The curtain may come down on the Cheltenham Festival on Friday afternoon, but the competitive action rolls on into the weekend. Topping the bill on Saturday is the highlight of the season from the Staffordshire track of Uttoxeter. 4m2f is the trip for one of the most gruelling staying chases of the season as the runners and riders line up for the 2026 edition of the Midlands Grand National.
Making its debut in 1969, this £160,000 contest boasts links with the Cheltenham Festival via winners The Thinker (1986) and Synchronised (2010), who both progressed from handicapping company to claim the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Whether there is a future Grade 1 star in this year’s field remains to be seen, but following the final declarations on Thursday morning, we have a competitive field of 17 set to go to post. Leading the way is a recent recruit to an Irish yard that is no stranger to Grand National success.
J’Arrive De L’Est to Stay on Best?
Best known as the man behind Noble Yeats, who sprung a 50/1 shock in the 2022 Aintree Grand National, Emmet Mullins is a man to be feared whenever he sets sail across the Irish Sea. Given his record and reputation in staying handicaps, it is no surprise that the bookmakers are taking few chances with Mullins’ sole representative J’Arrive De L’Est.
Formerly based in France with Daniela Mela, this It’s Gino gelding joined Mullins in November and was immediately sent down the Cross Country route. In two starts over the distinctive obstacles, J’Arrive De L’est finished second to Final Orders and Favori De Champdou. With that duo since finishing first and second in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, his form has received a handsome boost in the lead-up to this race. Fresh from riding his first-ever winners at the Cheltenham Festival, jockey James Bowen will bid to keep the good times rolling in the Saturday feature.
Aworkinprogress Ready to Challenge
Like James Bowen, JP McManus made multiple visits to the winner’s enclosure at the Cheltenham Festival, but that was nothing new for the most successful owner in the history of the meeting. Having celebrated success with Laura’s Beau (1992), Synchronised (2010), and Time To Get Up (2021), the man behind the green and gold silks also has a solid record in this event.
JP McManus’s Midlands Grand National Winners
| Year | Horse | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Laura’s Beau | Francis Berry | Conor O’Dwyer |
| 2010 | Synchronised | Jonjo O’Neill | AP McCoy |
| 2021 | Time To Get Up | Jonjo O’Neill | Jonjo O’Neill Jr |
In 2026, McManus relies on the Nick Gifford-trained seven-year-old, Aworkinprogress. Having won one of five starts over hurdles, this son of Soldier Of Fortune has sprouted wings since switching to fences. Successful in six of his seven starts over the larger obstacles, his only defeat came when running as though something was amiss in the Welsh Grand National Trial at Chepstow. He bounced back from that with a strong staying win in the Surrey National at Lingfield and boasts solid claims off this 5lb higher mark. However, with his best form coming on soft or heavy ground, connections will hope for rain to ease the current good to soft conditions.
Silence to Strike for Skelton
Well clear at the top of the British Trainers Championship table, Dan Skelton is on course for a prize money record. However, given the late Willie Mullins surges of recent years, the Warwickshire handler won’t be ready to celebrate just yet. Nevertheless, the £90,032 in first-place prize money for this contest would only help his cause.
A little surprisingly, Skelton has never won the Midlands Grand National but will bid to put that right with Deafening Silence. A Grade 2 winner over hurdles, this nine-year-old has taken a while to find his stride over fences, with his only win coming in a three-runner Class 3 novice event at Warwick.
Deafening Silence? Not when he wins a race like that! 👏
A dramatic renewal of the Grade 2 @Betfair Beacons Winter Novices’ Hurdle 💯 pic.twitter.com/YD0TjJD0tG
— Sandown Park (@Sandownpark) December 8, 2023
Encouragingly, he has posted his best efforts yet since moving up in trip beyond three miles. An excellent third behind Cheltenham Gold Cup challenger Haiti Couleurs in the Welsh Grand National in December, he backed that up with a solid fourth in the Haydock Grand National Trial in February. Only 1lb higher than for that effort here, he looks well worth a crack at this marathon trip.
Snowden Stalwart the Best of the Rest
As the race edges closer, the only other horse trading at a single-figure price in the early market was the Jamie Snowden-trained Git Maker. The 10-year-old is without a win since 2023 but boasts plenty of experience in this type of race, having finished third in the 2024 Scottish Grand National and filled the same position in the 2025 edition of the Haydock Grand National Trial. Unlikely to be found wanting in the stamina department, he could go close under Gavin Sheehan.
Others to note include the Paul Nicholls runner Isaac Des Obeaux, who has never quite fulfilled his potential but may yet shine as a stayer, and My Immortal, who is an intriguing entry for Irish trainer Barry Connell.
The latest addition to the Midlands Grand National roll of honour will be revealed shortly after 3pm on Saturday afternoon.