The Grand National is a race where history, heart and sheer unpredictability collide. While geldings have long dominated Aintree’s gruelling test, mares have occasionally defied the odds — most famously when Nickel Coin stormed to victory in 1951.
Since then, however, female contenders have come up short, with only a handful even making it to the starting line in recent years.
This year, the bookmakers aren’t giving them much of a chance, with the shortest-priced mare currently available at 50/1.
But if there’s one thing we’ve learned from the Grand National, it’s that the impossible can quickly become reality.
Could this be the year a mare finally ends the 74-year drought? Let’s take a closer look at the contenders hoping to make history.
Limerick Lace
No stranger to the list of Grand National runners and riders, Limerick Lace went off as the joint-favourite alongside eventual winner I Am Maximus 12 months ago.
However, she could fare no better than a distant 10th as she was hampered at the Canal Turn and made a costly error toward the finish.
The JP McManus mare is a long way from her 7/1 start price last April—she is currently 50/1 in the ante-post market.
Limerick Lace’s official rating has also gone up from 147 to 151 this year, which is going to make life even more difficult for this likable mare.
Apple Away
Dual Grand National-winning trainer Lucinda Russell would love to complete the hat-trick this year, but it would be a massive upset if Apple Away were to break the mare’s curse and win from 66/1.
The eight-year-old is the Scottish handler’s only entry this year, and looks set to run in the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter on March 15.
She’s been in consistent form this season, finishing second on her last three starts—including when beaten by just three lengths by fellow entry Famous Bridge in the Grand National Trial at Haydock.
A former Grade 1-winning hurdler, Apple Away is on the light side at 9st 11lbs—which is much less than the 10-3 carried by Auroras Encore and Minella Times in recent years.
Fantastic Lady
It’s hard to fathom how veteran trainer Nicky Henderson has gone this long without breaking his own Grand National duck, and it would be somewhat fitting to lift his own curse as well as the mares.
Fantastic Lady would have her work cut out to win the Grand National, though, as the 10-year-old is yet to be tested beyond three miles.
She did run for a respectable six of 24 in the Topham Handicap Chase over the National fences last April, and hasn’t been disgraced in her last couple of outings in Listed Mares Chases with Nico de Boinville.
The upcoming Kim Muir Challenge Cup at Cheltenham will be a test of her stamina over three miles and two furlongs at the commanding Prestbury Park, but she’s 66/1 for the Grand National.
Fontaine Collonges
Venetia Williams caused a monumental upset in the 2009 Grand National when 100/1 shot Mon Mome streaked home by 12 lengths.
Fontaine Collonges isn’t quite as long in the betting at 66/1, but a win for the 10-year-old would still send shockwaves through Merseyside.
A convincing winner of the Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase at Haydock on reappearance, the mare has been pulled up on her last two starts.
