Grand National winner I Am Maximus stormed to victory just weeks after family tragedy

The victory was Townend’s first in the race, and a second for Willie Mullins, I Am Maximus’s trainer, ­following Hedgehunter’s success, also at 7-1, back in 2005.

I Am Maximus stormed home to win the Grand National 2024 after a family tragedy just weeks ago. The victory was Townend’s first in the race, and a second for Willie Mullins, I Am Maximus’s trainer, ­following Hedgehunter’s success, also at 7-1, back in 2005.

It gave Mullins, whose 94-year-old mum passed away in February, victory for the first time in 19 years. I Am Maximus, who takes his name from a fictional gladiator, was run by Paul Townend.

Townend said: “It’s an unbelievable race and an unbelievable horse and it’s a bit surreal to be honest!" ownend added: “It wasn’t a great start, but the volume of horses pushed him down over the first three and he got a bit careful on the second circuit but I was trying to conserve as much as I could as well.

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“He didn’t get the clearest run from the second last to the last, but it kind of helped me and I had a feeling when I got him out he was going to start motoring in the clear air and he did. The ones in front of me, I’m sure they weren’t looking for me but I had them well in my sights. I was hoping he would respond like I thought he would.

“Gold Cups are Gold Cups and Grade Ones are hard to win. But Grand Nationals are just a bit different. You just need so much luck and I can’t believe it, I’m a lucky boy.” “When he won the Bobbyjo [Chase in February], that showed me he was well up for winning at Aintree,” Mullins said. “It was just what he did to [last year’s National runner-up] Vanillier, he left him for dead.

“He’s a quirky horse and always has been. One day he’ll go out and jump left, another he’ll go out and jump right. You never know what he’s going to do, but he’s shown us how good he is and the Gold Cup next year is going to be his target. He has the class to win the Gold Cup, whereas Hedgehunter might not quite have had it.

“One or two of the fences, he just rubbed the top of them and I thought he might let Paul out over his ears. But Paul said he was only doing just enough to get over them and that’s probably what you want around Aintree. It was worrying to me ­watching the horse, but watching Paul, I wasn’t worried, because of his body language.”