It was a bad day at the office for bookmakers on Saturday as I Am Maximus stormed home to win the Aintree Grand National.
Willie Mullins’ horse had attracted plenty of support from punters as he was pushed into market favouritism, and that bullishness was franked by a fine run from the eight-year-old.
With regular Mullins sidekick Paul Townend in the saddle, I Am Maximus settled in mid-field and produced a tidy jumping show around Aintree’s famed Grand National circuit, before asserting his superiority on the run-in for home.
Minella Indo and Delta Work, both proven performers at the Cheltenham Festival, travelled nicely, but I Am Maximums stayed on beautifully to land victory by more than seven lengths.
This was a unique edition of the Grand National, with only 32 horses taking to the start line as part of safety changes made by the BHA and Jockey Club.
And there was a feeling that the fences were made a little easier to navigate too, with 21 horses finishing the race – the highest number since 1992.
| Fence | Fell | Unseated Rider | Brought Down | Pulled Up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 11 |
Although 34 horses were set to contest the race, on Saturday morning two horses – Chambard and Run Wild Fred – were declared non-runners. They had both been found to be lame.
And so only 32 started… the smallest Grand National field since 1999.
First Circuit
Fence 1
- Unseated Rider: Corach Rambler
Corach Rambler, the defending champion, was the long-time ante post favourite for the 2024 edition too.
But punters were left aghast when the horse stumbled at the very first fence and unseated Derek Fox – a calamity for backers of the 15/2 fancy.
Fence 9
- Pulled Up: Stattler
The safety changes made by the Jockey Club were clear for all to see over the fist circuit of the race, with the rest of the 31-strong field making it to the ninth fence, Valentine’s Brook, without further departures.
But it was here that another Willie Mullins horse, Stattler, would be pulled up after jockey Patrick Mullins reported that he had made a ‘respiratory noise’.
Fence 15
- Unseated Rider: Mr Incredible
- Unseated Rider: Mahler Mission
Even accounting for the safety changes, there are still some almighty fences to overcome on the Grand National course – not least The Chair, which is the fifteenth obstacle on the first circuit.
And it was here that two horses, Mr Incredible and Mahler Mission, would unseat their riders; Brian Hayes and Ben Harvey respectively.
Second Circuit
Fence 21
- Pulled Up: Mac Tottie
Given that jumping conditions were easier on Saturday than in Grand Nationals past, it was no surprise that a decent pace was maintained despite the soft ground at Aintree.
And that would manifest itself at the business end of the renewal, with a number of horses pulled up – Peter Bowen’s Mac Tottie the next to be stopped ahead of the 21st fence.
Fence 26
- Pulled Up: Farouk D’Alene
The 100/1 longshot, Farouk D’Alene, was pulled up by Donagh Meyler ahead of the 26th fence.
Fence 27
- Unseated Rider: Glengouly
Glengouly, another of the sizable Willie Mullins contingent, actually led the 2024 Grand National after 19 fences had been jumped.
But he weakened thereafter, before clipping the 27th fence – Michael O’Sullivan was unseated amongst the drama.
Fence 29
- Pulled Up: Chemical Energy
- Pulled Up: Foxy Jacks
- Pulled Up: Minella Crooner
Having ran for the best part of four miles, the punishing tempo eventually caught up with three horses ahead of the penultimate fence.
Chemical Energy, Foxy Jacks and Minella Crooner were all pulled up by their respective jockeys, leaving 22 left in the field ahead of the final flight.
Fence 30
- Pulled Up: Janidil
Although Janidil safely navigated the final fence, jockey Jody McGarvey pulled up his mount after seeing just how tired his jump was.
So the 2024 Grand National would enter the record books: this was the first edition of the race in history that no horse had fallen.