It was a good year for punters at the 2024 Grand National, with a joint favourite coming in first and places for a couple of other well backed runners, and plenty of drama at the end with a strong handful of horses all in contention.
It was the successful pairing of Willie Mullins and Paul Townend that won the race this year, with I Am Maximus being the horse in question, and now tipped for the Gold Cup at Cheltenham in 2025 after a fantastic run at Aintree.
It was a different race than people are used to thanks to a change a the field size and a few other safety improvements, and while there were those that bemoaned these alterations, with a fair argument that they are likely to reduce the number of ‘fairytale’ or ‘story’ races we might see going forward, no one can deny that it was still a thrilling watch.
Results
Non Finishers
| Horse | Fence | Reason | Starting Price | Age | Handicap | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corach Rambler | 1 | Unseated Rider | 15/2 | 10 | 11-6 | Derek Fox | Lucinda Russell |
| Stattler | 9 | Pulled Up | 40/1 | 9 | 11-5 | Patrick Mullins | Willie Mullins |
| Mahler Mission | 15 | Unseated Rider | 18/1 | 8 | 11-5 | Ben Harvey | John C McConnell |
| Mr Incredible | 15 | Unseated Rider | 10/1 | 8 | 10-11 | Brian Hayes | Willie Mullins |
| Mac Tottie | 21 | Pulled Up | 80/1 | 11 | 10-9 | James Bowen | Peter Bowen |
| Farouk d'Alene | 26 | Pulled Up | 100/1 | 9 | 11-1 | Donagh Meyler | Gordon Elliott |
| Glengouly | 27 | Unseated Rider | 100/1 | 8 | 10-7 | Michael O’Sullivan | Willie Mullins |
| Foxy Jacks | 29 | Pulled Up | 33/1 | 10 | 11-4 | Gavin Brouder | Michael “Mouse” Morris |
| Chemical Energy | 29 | Pulled Up | 50/1 | 8 | 10-9 | Danny Gilligan | Gordon Elliott |
| Minella Crooner | 29 | Pulled Up | 125/1 | 8 | 10-10 | Kevin Sexton | Gordon Elliott |
| Janidil | 30 | Pulled Up | 125/1 | 10 | 11-6 | Jody McGarvey | Willie Mullins |
What Happened in the 2024 Grand National?
The 2024 Grand National was the 176th renewal of the world’s most famous race, offering a £1 million prize pool again to be shared amongst the top finishers, with the connections of I Am Maximus, the eventual winner, splitting £561,300 between them.
By starting time, I Am Maximus was joint favourite along with the previous year’s winner, Corach Rambler, who barely raced at all as it happened. Other hotly fancied runners endured equally disappointing races, namely Noble Yeats, the 2022 winner, who at 12/1 got stuck at the back of the pack and stayed there, finishing 19th of the 21 who successfully completed the race.
I Am Maximus Gives Paul Townend First Grand National Win
I Am Maximus won the 2024 Grand National with a bold and brave performance, in which he refused to give up the inside until the time was right to push on.
His owner, J P McManus, will mark the victory down as his 3rd Grand National win, and it is the 2nd for his trainer, Willie Mullins, whose last victory came back in 2005 almost 20 years prior,
For the jockey who guided him to victory though, the victory was even sweeter, especially following his Gold Cup triumph at Cheltenham a month earlier.
Paul Townend may be one of the sports’ most successful jockeys, but the Grand National had thus far eluded him. After taking I Am Maximum past the finish with 7½ lengths between him and Delta Work in second, he said that it was the race that “every young boy with a pony wants to win”.
It was a strong finish from the unpredictable I Am Maximus, but he didn’t half leave it late to assert his authority.
He started on the inside and stayed there for the majority of the race, staying behind but within reach of the leaders on the first circuit, taking all of the fences well aside from a stumble at the Chair, and not really making himself known.
It was Glengouly that led for the majority of the race the first time around the course, but Townend was deliberately conserving every ounce of energy in his horse for later on, asking just enough of I Am Maximus to clear the fences and not fall too far behind.
At the start of the second circuit, I Am Maximum had actually dropped back further, Townend keen not to push him too hard after that mistake at the Chair, but another mistake on landing after Becher’s Brook was a worrying sign.
Clever placement at the Canal Turn helped gain some ground, but even four out I Am Maximus didn’t look likely to make an impact.
But then, Townend moved his horse from the inside slightly and came through a gap to nip the heels of the leaders, securing a fighting chance for himself.
I Am Maximus was in 6th going over the last, then attempted to get close to the rail at the Elbow before switching and going around Minella Indo and Delta Work, and moving into 3rd.
Now, with a clear line of sight ahead of him, I Am Maximus used all of that energy he had been conserving and stormed ahead, the power of youth proving too much for the older more experienced horses left in his wake.
Reduced Runners Improves Safety
This was the first Grand National since the maximum number of runners was reduced from 40 to 34, in an effort to improve safety standards for horses and jockeys alike.
Thanks to a couple of non-runners (Chambard and Run Wild Fred), that number was reduced further to 32 at the start of the race, making 2024 the smallest Grand National field in 25 years.
Another adjustment was the earlier start time in the hope of improved ground conditions, and moving the first fence 60 yards closer to the start to reduce the horse’s speed as they went over it.
This all appears to have done the job it was intended to do, since the race was incident free. Indeed, the only faller was Corach Rambler who unseated his rider at the first then fell at the second, but neither beast nor man were harmed.
There were plenty of non-finishers of course, but all were either pulled up or unseated their riders with no injuries other than a few cuts and bruises.
Here’s hoping for more of the same in 2025.
Bookies Take a Bashing
It’s not usually good news for the bookmaker when a favourite wins a race, but when that race attracts as much attention as the Grand National, it really hurts them.
The previous two days of the festival at Aintree hadn’t been great for bookies either, so they were really relying on the big race to put them ahead.
At 7/1 I Am Maximus was the joint favourite, so he was a risk for the bookmakers, costing them a pretty penny when he charged home after the last.
Brain O’Keeffe of Boylesports said:
“I Am Maximus delivered a knockout blow in the big one for punters as he was one of our biggest liabilities. The placed horses weren’t kind to us either, but there’s always next year!”
Those placed horses were:
- Delta Work at 28/1
- Minella Indo at 28/1
- Galvin at 40/1
- Kitty’s Light at 12/1
In a regular race those sorts of long odds might signify a lack of interest from punters, but at a race as big as the Grand National this is not the case.
Their only real saving grace was Corach Rambler and Limerick Lace, the other two joint favourites who didn’t end up placing.
Moments of Note
- Last year’s winner, Corach Rambler, unseated his rider at the first in huge upset.
- More runners trained in Ireland than Britain, further demonstrating Irish dominance in the racing industry.
- The safest Grand National in a quarter of a century with just a single faller and no significant injuries.
- Glengouly unseated his rider at the 27th, after leading for the majority of the race.