Ginger Joe looks at which horses have a tough task at the weights and which look well handicapped for the 2025 Grand National.
Grand National 2025See All Odds
The 2025 Grand National weights have now been published and it’s time to decide which horses look well treated, and which horses don’t!
Who tops the weights for the 2025 Grand National?
We have a maximum field of 34 and at the very top of the weights we have last year’s winner I Am Maximus (best price 12/1) off a mark of 167 which means he will run with 11st 12lb on his back giving weight away to the entire field.
Last year he won the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse which is a good marker towards the Grand National and he won that day in style before powering clear in the Grand National to win by just over seven lengths. It was a superb round of jumping and a tactically brilliant ride by his jockey Paul Townend and he comes into this year’s renewal with another good chance of making it back-to-back wins in the race.
It will of course be more difficult this year though as I Am Maximus will have to carry 8lbs more than he did last season and in a race which is full of class, he will need everything to go right for him. I suppose the factor that plays into his hands is that his entire season will be based around this one race so he should be primed again for the day, but it is no given that he will be able to pull off this feat.
He will, however, prove very popular on the lead up and on the day of the race and is sure to go off as one of the favourites. He does currently head the market at 10/1, but I am not sure that price will last. This is a big task for the reigning champion, but he fully deserves to head the market.
In last year’s race, Delta Work finished runner up to I Am Maximus off a mark of 157 and remains on the same again this year which has to give him hope of running a big race again.
As mentioned, with last year’s winner going up 8lbs in the weights, this does give Delta Work (best price ) a chance of getting closer or even beating I Am Maximus, but he is now a 12yo and would have to break all of trends if he is to pull off a famous victory in the Grand National.
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Outside of last year’s 1-2, who has a tough task at the weights?
Nick Rockett (best price 16/1) is going to be a popular choice after winning the Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park but he will be stepping into unknown territory here and has a very big task on his hands. There are a few reasons for this and the main one being his handicap mark. He will have to run here off a mark of 163 carrying 11st 8lbs which is 9lbs higher than his latest win and he didn’t win by far the last day.
This of course makes things much more difficult for him and to go with his high handicap mark, he also has to prove he can stay 4m2f because he has never won a race past 3m1f and that is a complete unknown for Nick Rockett.
He is unexposed so there could be more improvement to come from this gelding but at the same time his handicap mark and the distance of the Grand National will be completely new to him and he will have to be exceptional to win on these terms.
The 2023 King George winner Hewick (best price 66/1) is a very notable entry here and gets into the race off a mark of 162. He is a real fan favourite and likely to go off shorter than his current price but he is another horse who is a complete unknown over this trip. It would be quite the fairytale win for connections having cost just £800 and he is the horse that just keeps on giving, but winning a Grand National may be a stretch too far for him.
Another notable entry who will find things difficult on recent form is 2022 King George winner Bravemansgame (best price 50/1) for Paul Nicholls. He is due to run here carrying 11st exactly which may seem a good weight for the class of horse he is, but he has looked very much out of sorts for a long time now and it is hard to see him making a real impact here.
He was once a winner off a mark of 164 so the temptation to back him may be there, but the trip is something he has never attempted and it’s hard to see him being tactically versatile enough to win the race. The three horses mentioned have a lot of ability, but on these terms over this distance, they are very vulnerable.
Who are the horses that look well handicapped in the 2025 Grand National?
The first horse that looks likely to have a big chance in the 2025 Grand National on current terms is the Irish Grand National winner Intense Raffles (best price 16/1) for trainer Thomas Gibney. This is a lightly raced 7yo who won the Irish version off a mark of 140 and even though he will run here off a mark 11lbs higher, he is on a steep upward curve over the staying trips and looks sure to stay the distance too.
He is a horse that seems to get better the further he goes out in trip so the 4m2f looks to be a trip he will relish and I expect him to get heavily involved in this year’s renewal. Carrying a low weight will help his chances and I think he is sure to be a big contender this year.
Another horse that looks sure to go well is the JP McManus owned Iroko (best price 14/1) who looks obviously well treated off a mark of 152. He has shown a lot of ability in his career and as a Cheltenham Festival winner, he brings a lass angle into this race.
If you ran all of these horses in this field off level weights he would surely have the engine to get competitive so the fact that he will be receiving weight from most of the other market leaders has to be a positive. He jumps well, he travels well, and Iroko will prove to be a very popular choice for punters.
I think both Intense Raffles and Iroko look sure to be popular options and with good reason too. They tick a lot of boxes as improving horses who look to be very well handicapped for this year’s race whilst I Am Maximus last year’s winner, won’t be far away.
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Early Grand National Race Predictions
1. Intense Raffles 16/1
2. Iroko 14/1
3. I Am Maximus 12/1
Full 2025 Randox Grand National Weights List
- I Am Maximus 11st 12lb, 167
- Royale Pagaille 11st 9lb, 164
- Envoi Allen 11st 8lb, 163
- Grangeclare West 11st 8lb, 163
- L'Homme Presse, 11st 8lb, 163
- Nick Rockett 11st 8lb, 163
- Hewick 11st 7lb, 162
- Gentlemansgame 11st 5lb, 160
- Inothewayurthinkin 11st 5lb, 160
- Monty's Star 11st 5lb, 160
- The Real Whacker, 11st 4lb, 159
- Minella Indo 11st 3lb, 158
- Appreciate It 11st 2lb, 157
- Capodanno 11st 2lb, 157
- Conflated 11st 2lb, 157
- Delta Work 11st 2lb, 157
- Minella Cocooner 11st 2lb, 157
- Stumptown 11st 2lb, 157
- Beauport 11st 1lb, 156
- Hitman 11st 1lb, 156
- Bravemansgame 11st 0lb, 155
- Chantry House 10st 13lb, 154
- Galvin 10st 13lb, 154
- Perceval Legallois 10st 12lb, 153
- Threeunderthrufive 10st 12lb, 153
- Fakir D'Oudairies 10st 11lb, 152
- Iroko 10st 11lb, 152
- Kandoo Kid 10st 11lb, 152
- Trelawne 10st 11lb, 152
- Idas Boy 10st 10lb, 151
- Intense Raffles 10st 10lb, 151
- Limerick Lace 10st 10lb, 151
- Senior Chief 10st 10lb, 151
- Broadway Boy 10st 9lb, 150
- Coko Beach 10st 9lb, 150
- Farouk D'Alene 10st 9lb, 150
- Fil Dor 10st 9lb, 150
- French Dynamite 10st 9lb, 150
- Mr Incredible 10st 9lb, 150
- Stay Away Fay 10st 9lb, 150
- Zanahiyr 10st 9lb, 150
- Pinkerton 10st 8lb, 149
- Meetingofthewaters 10st 7lb, 148
- Minella Drama, 10st 7lb, 148
- Velvet Elvis 10st 7lb, 148
- Celebre D'Allen 10st 6lb, 147
- Fontaine Collonges 10st 6lb, 147
- Horantzau D'Airy 10st 6lb, 147
- Hyland 10st 6lb, 147
- Monbeg Genius 10st 6lb, 147
