AINTREE, England – A year ago, Grangeclare West finished third in the famous Grand National steeplechase at Aintree Racecourse, an unlucky performance considering he nearly unseated his jockey after a pivotal jumping error at the 30th and final fence. Since then, Saturday’s $1.34 million Grand National has been a clear goal for the 10-year-old Grangeclare West. Grangeclare West starts on the strength of an important win. On Feb. 21, Grangeclare West won for the sixth time in his 17-race career in the Grade 3 Bobbyjo Chase at 3 1/4 miles at Fairyhouse Racecourse near Dublin, Ireland. The Bobbyjo Chase, named for the winner of the 1999 Grand National, has developed into a key prep race for the Grand National, run at a grueling 4 5/16 miles. The last two winners of the Grand National, I Am Maximus in 2024 and Nick Rockett in 2025, won the Bobbyjo Chase. I Am Maximus is in Saturday’s race for trainer Willie Mullins, who has eight of the 34 entrants. The size of Mullins’s entourage is not a record. Irish trainer Gordon Elliott had 11 of 40 starters in the 2019 Grand National. The field has been limited to a maximum of 34 runners since 2023. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Last year, Mullins swept the trifecta with Nick Rockett, I Am Maximus, and Grangeclare West. It would be no surprise if he did so again on Saturday with his big team. As of Thursday morning, I Am Maximus (7-1) and Grangeclare West (9-1) were prominent in the betting along with Panic Attack (17-2). Nick Rockett was withdrawn on Thursday morning because of a cough. Grangeclare West will be ridden by Paddy Mullins, the trainer’s son. Paddy Mullins rode I Am Maximus last year. Paul Townend rides I Am Maximus on Saturday. Panic Attack, the subject of sustained betting support in recent days, is the lone mare in Saturday’s field and is starting for the first time on the Grand National course, which has larger and tougher fences than a conventional steeplechase. Panic Attack won a chase for mares on Jan. 14 at Newbury Racecourse and was third by 11 1/2 lengths in similar race on March 13 at Cheltenham. Trained by Dan Skelton, who leads all British jump trainers in earnings this year, Panic Attack can become the first mare to win the Grand National since Nickel Coin in 1951. Magic of Light was second in 2019. The Grand National is a handicap. I Am Maximus, winless in six starts since the 2024 Grand National, carries top weight of 166 pounds, two more than Grangeclare West. Panic Attack will carry 145 pounds. I Am Maximus has had three starts in Grade 1 weight-for-age races in Ireland during the current jump racing season, including a fifth-place finish in the Irish Gold Cup on Feb. 2 at Leopardstown Racecourse. Gaelic Warrior, second in the Irish Gold Cup, scored a commanding win in the Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup, Britain’s leading weight-for-age race. The lowest-weighted horses in Saturday’s race, at 144 pounds, are the longshot Twig and Johnnywho, a well-regarded 12-1 chance who won the Ultima Handicap Chase at 3 1/8 miles on March 10 at Cheltenham. :: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for international racing.