AINTREE, England – The gelding with the catchy name had a flashy finish in Saturday’s Grade 1 Grand National at about 4 1/4 miles at Aintree Racecourse. What I Am Maximus did from the final fence to the wire – a distance of slightly less than 500 yards – was nothing less than brilliant. Ridden by Paul Townend for trainer Willie Mullins, I Am Maximus closed from about eighth after the 30th and final fence to take the lead in deep stretch. He rapidly pulled clear to win the $1.24 million race by 7 1/2 lengths as the 7-1 co-favorite with bookmakers. I Am Maximus paid $15 as the favorite in American pools in a field of 32. He was timed in 9:27.68 on soft turf. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. “He showed us how good he is and I think there is more to come,” Mullins said. Mullins said I Am Maximus will be pointed to the 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup at about 3 1/4 miles, the leading weight-for-age race for jumpers. The Grand National is a handicap, and the longest race in Britain. Townend, winning the Grand National for the first time in his 13th attempt, was remarkably poised on the 8-year-old I Am Maximus, who carried 160 pounds, six less than topweight Noble Yeats, the winner of the 2022 Grand National.  Townend kept I Am Maximus toward the inside rail throughout, racing well behind the longshot early leaders Glengouly and Eldorado Allen.  I Am Maximus displayed consistent jumping through the marathon. Through most of the final mile, Townend kept I Am Maximus several lengths behind the leaders before moving slightly closer to the front near the final fence. The stretch of the Grand National has two parts, a run from the final fence to an elbow where the field makes a slight left-handed turn before a run of slightly more than 100 yards to the finish. I Am Maximus was second to 34-1 Minella Indo when the field passed the elbow before quickly pulling away. Delta Work (33-1) caught Minella Indo late to finish second by a half-length. With 65-1 Galvin finishing fourth, the first four finishers are from Irish stables. Limerick Lace, the 7-1 co-favorite finished 10th. There were 21 finishers, seven horses that were pulled up and four that unseated their riders, notably Corach Rambler, the 2023 Grand National winner at the first fence. Noble Yeats finished 19th. I Am Maximus gave owner J.P. McManus of Ireland a record-equaling third career win in the Grand National, preceded by Don’t Push It in 2010 and Minella Times in 2021. Five other owners have won the race three times. McManus’s green and yellow hoop silks are the most familiar in jump racing in Britain and Ireland. Mullins won his second Grand National with I Am Maximus, having won the race in 2005 with Hedgehunter. Mullins is Ireland’s leading jump trainer. I Am Maximus, a French-bred by Authorized, has won 6 of 15 starts since his career began in the fall of 2020 with British trainer Nicky Henderson. I Am Maximus was moved to Mullins in the second half of 2022 and has since won four of 10 starts, including the 2023 Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse Racecourse last April. On Saturday, I Am Maximus won the more prestigious Grand National at Aintree in by far the best performance of his career. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.