Grand National 2026 - Female Jockeys & Trainers
Five years ago, Rachael Blackmore made history as the first female jockey to win the Grand National - and this weekend she returns to Aintree, not in silks, but as a freshly inducted Grand National Legend and part of ITV Racing's presenting team.
No female jockey will line up in the Grand National this Saturday.
Still, the female influence on the race hasn't gone anywhere - two women are saddling live contenders in 2026, and one of them is chasing a piece of history that's never been done before.
Rebecca Curtis
The most compelling female narrative at this year's Grand National belongs to Welsh trainer Rebecca Curtis, who saddles Haiti Couleurs with champion jockey Sean Bowen aboard.
Haiti Couleurs won the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow last Christmas before following up with victory in the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse in 2025.
No horse has ever completed the treble of Welsh, Irish, and Aintree Grand Nationals.
Earth Summit was the last to win even two of the three in the same campaign, back in 1997-98.
Curtis, a six-time Cheltenham Festival winner based in Pembrokeshire, has been bullish all week.
"Where else do you go with him?" she said. "That is his forte - National-type races. That's where he's done well."
The one concern is weight - Haiti Couleurs carries 11st 10lb, and the last winner shouldering that burden or more was Red Rum in 1974.
But at 14/1, you're getting a fair run at a horse with a proven stamina profile, a reliable jumper, and course credentials that no other runner in the field can match.
Sara Bradstock
The second female trainer with a runner is Sara Bradstock, who sends out Mr Vango at 80/1 with Jack Tudor up.
Bradstock took over the training licence in March 2024 following the death of her husband Mark, the man who trained Coneygree to a famous Cheltenham Gold Cup win in 2015.
Mr Vango is no mug when it comes to this type of course.
He has won three National-style races - Devon, London, and Midlands - and finished second in the Becher Chase over these very fences in December.
His last two runs came on ground too quick for him, and Bradstock has been open that soft underfoot is what he needs.
If the rain arrives at Aintree before Saturday, that 80/1 drifts firmly into interest territory for each-way punters.
Rachael Blackmore
Rachael Blackmore retired from race-riding in May 2025 with 575 career winners and a CV that rewrote the sport's history books.
She joins the ITV Racing presenting team at Aintree this weekend - but not before being inducted as a Grand National Legend on Thursday, with a plaque unveiled and a new non-alcoholic bar at the course named in her honour.
"Seeing my name on the list of Grand National Legends is such an honour," Blackmore said. "I never thought there would be a racecourse bar named after me."
Her 2021 win on Minella Times remains one of the most significant moments in racing history - the first female jockey to win the Grand National, just three weeks after becoming the first woman to be leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival.
She went on to win the Champion Hurdle twice on Honeysuckle and the Gold Cup on A Plus Tard, completing a career that consistently broke barriers others thought were unbreakable.
Her husband, jockey Brian Hayes, rides Spanish Harlem on Saturday - meaning the Blackmore household has a direct interest in the result.
Before Blackmore's breakthrough, Katie Walsh finished third on Seabass in 2012, and Bryony Frost ran a fine fifth on Milansbar in 2018.
Women had shown they could compete at Aintree long before 2021 - but Blackmore smashed the ceiling.
The Verdict
For punters looking at the female-trained runners, Haiti Couleurs at 14/1 is the clear play.
Two National wins, an ideal stamina profile, and a trainer who is anything but intimidated by the occasion.
Mr Vango at 80/1 is an each-way dart for the romantics - and given the conditions he needs, one that could shorten significantly if it rains before Saturday.
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