Grand National Jockeys: Roles, Records and Key Riders for 2027

In most horse races, the jockey is a secondary consideration for the average punter. The horse’s form, the trainer’s record, the odds — these tend to dominate the selection process. In the Grand National, the rider matters more than anywhere else in racing. Four miles and two-and-a-half furlongs over 30 unique fences, with a field of 34 runners jostling for position, demands a level of judgement, nerve and course knowledge that separates the best Grand National jockeys from everyone else. A good horse with the wrong rider can easily come unstuck at Becher’s Brook. An average horse with a jockey who knows every blade of grass at Aintree can outperform its odds.

This guide looks at why the Grand National is uniquely demanding for jockeys, profiles the key riders to watch in 2027, and examines the tradition of amateur riders in the race — a tradition that delivered one of the most remarkable results in recent history and then, in 2026, delivered a bitter twist of fate.

The yards behind them are ranked in the trainer records.

The Jockey’s Role: Why Riding the National Is Unlike Any Other Race

Riding the Grand National is not like riding any other steeplechase. The sheer length of the race means that a jockey’s tactical decisions over the first two miles echo through the final two. Go too fast early, and the horse may not stay. Hold up too far off the pace, and the field can leave you stranded. The art is finding a rhythm — a travelling pace that conserves energy while keeping the horse in a workable position through the pack.

The fences add a dimension of danger that goes beyond normal jump racing. The National fences are unique in construction — spruce-topped and dressed differently from standard park fences — and they punish poor technique. A horse that jumps flat or gets too close to the base of a fence is at much greater risk of falling. The jockey’s job is to present the horse at each fence in the best possible position: balanced, with enough impulsion to clear the obstacle, but not travelling so fast that a mistake becomes a catastrophe.

Course knowledge is invaluable. Jockeys who have ridden the National course multiple times — whether in the race itself or in the other steeplechases held over the National fences during the festival — develop an instinctive understanding of where the dangers lie. They know to take the wider route at the Canal Turn, to sit still approaching Becher’s Brook, to keep something in reserve for the long run from the last fence to the winning post. First-time National riders lack that muscle memory, and the statistics bear it out: experienced National jockeys have a better strike rate than debutants.

The physical demands are also extreme. Nine minutes in the saddle at racing pace, absorbing the impact of 30 jumps, while maintaining the concentration to navigate traffic, adjust to the pace and communicate with the horse — it is one of the most physically and mentally exhausting challenges in sport. Jockeys regularly describe the final half-mile of the Grand National as the hardest stretch of their career.

The 2026 race provided a stark illustration of these demands. Of the 34 starters, only 16 completed the course — one of the lowest completion rates in recent memory. Falls at the first two fences decimated the field, loose horses scattered across the course, and jockey Robbie Dunne was taken to hospital after a nasty fall from Stellar Story. Paul Townend, the winning rider, later described navigating through the chaos as the most demanding ride of his career.

Key Jockeys: Lessons from 2026 and Riders to Watch in 2027

The jockey bookings for the 2027 Grand National will not be finalised until close to race week, but the 2026 race — run on 11 April at Aintree — gave us a clear picture of which riders are best equipped to handle the unique demands of the National. Here are the key names, based on their performances in 2026 and their connections going forward.

Paul Townend — The Master of Chaos

Paul Townend’s ride on I Am Maximus in the 2026 Grand National was a masterclass in navigating adversity. Carrying top weight of 11st 12lb — the heaviest burden carried to victory in decades — Townend steered the 9/2 favourite through a race described as one of the most chaotic in living memory. Loose horses swarmed the course after early falls, several fancied runners exited at the first two fences, and Townend’s ability to find a clear path through the wreckage ultimately separated winner from also-rans.

“He’s tough isn’t he,” Townend told ITV Racing after the race. “I saw the horse in front (Jordans), I wasn’t going to be the one to go chasing them. I was able to get a lead to the Elbow and I didn’t know where the loose horse was going.”

The win was Townend’s second Grand National victory — both aboard I Am Maximus, following their 2024 triumph — making him one of only two active jockeys with multiple National wins. If I Am Maximus lines up again in 2027 to attempt an unprecedented third victory, Townend will be the natural choice to ride him. His combination of Mullins-yard loyalty, big-race temperament, and now proven course knowledge makes him the jockey to beat.

Patrick Mullins — From Triumph to Heartbreak

Patrick Mullins’ story is the most compelling jockey narrative heading into 2027. In 2025, the amateur rider steered Nick Rockett to a 33/1 victory — becoming only the seventh amateur jockey to win the Grand National since World War II. His quiet, intelligent ride, holding off stablemate I Am Maximus in the final furlong, was described by his father Willie as the realisation of a childhood dream: “When I was five or six years old, I was reading books about the National and watching black and white videos of Red Rum. To put my name there is very special.”

The 2026 renewal, however, dealt Mullins a cruel hand. Nick Rockett was withdrawn on the Thursday before the race due to coughing — connections unwilling to risk the defending champion unless he was “110 per cent.” Mullins switched to Grangeclare West, one of the market principals at 9/1, only for the horse to fall at the very first fence, leaving the amateur unseated and his race over in seconds. The contrast between the glory of 2025 and the despair of 2026 encapsulated everything that makes the Grand National both magnificent and merciless.

Notably, Mullins received no prize money for his 2025 victory. As an amateur jockey, he does not receive a riding fee or a percentage of prize money — meaning the £40,000 that would typically go to the winning jockey stayed unclaimed. For 2027, whether Mullins gets another crack at the National — and on which horse — will depend on his father’s entries and the health of the Mullins string.

Jonjo O’Neill Jr — Rising Force

Jonjo O’Neill Jr rode Iroko to a second-place finish at 18/1 in the 2026 Grand National, one of the most impressive rides of the afternoon. Owned by JP McManus and trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, Iroko stayed on strongly in the closing stages and was the only non-Mullins-trained horse in the top two. O’Neill Jr’s patient, measured ride — keeping the horse balanced through the chaos and producing a sustained challenge in the final half-mile — marked him as a jockey with a natural aptitude for the National’s unique demands.

Ben Jones — The Nearly Man

Ben Jones rode Jordans into a remarkable third place at 28/1, having led the field over the final fence before tiring in the run to the Elbow. It was a bold, front-running ride that briefly looked like it might deliver one of the great Grand National upsets. Jones’s willingness to commit early and his horse’s jumping accuracy over the National fences made them a combination that outperformed their odds. Whether Jordans returns in 2027 and whether Jones retains the ride will be one of the subplots of the ante-post market.

Other Notable 2026 Performers

The full list of jockeys who completed the 2026 Grand National — and those who did not — tells its own story about the race’s attrition rate.

For 2027, jockeys with proven Aintree form — those who completed the 2026 course or who have ridden the National fences in other races — will be at a premium. Harry Skelton, who rode the heavily-backed Panic Attack only to fall at the second fence, will be desperate for another chance. Mark Walsh, unseated on Jagwar, and Sam Twiston-Davies, who came off Beauport, are all experienced campaigners who know Aintree inside out. Sean Bowen (Haiti Couleurs, 14th), Keith Donoghue (Firefox, 16th), and James Bowen (High Class Hero, 5th) all completed the course and will carry that experience into 2027.

The wider context is set out in our Grand National betting guide.

Rachael Blackmore: A Legend Inducted

The 2026 Aintree Festival also marked a significant moment in Grand National jockey history. Rachael Blackmore — the first female jockey to win the Grand National aboard Minella Times in 2021 — was inducted as a Grand National Legend on the opening day of the festival. A new alcohol-free facility at Aintree, Blackmore’s Bar, was named in her honour, and a plaque celebrating her achievements was unveiled on the Legends Roll of Honour alongside the likes of Ginger McCain, Jenny Pitman, and Red Rum himself.

Blackmore had announced her immediate retirement from racing in May 2025, closing a career that included 575 winners, 18 Cheltenham Festival successes, the Grand National, the Champion Hurdle, and the Cheltenham Gold Cup. She joined the ITV commentary team for the 2026 Grand National, providing analysis alongside fellow National-winning jockeys Mick Fitzgerald, Sir Tony McCoy, and Ruby Walsh.

Her legacy extends beyond statistics. Blackmore’s 2021 victory transformed the profile of female jockeys in National Hunt racing, and her retirement leaves a void that the next generation of women riders will aspire to fill. For 2027, the question of whether a female jockey will line up in the Grand National — and whether any can match Blackmore’s achievement — remains open.

The All-Time Jockey Record

The Grand National’s all-time jockey record is a fascinating ledger that underscores how difficult the race is to win, even for the very best.

AP McCoy, the most successful jump jockey in history, won the race only once — after fifteen years of trying. The Grand National’s low strike rate even for the best jockeys underlines a point that statistics sometimes obscure: riding the National well is not just about talent, it is about temperament, patience and the willingness to sit and suffer when every instinct tells you to ask for more from the horse.

Paul Townend’s two wins place him among the most successful Grand National jockeys of the modern era, and with I Am Maximus potentially lining up for a third attempt in 2027, he could join George Stevens as the only jockey with three or more victories — though Stevens’s record, dating back to the 19th century, has stood for over 150 years.

Amateur Riders at the Grand National: History and the 2027 Outlook

The Grand National has a long tradition of welcoming amateur riders alongside professionals. Historically, the race was an amateur pursuit entirely — a gentleman rider’s challenge over the most demanding course in the country. That tradition has evolved, but amateurs remain eligible to ride in the race, provided they meet the required competency standard and hold the appropriate licence.

Patrick Mullins’ victory in 2025 brought amateur riding in the National back into the spotlight. An amateur winning the world’s most famous steeplechase is not without precedent — Marcus Armytage won on Mr Frisk in 1990, and Sam Waley-Cohen won on Noble Yeats as recently as 2022 — but it remains rare enough to be genuinely notable. Mullins’ win demonstrated that in a race this long and this unpredictable, the rider’s quality of decision-making can matter more than professional polish.

Amateur riders in the Grand National are allowed a weight allowance — typically a reduction of several pounds from the allocated handicap weight — which compensates for their lower experience. This allowance can make a practical difference in a handicap where every pound counts, and some trainers deliberately target the National with an amateur rider to take advantage of the concession. In the 2026 Grand National, Patrick Mullins was one of several amateurs in the field — but his race ended at the first fence when Grangeclare West fell, a brutal reminder that the National owes no one anything.

Whether the 2027 race features another headline amateur ride remains to be seen. Patrick Mullins, if his father’s entries include a suitable horse, will surely be in contention for a ride — and after the twin extremes of 2025’s glory and 2026’s despair, his story would be one of the most compelling narratives of the race. The Grand National is the one race where the rider’s name on the racecard can matter as much as the horse’s. The rider matters — and in April 2027, the right jockey on the right horse could make the difference between a placed finish and a page in the history books.

For Bettors: How to Use Jockey Information

When assessing Grand National runners, give extra weight to horses trained by yards with a proven Aintree record and ridden by jockeys who have completed the course before. A horse with strong form but an inexperienced jockey and a trainer with no Grand National pedigree is a riskier proposition than one whose connections have done this before. The 2026 race reinforced this: Paul Townend’s second National win came aboard a horse he had already won on, trained by a yard that had won the race for three consecutive years.

Track the jockey bookings in the week before the race. When a leading trainer books a particular jockey for a Grand National runner — especially if it means jocking off an established rider — it sends a signal about the horse’s chance. In 2026, the late switch of Patrick Mullins from Nick Rockett to Grangeclare West was a clear indication of where the Mullins stable’s confidence lay — and the market responded accordingly. The jockey booking is not a guarantee, but it is a piece of information that the market takes seriously, and so should you.