
The 2025 Grand National takes place today, with I Am Maximus aiming for back-to-back victories in one of the world’s most famous horse races.
The full list of runners and riders has been confirmed with the maximum number of horses lowered to 34 for this year’s race at Aintree.
This has been done in an attempt to improve safety, though sadly one horse, Willy De Houelle, ridden by Rachael Blackmore, suffered a fatal injury during day one of the festival on Thursday.
As mentioned, last year’s big race winner I Am Maximus and jockey Paul Townend are returning and looking to become the first back-to-back winners since Davy Russell on Tiger Roll in 2018/2019.
At the time of writing, they are the bookies favourites but before you place your bet, you may want to see what the Grand National supercomputer has predicted.
Analysing the data of winning horses from 1992 to 2024, the supercomputer has determined the characteristics of a ‘typical winning horse’.
This includes looking at the horse’s age, country of origin, trainer, breeding, betting position, past performances and race distance of those performances.
2025 Grand National odds
I Am Maximus – 6/1
Iroko – 15/2
Stumptown – 8/1
Hewick – 9/1
Perceval Legallois – 10/1
Vanillier – 10/1
Intense Raffles – 12/1
Hyland – 18/1
Three Card Brag – 25/1
Monbeg – 33/1
Odds courtesy of Paddy Power
Those characteristics were then compared to the 2025 competitors in order to find which one of the 34 was most like a ‘typical winner’, with all runners and riders then given a winning probability score.
And the results are somewhat of a surprise, with Intense Raffles, the current seventh favourite according to the bookies, the supercomputer’s predicted champion.
The French horse has been given a 95 per cent chance of victory, albeit only very narrowly ahead of Iroko (94.9) and Monbeg Genius (94.7).

I Am Maximus meanwhile is predicted to only finish eighth, with a winning probability of 88.9 per cent.
While Intense Raffles and Iroko are among the favourites, Monbeg Genius is considered an outsider as is Three Card Brag (90.8) and Hyland (90) who the supercomputer also ranks highly.
Of course anything can happen in the 177th edition of the Aintree race which is slated to begin at 4pm on Saturday, April 5 and will be shown live on ITV1 and streamed on ITVX.
2025 Grand National Supercomputer prediction
Intense Raffles – 95%
Iroko – 94.9%
Monbeg – 94.7%
Perceval Legallois – 92.7%
Stumptown – 91.6%
Three Card Brag – 90.8%
Hyland – 90%
I Am Maximus – 88.9%
Probablity of winning according to grandnational.org.uk
‘Iroko has flashed up on a few people’s radar this year as a horse who has been campaigned for this and they have just looked to keep a lid on his handicap mark,’ two-time Grand National winning jockey told Leighton Aspell told Grand National odds.
‘I like the look of Kandoo Kid for Paul Nicholls. Gavin Cromwell’s Vanillier, is also good for a place.
‘He was unlucky at Cheltenham in the Cross Country race when he almost took the wrong course and he still finished third. He has been placed in the National before.
‘They’re both grey and they would be my choices as a jockey!’
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