The top 5 most backed Grand National runners before today's entries deadline

As the pass the deadline for entries to the 2025 Grand National, punters have already been flocking to support their favourites. 

In this article, Oddschecker Unlimited's Ginger Joe delve into the five most backed contenders for this year’s race, ordered according to the % of bets through oddschecker since the start of the Jump Season. 

These horses have certainly captured the attention of bookmakers and punters! 

Whether it’s their impressive form, standout pedigree or a proven ability to conquer Aintree’s famous course, these runners are shaping up to be the ones to watch.

Leading Grand National Runners

I Am Maximus

The first horse we are going to take a look at is last year’s winner I Am Maximus who has been well supported all season long. 

He gave Willie Mullins his second winner of the Grand National with his first coming all the way back in 2005 when Hedgehunter won the race under Ruby Walsh.

Since then Willie Mullins has turned into the number one national hunt trainer across England and Ireland and is targeting his recent hero at the same race in 2025. In last year’s Grand National he was sent off as the 7/1 joint favourite and justified the price tag by winning by over seven lengths off a mark of 159. 

He travelled smoothly and jumped superbly well the entire way round and it is no surprise to see him so popular in the market again for this year’s race. He will have a bigger task on his hands this time though as at the time of writing this he is on a mark 10lbs higher at 169, but with the way he won the race last year, he would be dangerous to underestimate! 

He has had the one run this season which came in the Savills Chase over Christmas at Leopardstown where he didn’t complete the race but it’s fair to assume that he is being targeted and primed with one big race in mind in April. 

His next run will be in the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival this coming weekend but all roads lead to Aintree for I Am Maximus and he is sure to be primed for the day. It’s no surprise to see him well supported and despite the rise in the weights, I can’t see him being too far away in a bid for back-to-back Grand Nationals!

Intense Raffles

Next up we take a look at the 2024 Irish Grand National winner Intense Raffles who was supremely impressive at Fairyhouse last year. 

He had actually won twice at the same venue prior to his Irish Grand National win and now looks an ideal candidate for the English version in 2025. He is a 7yo by Martaline who produces plenty of smart staying chasers and Intense Raffles still looks well handicapped at this stage of his career. 

He has been very progressive and similar to I Am Maximus, he is also likely to be trained with one big day in mind this season and I can see why he has proven so popular in the market. He is a very strong traveller, he has bags of stamina, and with the Grand National being a more classy race these days you need a bit of speed at the finish which he has shown us already. 

Now when he gets to Aintree in April, this will be his first attempt at 4 miles plus but he looks like he will stay the trip no problem at all and I think he is one of the more likely winners when you look at his credentials on paper. 

He is coming into his prime, he looks well handicapped, he has proven he can jump well over the longer trips and he has to be considered for this year’s renewal.

We have had many big-named owners win the Grand National and it would be great for the Munir and Suede partnership in the double green if they were able to add their names to the list.

Kandoo Kid

The Paul Nicholls trained Kandoo Kid has been the surprise package so far this year and has been well-supported since his win in the Coral Gold Trophy (formerly Hennessy Gold Cup). 

He is a very lightly raced horse considering he is a 9yo but on his first attempt past 3 miles, he put in a career best to win the Coral Gold Trophy and that performance threw his name right into the mix and it’s no surprise to see him well supported. 

That has been his only start this and by the sounds of it, the plan is for him to go straight to Aintree next without a prep run, but the fact he won well fresh last time out suggests that it could be a wise move to save him for the big day. His credentials on paper for the most part give him a chance in the Grand National. 

He is a strong traveller by Kapgarde who seemingly does his best work late on in the race but he is going to have to prove he can stay the extra mile when he gets to Aintree, and that is a complete unknown at this stage. 

His trainer Paul Nicholls has had Grand National success before with Neptune Collonges and Kandoo Kid will be looking to follow in his footsteps. He certainly makes the lineup more intriguing here and could be the surprise package in the field!

Iroko

Iroko is one of the horses that just continues to be well supported ahead of this year’s Grand National. He is owned by JP McManus who also owns last year’s winner I Am Maximus and his trainer combination of Greenall and Guerriero have made it no secret of their intentions to run Iroko in this year’s race. 

The Grand National is a much classier race than what it used to be and I would say Iroko fits the bill of the exact type of horse that would thrive in this staying division. He is an absolutely superb jumper of a fence and has already shown good form around Aintree placing on both of his starts there and still remains unexposed off his current mark. 

He is by a horse called Cokoriko who produces smart staying chasers and he offers credentials very much suited to the staying trips. Iroko is off a mark of 152 at the time of writing this article and he surely has scope for improvement off that mark. 

I would say with the likely opposition that are going to turn up for this race, that Iroko will surely be one of the best handicapped horses in the field and has the class to run in Grade 1 company too so he has to be considered for this year’s renewal.

Nick Rockett

Last year’s winning trainer Willie Mullins is likely to have a handful of runners in this year’s Grand National and one horse that has recently thrown his hat into the mix is Nick Rockett. 

He is a lovely gelding by Walk In The Park and he has shown a ton of stamina in his last four starts past the 3 mile mark and has actually improved for each of those four runs. He is a lightly raced 8yo who looks ground versatile and he just seems to be becoming more and more professional as he gets more experience under his belt. 

Just last week he was chucked into the deep end and won the Thyestes Handicap Chase and just kept finding all the way to the line even when he was pressured by his nearest rival Velvet Elvis. This was a highly competitive Grade 3 and he passed the test with flying colours and the fact he went close over 3m4f last season is also a major plus. 

Nick Rockett is what I would call your typical old school national hunt steeplechaser and he is bred to stay all day long. As mentioned he is by Walk In The Park but he is also out of a dam by Flemensfirth so he is all stamina and could well improve again when he gets to Aintree in April. 

This is a horse on a steep upward curve over the staying trips and the money that has come for him in the market looks fully justified with the credentials on offer.