The Grand National, a prestigious horse race in Ireland, is set to take place on April 11th, with entries down compared to last year. Despite this, Ireland's challenge appears strong, having won the race in six of the last seven years. A total of 78 horses have been entered for the Randox-sponsored race, down from 90 last year and 94 in 2024. Willie Mullins, who won the race for the past two seasons, has entered 15 horses, including the last two winners, I Am Maximus and Nick Rockett. Gordon Elliott, who made 26 entries in 2024 and 16 last year, has just 12 in the race this time. If either Mullins or Elliott are successful, they will tie the record for the most National victories by a trainer. Ireland provides 49 of the 78 entries, which is 63% of the initial field, compared to 53% last year and 65% in 2024. Britain supplies the current favorite, at a best-priced 8-1, in last year's fourth-place finisher, Iroko, whose joint-trainers have also entered a smart two-and-a-half-miler, Jagwar. Rebecca Curtis has entered Haiti Couleurs, and Dan Skelton has engaged Grey Dawning, a Gold Cup hope, in a £1 million race. Curtis said, 'Things can go wrong between now and March, it is another option if, for some reason, he did miss the Gold Cup. Whether you would think of the two for him I'm not sure, we'll just see what happens now going forward.' Weights for the National are unveiled at a ceremony in Liverpool a fortnight from now. Horses must have a BHA rating of 130 or above to be eligible to run. There are scratching stages on March 3rd and March 24th, with final declarations being made 72 hours before the race this year, although six reserves will be nominated to ensure a full field of 34.
