The Grand National takes place at Aintree on Saturday, 11 April 2026, and as always, the race will have no shortage of big-name handlers hoping to taste victory for the very first time. Willie Mullins has won it back-to-back, Gordon Elliott has three victories to his name, and Ireland continues to dominate the trainers’ standings, but some of the most compelling stories this year belong to the British handlers who are still waiting for their moment.
If you want to bet on Grand National runners and follow the market as the field takes shape, the ante-post prices are already moving with plenty of interesting stories developing across the yards. Here’s a look at the trainers with strong 2026 entries who are yet to get their name on the roll of honour.
Dan Skelton
Dan Skelton is one of the most progressive British trainers in recent years and has come close to claiming the trainers’ championship title, yet the Grand National has so far been out of reach. His best finish came with Blaklion in 2021, when his brother Harry brought the horse home in sixth.
In 2026, he has two particularly promising entries in Panic Attack and Grey Dawning. Panic Attack is the standout, currently joint fifth in the ante-post market at 20/1, and it’s easy to see why she has attracted so much support. The sole mare entered in the race this year has been in sensational form, winning both the Paddy Power Gold Cup and the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury.
Grey Dawning won the Turners Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham in 2024 and is available at 66/1, making him more of an each-way outsider than a genuine market contender. Both horses give Skelton a stronger hand at Aintree than he has ever held before.
Rebecca Curtis
Welsh trainer Rebecca Curtis arrives at Aintree in 2026 with arguably the most talked-about horse in the entire field. Haiti Couleurs won both the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse and the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow and is among the leading fancies, ridden by champion jockey Sean Bowen.
Curtis has never trained a Grand National winner, but she has never been this close to doing so either, and the horse’s combination of class, stamina, and course suitability makes him a serious contender to give her yard a historic first.
Nicky Henderson
No trainer in British racing carries a more notorious Grand National blank than Nicky Henderson. He has been entering horses since 1979, when Zongalero finished second by just one and a half lengths to Rubstic, and has never won it despite being one of the most decorated trainers in jump racing history.
His sole entry for 2026 is Handry, available at 100/1 in the ante-post market. It would take a dramatic turn of events for him to give Henderson that long-awaited first National victory.
Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero
Joint trainers Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero had the race in their hands last year with Iroko, the 13/2 favourite who ultimately settled for fourth behind Nick Rockett. The eight-year-old heads into 2026 as one of the most experienced horses in the field, owned by JP McManus and likely ridden again by Jonjo O’Neill Jr. The combination of an experienced jockey, a leading owner, and a horse who clearly handles the Aintree fences well makes this one of the most likely first-time winning stories in the race this year.
