Grand National betting: 2026 Aintree Topham Handicap Chase contenders and tip

Ahead of the 2026 Grand National, Coral previews all of the races taking place at Aintree, continuing with the Topham Handicap Chase on Friday, April 10.

2026 Topham Handicap Chase contenders and tip

A hard race to get to the bottom of, we have a full field of 30 runners taking on the Grand National fences here over the two miles and five furlongs.

Il Est Francais carries top weight, and has had wind surgery ahead of today, which might help him recapture his excellent form of previous seasons, having pulled up on his latest two starts, but it’s probably more likely that he will benefit from this in a run’s time. 

Madara is the favourite, trained by Dan Skelton, having won the Plate at Cheltenham lately, but is 10 pounds higher for that now and might struggle to land another top race. 

Of the Mullins contingent, Ile Atlantique is inconsistent and hard to make a strong case for, while Gentleman De Mee also looks to need to come further down the weights in order to get to the front. 

Warren Greatrex’s Bill Baxter could be overpriced at 25/1. He has gone well on ground like this in the past and could prove to be on a competitive mark. He had wind surgery two starts ago and is a course and distance winner, so has plenty to make him appealing at an each-way price. 

Soul Icon could spring a surprise. He hasn’t been seen since February but starts here on what could be a nice mark and he could go better than his price of 33/1. 

Coral’s big-race tip: Bill Baxter each-way at 25/1

View the Grand National 2026 odds and specials.

All odds and markets correct as of date of publication.