I AM Maximus is the ninth horse to win the Grand National more than once, and the first since Red Rum in 1977 to both regain his crown and shoulder top weight to victory.
Three-time winner Red Rum dominates from a statistical viewpoint, including his record of carrying top weight to two wins and two seconds, but I Am Maximus must be considered the classiest winner of the race since World War II, and maybe ever. His Timeform rating of 171 is by far the best posted by a winner since that august organisation started rating jumps horses in the early 1960s, placing him 5lb ahead of Red Rum’s peak Aintree figure, and 6lb ahead of fellow dual winner Tiger Roll.
I Am Maximus provided owner J.P. McManus with a record-setting fourth win in the race, gave Willie Mulllins three-in-a-row, and provided Paul Townend with win number two in the race.
This victory was further justification for the decision taken by Ger O’Neill in Capital Stud to repatriate the sire of I Am Maximus, classic winner Authorized (Montjeu), from Turkey in 2024. Some felt that bringing a 20-year-old stallion back did not make sense, but breeders disagreed. In the aftermath of his return, Authorized has covered more than 220 mares in his first two seasons, and this year he has a smaller book, but a very select one.
The Group 1 Derby winner Authorized also won the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy and Juddmonte International, was Europe’s champion three-year-old colt, and stood for a fee of €12,500 in his last year in Turkey. He was under the Darley banner in Britain, Ireland and France before he covered for the first time in Turkey in 2020, commanding a high in his first two years of £25,000 at Dalham Hall and €25,000 at Kildangan.
Authorized has been a consistent source of winners at the highest echelons in both codes. His flat winners at the top level consist of four-time Group 1 winner Hartnell, Ambivalent, Complacent, Pounamu, Santiago and Seal Of Approval. His daughters have produced the Group 1 winners Top Rank, Etoile and Teona.
History books
Over jumps he has a place in the history books as the sire of two dual Randox Grand National winners in Tiger Roll, also successful in the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle, and I Am Maximus. Other notable winners under National Hunt rules include Grade 1 winners Nichols Canyon (eight top level wins), Echoes In Rain (two wins), Readin Tommy Wrong and Let Me Love, the latter in France.
Previously winner of the BoyleSports Irish Grand National, the French-bred I Am Maximus captured the Grade 1 Drinmore Novice Chase, also at Fairyhouse, and we must not forget that he was runner-up at Aintree between his two victories there. His Irish Grand National win was his first run in the colours of McManus.
Bred by good friends Ron Huggins and George Tiney, I Am Maximus sold as a yearling at Arqana to Horse Racing Advisory’s Hubert Barbe for €26,000. He made a winning debut in a Cheltenham bumper when trained by Nicky Henderson for the late Mike Grech, and won over hurdles and was runner-up to Hillcrest in a listed hurdle race at Cheltenham before running fourth in the Grade 1 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. He also has a couple of Grade 1 placings over fences.
Polysheba
Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer) is responsible for both I Am Maximus’ grandsire, Montjeu (whose sons and a grandson has a memorable Aintree), and the gelding’s damsire, Poliglote. The National hero is one of six winners out of the stakes-placed French and US winner Polysheba, purchased by Ron Huggins for just €7,500 at Osarus. Her first four winners were successful on the flat, her fifth is I Am Maximus, while her sixth successful produce is a full-brother to the National winner, All Authorized (Authorized), a useful sort who was a €110,000 Goffs Land Rover Sale graduate and has won a bumper and two hurdle races. The latter was the last of 11 foals from his dam.
Polysheba was among eight winners out of Ganasheba (Alysheba); the only other to earn blacktype was her full-brother Assurer (Poliglote), and he did that twice over hurdles at Auteuil. Ganasheba placed nine times but never managed to get her head in front. She had two stakes-winning half-brothers, and both were special.
Cahill Road (Fappiano) won the Grade 1 Wood Memorial Stakes, but his efforts paled in comparison with his year-older full-brother, Unbridled (Fappiano). He was the best of his generation at three when winning the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, later adding the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic. He has gone on to become an influential stallion.
THE Grade 2 Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk National Hunt Flat Race drew the three-day Aintree meeting to a close, with a field of 20 runners. The race has a storied history, producing many winners who have gone on to better things, and the prospects are bright for the winner of this year’s renewal, a horse who could take high order among novice hurdlers next season.
On a memorable occasion for champion trainer-elect Dan Skelton, Forthfactor (Wings Of Eagles) gave him his fourth win on Grand National day, and in the process took the five-year-old gelding’s record to three bumper wins in four starts. Bred by Joe O’Donoghue, Forthfactor sold to Tom Weston as a foal for €6,500 in December 2021, and in February 2025 made a stylish winning debut in the trainer’s colours at Hereford.
Sold privately afterwards, Forthfactor reappeared last November at Hexham and carried a penalty when doubling his winning score. A first attempt at getting blacktype in a listed bumper at Ascot did not materialise, with a fifth-place finish, but the gelding benefited from a break and now can rest for the summer before embarking on the next stage of his career.
Forthfactor has what would be described as a good old-fashioned Irish jumping pedigree. He is the second produce of his dam Kitty Russell, a daughter of the Group 2 Touch Of Land (Lando) who enjoyed moderate success at stud. Kitty Russell raced for four seasons in point-to-points, made 16 starts, and was a fortunate winner of a race at Dromahane. The favourite fell three out when making his challenge, and then another mare exited at the last when looking like the winner.
Longevity
Kitty Russell had three winning siblings, among them her full-brother Touch Screen (Touch Of Land) who won a pair of chases at the ages of seven and 10. Longevity is a feature of this family, as Kitty Russell’s other winning siblings are full-brothers Capard King (Beneficial) and Lotus Pond. The former won six times, equally divided between hurdles and fences, and gained the last of his victories at the age of 10. Lotus Pond (Beneficial) was successful 10 times in point-to-points before running up a sequence of three chase wins, again at the age of 10.
Kitty Russell’s dam Capard Lady (Supreme Leader) was a full-sister to Keen Leader, a smart runner for Jonjo O’Neill. A bumper and three-time hurdle winner, once at Grade 2 level, Keen Leader was successful four times over fences, and three of these were in Grade 2 races. He was a winning graduate of the Irish point-to-point scene.
Wings Of Eagles is a son of Pour Moi (Montjeu) and has stood at The Beeches Stud since completing one season at Haras de Montaigu. He sired a couple of stakes winners on the flat in France, while his Irish crops now include three blacktype winners, Forthfactor, listed hurdle winner and Grade 1-placed Mes Ailes, and the listed bumper winner Churchfield Sunset.