Cheltenham to Aintree 2026: Which Horses to Follow at the Grand National

Gold Cup form and the National

Gaelic Warrior: won't run

Gaelic Warrior won the Gold Cup by 8 lengths. His connections will not run him in the Grand National. That's not a criticism, it's the correct call. He's a three-mile-two-furlong specialist who jumps with precision over regulation fences. The National's unique fences, the four-mile trip, and the field of 40 are a different proposition entirely. Connections will almost certainly put him away after such a demanding Gold Cup performance.

Inothewayurthinkin: confirmed entry, interesting proposition

The defending Gold Cup champion finished third on Friday, beaten further than his best form suggested he was capable of. But his connections have confirmed an Aintree entry, and the National is a very different race.

He gets the trip, three miles two furlongs around Cheltenham in a proper Gold Cup gallop is not far short of what the National asks physically. He's already proven he can jump and stay at the highest level. The Gold Cup form on Friday was below his best; he's the sort who may have found the pace too sharp from the third last when Gaelic Warrior kicked.

At Aintree, with a different pace scenario and 40 runners providing natural cover, he could get a much softer lead into the race. If he's available at 20/1 or bigger in the National, that's a more interesting price than his Gold Cup third might suggest.

Jango Baie: National entry possible

Second in the Gold Cup, clear of the rest. A quality stayer who jumps well. He'd need an entry and connections to commit, but if he runs he brings solid Gold Cup form and should handle the trip.

Chase and hurdle form to follow at Aintree

Heart Wood: Ryanair winner, Mildmay Novices' a possibility

Heart Wood won the Ryanair Chase at two miles four furlongs, a different trip to the National, and he'd be a very different type for Aintree. The Mildmay Novices' Chase (two miles four furlongs) at Aintree is a more natural target than the National itself. If he runs at the Aintree meeting, that's the race to watch him in.

The Grand Annual winner: Martator at 66/1

Martator's win in the Grand Annual Handicap Chase at Cheltenham was the shock of the week. The Grand Annual is a two-mile handicap (not immediately National form) but handicappers who win at big prices at Cheltenham can carry that form forward. His mark will go up after the Grand Annual win, which makes him harder to place. Worth monitoring what connections do with him.

Staying handicap chasers

The National is a handicap, which means the horses most relevant to it aren't necessarily the ones who ran in the Gold Cup. The best pointers tend to come from the RSA Chase (now the Brown Advisory), the National Hunt Chase (four miles at Cheltenham), and the Kim Muir, staying chase form over similar distances.

Any horse that ran well in those Cheltenham staying handicap chases and has a current National entry is worth pricing up. The going is expected to be good to soft at Aintree, which opens the field to most types.

Lossiemouth: Champion Hurdle winner

Lossiemouth won't run in the National. She's a two-mile hurdler. The Aintree Hurdle on the Thursday of the meeting (two miles four furlongs) is a more natural next target if connections choose to run her before Punchestown.

Betting angles for the Grand National

Using Cheltenham form sensibly

Cheltenham form translates to Aintree better than many punters assume, but not in the way they expect. Gold Cup winners rarely win the National. The National is a handicap, run at a different pace, over different fences. The horse who finished fifth in the Gold Cup, got a Racing Post Rating of 165, and has a National mark of 158 is more relevant than the winner who won't enter.

The most useful Cheltenham form for the National comes from:

• The Kim Muir (amateur chase, four miles at Cheltenham)
• The National Hunt Chase (four miles, Cheltenham)
• Staying handicap chases (three miles plus at Cheltenham or elsewhere in February/March)

If you backed a horse in any of those races who ran well without winning, check their National entry. A horse with a Racing Post Rating of 155-165 and a handicap mark around 150-155 is in the sweet spot for the National weights.

The each-way structure

The Grand National pays five places each-way at most bookmakers, occasionally six with non-runners reducing the field. At prices of 20/1 and above, each-way betting at 1/5 odds for five places gives meaningful return even for placed finishes. With 40 runners, picking the winner is hard. Picking a horse to finish in the first five is a more achievable target with disciplined selection.

What to avoid

Avoid horses running the National as a consolation for a disappointing Cheltenham. A horse that travelled badly through the Gold Cup and finished tailed off is not suddenly going to jump 30 fences well four miles through a 40-runner field. Tiredness after a Festival run is real. The three-week turnaround is short for top-level horses.

The National rewards fresher horses who haven't had a hard Festival campaign, handled the peculiarities of the course before, and have form over similar distances in handicap company.

For the full ante-post market and confirmed entries, see our Grand National 2026 preview.

FAQ

When is the 2026 Grand National? Saturday 4 April 2026. The meeting at Aintree runs from Thursday 2 April to Saturday 4 April.

Will Gaelic Warrior run in the Grand National? No. The Gold Cup winner is expected to be put away for the season. The National is a fundamentally different race and is not a typical next step for Gold Cup horses.

Does Gold Cup form translate to the Grand National? Rarely on a direct basis. The National is a four-mile-two-furlong handicap over very different fences. Gold Cup form matters more as a stamina benchmark than as a direct pointer.

Which Cheltenham Festival horses are likely to run at Aintree? Inothewayurthinkin (Gold Cup third) has a confirmed entry. Others with staying chase form from the Festival may also be declared. Check the final declarations closer to the race.

Where can I find the Grand National runners and odds? See our Grand National 2026 preview for the ante-post market and key contenders. For the Aintree racecourse guide, see our Aintree Racecourse guide.

Where to bet on UK racing: see our bookmaker reviews and offers for the current welcome offers, Best Odds Guaranteed coverage, and each-way terms ahead of upcoming UK + Irish racing.

Sources & verification

Race details, dates, prize money and trends in this piece were cross-checked against:

• Racing Post: race archive + form database
• Sporting Life: race cards and results
• Wikipedia: long-run historical data

[Source: cross-referenced as of the lastUpdated date in this article's meta.yaml.]