The legendary three-day meet at Aintree is over for another year, and it would be fair to say that this year’s edition of the Grand National was a hugely popular one for the sport. Competitive fields throughout the meeting led to many fans question whether this year’s Aintree fixture overshadowed the Cheltenham Festival, and it would be hard to argue against that sentiment.
There were some huge performances at the Festival in Liverpool this year, with some of the best horses to bet on today in full display.
But, who were some of the best performers from the Grand National meet at Aintree, one of the most iconic racing spectacles in the UK?
I Am Maximus
It would be hard to start anywhere else other than the dominant winner of the 2024 Grand National. I Am Maximus was well found in the betting for the showpiece race of the three-day meet, and the eight-year-old carried a lofty weight with great success to finish a storming seven lengths clear of the field.
The win was his fourth over fences, and connections have already ear-marked a potential bid for the Cheltenham Gold Cup next year based on his excellent performance. The National winner was also a second victory in the race for legendary Irish trainer Willie Mullins, and the trainer could now be on course to achieve the UK Trainers’ Championship for the first time in his illustrious career.
There was no shortage of excellent performances behind the winner of the National. That includes Delta Work for Gordon Elliott, who has now finished fourth and second in the National. Delta Work gave Rachael Blackmore an excellent spin to take third, while Galvin defied a lack of market support to roll back the years to take fourth ahead of Kitty’s Light.
Corach Rambler
There weren’t many underwhelming performances in the National this year, but one of the biggest disappointments would have been the defence of Corach Rambler, for Lucinda Russell. He was a stunning winner of the race in 2023, and he came to Aintree in arguably better form than ever after finishing third in the Gold Cup.
However, he wasn’t able to join legends such as Tiger Roll and Red Rum in defending his title after unshipping his jockey at the very first fence. Connections admitted that they were disappointed with the result, but it will be all systems go for a return to the National in 2025.
Gerri Colombe
While the National takes a lot of headlines at the three-day Aintree meet, it was a very competitive period of racing in Liverpool. The opening day was all about a number of Grade One prizes, and there were few better performances than Gerri Colombe in the Bowl Chase.
The Gold Cup runner-up encountered no shortage of issues for Jack Kennedy throughout the race, but he managed to get up to win by a comfortable margin. It was a pleasing result for Gordon Elliott, and one that will once again have connections dreaming of a Gold Cup bid at Cheltenham next year. It could be hard to argue against him having a solid chance based on his best form.
Nicky Henderson
The 2024 Cheltenham Festival will be one that Nicky Henderson would be happy to forget about in a hurry, with the much-loved trainer forced to pull all of his top runners from the event. However, the Aintree meeting was a comeback story for the ages for Henderson.
His week got off to the perfect start with the return to form of Sir Gino, who landed the G1 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle by a widening three lengths margin from Kargese. Jonbon would also get his career back on track with a strong jumping performance in the G1 Melling Chase to beat Conflated by over a length. It was a welcome sight to see the Henderson form boosted, and the trainer is now targeting a potential trip to Punchestown with some of his stars next month.
Brighterdaysahead
It was always going to take an impressive winner to take some of the shine off the Grand National, but we could have seen a potential star for the future in the G1 Mersey Novices’ Hurdle. Brighterdaysahead was the apple of Gordon Elliott’s eye before the Cheltenham Festival, but she failed to convert that lofty reputation into victory in the Mares’ Novice Hurdle.
However, memories of that runner-up finish are now in the past, as she was sensational at Aintree this year. She cruised around the track in Liverpool with Jack Kennedy aboard, eventually finishing over seven lengths clear of stablemate Staffordshire Knot. It will be fascinating to see what connections do with the five-year-old going forward, but chasing has been teased, with a potential run in next year’s Turners’ already on the agenda.
