To help those interested in Grand National betting, Coral previews at some of the jockeys to look out for at Aintree this year.
First jockey for Nicky Henderson, who plays a strong hand at Aintree this year after a few near misses at the Cheltenham Festival, Nico de Boinville is lauded as one of the best jockeys for getting horses jumping well. A particularly important feature of racing at Aintree, where the fences come fast around the flat track, this could set his rides apart from the rest in the run up to the Grand National on Saturday.

Willie Mullins’ first rider, Paul Townend’s choice of which horse to ride in a stable where Closutton has numerous runners can be a telling aspect. A rider at the top of his game with an incredible amount of experience riding in a huge variety of Graded races in Britain and Ireland, Townend is a reliable rider who is rarely picked up for making any mistakes. This is the time of year where his trainer is firing all his biggest guns in pursuit of prize money too, which makes him all the more worth following.
Brother of and first jockey to trainer Dan Skelton, the Champion Trainer-elect for the 2025/26 National Hunt season, Harry Skelton will be part of maintaining the lead in these top level races to ensure a comfortable Championship victory for his brother. Though £2million ahead of the next in the league table, Nicky Henderson, Aintree’s prize money could make a big difference to the standings, so Harry will need to be riding at the very top of his game.
JP McManus’ retained rider for the remainder of this season before Harry Cobden takes over the role for next term, Mark Walsh always rides the Gold and Green’s first string. His rides are rarely entered without a chance, and he has some top class horses beneath him this week.
Over 100 winners ahead of the next most successful jockey in the National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship, Coral ambassador Sean Bowen has been untouchable this season. He has maintained a strike rate of 24% and will be legged up on some very smart and able horses at the Grand National festival, including Haiti Couleurs in the feature race itself on Saturday.
Coral has also looked at some of the trainers to watch out for at Aintree this year ahead of the Grand National race.
View the Grand National 2026 odds and specials.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication.