Grand National 2026 grey horses: Odds, runners and previous winners at Aintree showpiece

The Grand National is the showpiece of jump racing and many fans will be looking for a grey winner at Aintree.

The worldwide event showcases the best of British racing and is coming up again this April.

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But one thing that catches the eyes of many spectators of both avid fans and neutrals of the sport at the Grand National is the smattering of grey horses among the field.

Despite their popularity with viewers, grey horses winning the National is very rare.

The last grey to win the Grand National was Neptune Collonges in 2012.

Since then, the appeal of a grey getting over the line has increased with only a handful competing each year since.

Only three grey horses have ever won the Grand National since its inception in 1839.

Grey horses were incredibly prominent at Cheltenham Festival this year too, with the likes of Lossiemouth winning the Champion Hurdle.

Has a grey horse ever won the Grand National?

• The Lamb (1868, 1871)
• Nicolaus Silver (1961)
• Neptune Collonges (2012)

Yes! Three greys have won the Grand National since its inception.

The Lamb won it twice back in the 1800’s but punters had to wait over 90 years for another grey winner.

Neptune Collonges was the first and remains the only winner this turn of the century after a 51-year wait for the third grey victor.

The rarity of this feat is primarily due to their small population in comparison to the rest of horses in training.

Bay coloured horses are considered the most common followed by a few other close variations including chestnut, brown and black.

But still, every year we see the odd grey take on the 4m2f course.

Just three ran in the 2022 renewal out of 40 runners, in 2023 and 2024 just a handful but this year could see the best chance for the fourth ever.

What grey horses are running in the Grand National 2026?

• Marble Sands 66/1
• Hyland 80/1
• Harry Des Ongrais 100/1

This year’s renewal sees just three greys potentially lining up in the Grand National, compared to as many as the seven that took part last year.

The 2025 Grand National saw four of them go close in the betting but the 2026 one now requires a big price to come to the fore to see another grey horse win.

This is just the third Grand National in which 34 runners take to the field instead of 40.

Fewer runners coupled with a higher restriction for a higher calibre of horses to qualify should translate to fewer fallers, unseated riders and those pulling up which was the case last year.

And with the threshold heightened for better jumpers it can naturally rule out many grey horses from competing as the amount of runners in general have been cut down.

Now we wait to see which grey horses progress into the final 34 runners with final declarations upcoming this month and in the days leading up to the big event.

Key dates for Grand National 2026

The following are the next stages for the 2026 renewal at Aintree scheduled for April 11 at 4pm.

• February 11: Weights announced
• March 3: First scratchings deadline (12pm)
• March 24: Second scratchings deadline (12pm)
• April 6: Final confirmations (12pm)
• April 8: Final declarations (10am)

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