Key Points
- Today’s horse racing betting tip was an eye-catcher in the Irish Grand National
- I like a certain type of horse for the Aintree Grand National and he matches up
- His trainer has won the last three renewals of this iconic race and he can win again
Well, the Aintree Grand National was quite the spectacle this year, action-packed and filled with drama right from the start. We witnessed a mighty winner in I Am Maximus, who regained his Grand National crown in style. Form figures of 121 for this race are quite the achievement, but just imagine, he could win it again in 2027, and match the icon that’s Red Rum.
Three of my selections went to post in this year’s renewal: Iroko @ 25/1, High Class Hero @ 50/1, and Champ Kiely @ 33/1. They all ran cracking races, with High Class Hero looking the winner at one stage, and they ended up finishing second, fifth and eighth respectively. Although we didn’t get a return, I was delighted to see them among the first eight home, in a very tough race.
That said, you may just be discovering my articles for the first time and if so, I’m RacingGav and this is Betting.co.uk. I’m the resident horse racing expert here, and I publish several articles every week, all of which are free to access! They are mainly
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If you enjoy antepost betting, which I assume you do if you’re reading this article, be sure to check out my antepost tip for the
2027 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase
at next year's Cheltenham Festival after you’ve finished reading this one.
Betting advice
- Saturday 10 April 2027 - 2027 Grand National -
Argento Boy
@ 66/1 (4 places) -
0.5pt each way
Unibet are offering ÂŁ20 in free bets!
At the time of writing, four bookmakers are offering the
best horse racing odds
of 66/1 with four places for Argento Boy. So I’ve looked at their sign up offers to determine which one to recommend. For me, the standout is Unibet, who are offering £30 in free bets if you sign up and bet £10. Definitely worth doing to catch Argento Boy at a huge antepost price.
I think Willie Mullins can win a fourth Grand National!
Willie Mullins has already won three Aintree Grand Nationals in a row, and there’s every chance he can make it four in 2027. Obviously he has some serious fire power to aim at the race, but I think it’s an up-and-coming Stayer called Argento Boy that could be the answer. At the very least, he represents huge value at 66/1, and in this article, I’ll break down the case for backing him.
Argento Boy was an eye-catcher in the Irish Grand National
On his fifth start over fences, Argento Boy was strongly-fancied for the Irish Grand National in the antepost market. However, with Yielding to Soft going, and most importantly, Paul Townend opting to ride Kiss Will instead, he drifted to a much bigger price. He was eventually sent off at 16/1, with Sean O’Keeffe riding, and carrying the Audrey Turley colours made famous by dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs.
Argento Boy was placed deep in the field and towards the running rail throughout the race. On the whole, I felt he travelled and jumped superbly well, but unfortunately it wasn’t all plain sailing. He made shuddering mistakes at the 11th and 17th, which could easily have ended his chances at that point, but he kept finding more, and managed to stay in touch. The drama didn’t end there either, Kiss Will’s fall three out hampered him, and he was short of room two out. Despite plenty going wrong, he still ran on to finish fourth.
With so much going wrong, many horses wouldn’t even have finished the race, so the fact he stayed on to finish in the first four really impressed me. If he goes down the Aintree Grand National route next year, he will encounter the Irish Grand National winner, Soldier In Milan, but given the manner of that one’s victory, there will be a significant weight swing.
I like a certain type of horse for the Aintree Grand National and Argento Boy matches up
When looking for an Aintree Grand National prospect, I like second season Chasers. However, I particularly like those who have tried their hand in Grade 1 races previously. Even if they came up short, but still ran respectably, this suggests they have some class, but are typically unexposed and open to further improvement. As Argento Boy is just having his first season over fences now, he’ll tick the second season Chaser box by the time the 2027 Aintree Grand National comes around.
He also ran a respectable race in the Grade 1 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, finishing eighth. As the field approached the turn for home, he was racing wide behind the two leaders, and travelling superbly. However, as the pace rose from 31mph to 35mph, he began to feel the pinch and was ridden along. He swung very wide round the bend, and jumping the second last, it was evident he wouldn’t be winning, so he was given an easy ride home by Danny Mullins from that point.
After the Cheltenham Festival, Argento Boy went to Fairyhouse for the Irish Grand National, which I’ve already discussed. That experience will be huge for him and it also gave us a glimpse of his exceptional stamina. It’s a 3m 5f trip, but given the softer conditions, and how much went wrong during the race, I have no reason to doubt that the 4m 2.5f trip in the Grand National at Aintree will bother him. After his win at Naas, Paul Townend was asked by Gary O’Brien if he’d stay a bit further and Paul smirked and said
“I’d say as far as you’d want him to go… staying is his main attribute and they’re the races he’ll be targeted at”. All of which speaks volumes, and strongly suggests that Aintree will be next year’s goal.
Willie Mullins has won the last three renewals of the Aintree Grand National
Willie Mullins has a real stranglehold on the Aintree Grand National at present. He has won the last three renewals, which is a remarkable feat in itself, but he isn’t just winning, he is absolutely dominating the race now.
In 2024, I Am Maximus won, and Meetingofthewaters came seventh. In 2025, the year Nick Rockett won, Willie recorded the 1-2-3-5-7, which is quite frankly ridiculous. While it wasn’t quite such a dominant display in this year’s race, he had another win with I Am Maximus, with High Class Hero placing fifth, and Champ Kiely finishing in eighth. A fair achievement considering that Quai De Bourbon fell, and Willie’s other fancied runners, Grangeclare West and Captain Cody, both unseated.
Willie Mullins has a perfect combination of extremely talented horses, but also serious strength in numbers. That means he always has a handful of horses campaigned with the Grand National in mind, whereas for many other trainers, the race is an afterthought. Panic Attack for Dan Skelton is a classic example, as she was the sole Grand National contender for the Skelton yard. That said she had already won three extremely valuable Handicaps during the season, as well as placing at the Cheltenham Festival.
Can Argento Boy win the 2027 Grand National?
Argento Boy ticks a lot of boxes for me. Staying is his main attribute, so he would be an obvious contender for Willie to campaign for the 2027 renewal of the Aintree Grand National. He was an eye-catcher in the Irish Grand National, showing the stamina that Paul Townend has already spoken about, and leaving the feeling, he could relish the even longer trip at Aintree. I also think that his Irish Grand National run can be marked up significantly, and if he meets the winner of the race at Aintree, he will have a significant weight advantage.
In terms of negatives, he needs to prove he stays 4m 2.5f, but the same can be said for many who attempt the Grand National. I also think he may prefer softer conditions, but he travelled well enough in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase on fast ground, so that gives me plenty of hope. Then there’s his jumping, which leaves a bit to be desired at present. However, he’s still young and I’m hopeful it will come together as he gains experience. I also don’t think Aintree is the jumping test it once was, which could play into his hands.
All facts considered, I think Argento Boy is overpriced at 66/1. There was a lot of promise in the Irish Grand National run and I think he could be headed for the big one at Aintree next year. If he is campaigned for the race, I think he has a great chance. As he’s no longer a Novice after this season, it means targeting marathon races, or heading for open Grade 1 company. I simply don’t think he can compete in the likes of the King George or Gold Cup, so the former is the most likely. With that in mind, I want to get Argento Boy on side early with a half stakes each way bet. We played Iroko at a similar time last year at 25/1, and he ran a stormer to finish second! Hopefully, we can go one better this time around.
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