to the Cross Country at Cheltenham and then we can see about the National, but both horses could go for both races."

Nigel Twiston-Davies:  “Great! That’s wonderful. I think we’ve got two nice weights, so I’m very happy. Beauport is very good and he’s running at Haydock Park on Saturday (in the WKD Rendlesham Hurdle), so he seems in really good form. He’s very different to Earth Summit and Bindaree but he’s a lovely horse, a good stayer and a great stamp of a horse so we should be good."

Paul Nicholls: “That’s about what we expected and I’m looking forward to running him. He’s been running well of late and he’s run well in some really big races, so that’s perfect. He’s in on Saturday (the Betfair Ascot Chase) but we’ll make a decision on that on Thursday. Obviously he only ran on Saturday (when second in the William Hill Bet10 Get10 On Racing Denman Chase) so I’ll just see what declares and see how he is. But if he runs on Saturday then he’ll go straight to Aintree.”

Paul Nicholls: “He dropped two pounds for Saturday (when third in the William Hill Bet10 Get10 On Racing Denman Chase) so he’s 11 stone now – that’s a real racing weight for him and as a Grade One winner that’s just the job. We are pleased with that. I’ve had this in mind for him for a while because obviously he’s sort of regressed a little bit from his Grade One level, but he’s still a King George winner. He’s been running well this year without really firing and this might just spark him up. We’re looking forward to it. He’ll go straight to Aintree now. He’s come out of Saturday very well.”

Gavin Cromwell: “Perceval Legallois (10st 12lb) I would say is a likely runner at this stage and I think we’ll be missing Cheltenham with him. He won the Paddy Power Handicap Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas and then a Listed handicap hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival so is in really good form.

Paul Nicholls: “He runs on Saturday at Ascot (the Betfair Swinley Handicap Chase) and then we’ll make a plan as to whether we run him here (Aintree) or whether he goes to the Scottish National. I’ve got to decide on that one. But he definitely runs on Saturday and he’s a possible. I know Max (McNeill, owner) would like to run him in it so he’s definitely a possible. We just wouldn’t want the ground too soft.”

Paul Nicholls: “He’s a Coral Gold Cup winner and he went round Aintree last year – I’d be very happy with that weight. He might go to Kempton next Saturday (for the Ladbrokes Trophy Handicap Chase) – I need to discuss it with the owner. I wouldn’t run him on very, very soft ground. It’s that option or March 1st at Newbury where he likes it, just over two and a half miles just to give him a day out. It’s possible he’ll run but it’s not essential.

“Straight after the Topham (in 2024 when he finished third) I said to the owner there are two targets next year – the Coral Gold Cup and then the Grand National. So we’ve done one part of it and it would be nice if we could do the other. He’s got a nice profile for it.”

Kim Bailey: “The aim at the moment is for Trelawne to go to Cheltenham and he would only go to Aintree if the ground was unsuitable at Cheltenham. He needs ease in the ground. He would have to prove his stamina if he went to the Grand National but that is true for most of them and I think he would be fine.”

Richard Phillips: “There’s 12 of them in the syndicate, called the ‘Dozen Dreamers’. The horse was purchased by my great school friend of 55 years, John Rosbotham, who had a share in a horse called Pak Jack, who didn’t get into the Grand National but was second in the Great Sefton and third in the Becher. It was our dream ever since we were in junior school to win the Grand National, so he bought this horse through Tom Malone last September and we syndicated it. They’re called the “Dozen Dreamers” because it’s a dream to have a runner in the race, never mind the winner.

“Hopefully it all goes to plan between now and April. We might have a run at Doncaster over hurdles at the start of March, but the plan is to go for the Grand National. He won the Midlands National at Kilbeggan last summer and he seems to get the trip - he was only beaten a couple of lengths by Gerri Colombe as a novice hurdler. He’s stayed three miles before, so hopefully he’ll get the extra trip and give us a good run round if we get there.

“It’s obviously a dream for the 12 people who have got involved. They’ve enjoyed the experience up until now and let’s hope that the excitement continues up until the day. It’s very difficult to buy a horse to run in the Grand National without spending huge amounts of money on them and the form is very much there for him. He could run well in a National if we can get him there – which is the hard part as anything can happen. With luck on our side, it’s great to know that he definitely gets a run if we do.

“Tom Malone had been looking out for a potential Grand National horse for John (Rosbotham), though up until now they had been too expensive. This is a horse that looked as though he’d be affordable due to his age and things like that, so he bought him with the hope of syndicating him and it’s worked out well. He came to us last September and has had a bit of a break as he’d been running through the summer a bit. We’ve been building him up since with the idea of giving him a prep run over hurdles before going to the race.”

Tom Gibney: “That’s fair enough. He was 151 over here so why should he be any different over there? I’d be quite happy with that. We’re hoping to get serious now as we get a bit closer. He’ll have another run – all being well he’ll run again, not this weekend but the next weekend at Fairyhouse. It was a great performance [to win the Irish National] and if we can get him back to that I’d be very happy.”

Gibney said: “Lion Na Bearnais had a terrible day that year. Everything went wrong and his saddle slipped in the race. But I really, really fancied Velvet Elvis going there and to this day I don’t know why he was the first one off the bridle. He just didn’t perform on the day when I felt like I’d never had him better. That’s the thing - you don’t know. It’s all grand wanting to win it and building up and building up, but going and doing it is a different story.”

Gavin Cromwell: “Limerick Lace (10st 10lb) was running a good race last year before she made a mistake, which effectively ended her chance. She has just been entered for the Mares’ Chase at Cheltenham again (which she won in 2024) and there is a chance she could go there and on to Aintree again. I am hoping that she is a spring horse as her two runs this season have not seen her at her best."

Henry de Bromhead: “Senior Chief ran great at Cheltenham (when winning at The Showcase Meeting). We were a bit disappointed with him in the Hennessy (Coral Gold Cup at Newbury) but he seems in good form again now, so we’ll definitely aim him at the National.”

Nigel Twiston-Davies: “Broadway Boy is in good form and the National is his intended target. He won’t run at Haydock on Saturday, he will run at Cheltenham in the Ultima. We’ve been incredibly lucky in the past and a third success would be lovely.”

Paul Nicholls: “He’s got to qualify yet. He’d need to have another run so I’m planning on getting another run into him over fences before March 18th. He could even go to Cheltenham. We’ve just got to get him back right because we haven’t had him right yet.”

Willie Mullins: “I think Meetingofthewaters has a lovely weight. He ran very well last year and I think my eye was drawn to him when I saw his weight. He’s one I like.”

Gavin Cromwell: “Velvet Elvis (10st 7lb) could be a possible although he is very ground dependent as he must have some ease."

Willie Mullins: “He has a lovely weight and loves jumping. If he gets in we’d like to take our chance on nicer ground with him.”

Gavin Cromwell: “Both Stumptown (11st 2lb) and Vanillier (10st 6lb) could go to the Cross Country at Cheltenham and then we can see about the National, but both horses could go for both races."

Gavin Cromwell: “Yeah Man (10st 5lb) will struggle to get in off his weight. The aim is to go to Haydock on Saturday for the Grand National Trial and try to win it again as it is a good race in its own right. He’ll also be entered in the Irish National.

Willie Mullins: “We’d need a lot of luck to get in but after the way he ran in the Scottish Grand National last year I’d love to see him get into the race.”

Sara Bradstock: “I’m just disappointed to win two big handicaps and go up very, very little - but there you go, such is life. I’m just going to have to just pray aren’t I that we get a deluge to suit us and no one else will want to run? That’s my only chance - I need Storm Freddie to come! We’ve won the Devon National by 60 lengths, we’ve won the London National and we’ve won the Peter Marsh and we’re nowhere near. I was sort of hoping when I read the guide to National handicapping that recent form was taken into consideration but they don’t any longer change any handicap marks do they?

It will break my heart if we get some soft ground and we can’t run because he could win a National on soft ground. That was why I was so keen. It does look like there’s possibly rain this Spring, but we’re not going to get in are we? It would be wonderful because if he got some really soft ground he is a real Grand National type. Stamina is his thing. He jumps beautifully and not too exuberantly. It would be wonderful if the miracle happened but I think it’s looking unlikely.”

Tom Gibney: “I’d say it’s probably unlikely he’d run anyway at this stage.”

Gavin Cromwell: “Malina Girl is unlikely to get in.”

Toby Lawes: “He’s so consistent but it’s seriously difficult to get a run in the Randox Grand National. We’ve always tried to play it with quite a straight bat with this horse. It’s unfortunate but we’ve said that if we were high enough to get into the National then we’d probably have won a couple of really nice races on the way there. He’s been so consistent without actually getting his head in front this year and it’s probably just left the National slightly beyond our touch. But if he were to get into the National he’d be a huge amount of fun. You know that if he got into a position to be competitive you know he’d get home. You’d like to think he’d be that type that if he jumped round cleanly enough then he could get into that fantastic top 10 spot. He’s only eight so there’s definitely still time (to run in the Randox Grand National). Hopefully we’ll go and win our Scottish National this season and secure that National weight for next year. I think it would definitely be the main plan to run him in the Scottish National. I’d definitely be happy to run him before that in something like the Grimthorpe (Handicap Chase at Doncaster) and we will probably keep half an eye on the Midlands National as well. That’s usually more testing ground than we’d prefer to run him on but we’ll just keep half an eye on it.”

Willie Mullins: “He would need a lot of luck to get in. We’d probably look to run him in the Topham, I’d say.”