Grand National 2026: Who is the favourite to win at Aintree and what price are they? | Wales Online
Need to know
The Grand National is set to take place at Aintree on Saturday
I Am Maximus won the Grand National in 2024(Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Everything you need to know about the favourite to win the Grand National
I Am Maximus tops odds: The 2024 champion is a current 13/2 favourite at the time of writing. The Willie Mullins-trained horse is widely considered the most accomplished contender, having also been runner-up last year.
Panic Attack leading contender: Panic Attack is the second favourite to win at odds of 8/1. She previously won the Coral Gold Cup and can make history as the first mare to triumph at the Grand National since Nickel Coin 9n 1951.
Grangeclare West chances:Another member of the Mullins stable, Grangeclare West is priced at 17/2, following a third-place finish in 2025. Jockey Patrick Mullins will hope to guide the horse to victory.
Jagwar in contention: The seven-year-old is a newcomer at Aintree but is valued at 10/1. Impressive performances at Cheltenham have led to considerable movement in the betting markets.
Johnnywho in the top five: Carrying the same odds as Jagwar, Johnnywho completes the top five contenders. He recently won the Ultima Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and trainer Jonjo O’Neill is confident of the horse’s staying power.
Nick Rockett a non-runner: The reigning Grand National champion was withdrawn from the marquee race earlier this week. A self-certificate citing coughing means Nick Rockett will not have an opportunity to retain the title.
Major withdrawal: Pied Piper had been the first reserve but was also ruled out because of mobility issues. It means Imperial Saint is a late addition to the 34 runners at Aintree.
How to watch on TV: Terrestrial viewers in the UK can watch live on ITV1 and stream it via ITVX, with the main event scheduled for 4pm. For those wanting comprehensive coverage of every race, Racing TV offers an uninterrupted subscription service starting from the first race at 12:45 pm.
Radio Coverage: For those wanting audio commentary, the BBC will be live at the Grand National starting shortly before the off. This service is ideal for listeners on the go and is accessible via DAB radio or the BBC Sounds app.
Olivia Rodrigo has released the music video for her new single Drop Dead, the first offering from her much-hyped third album You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So in Love.
The video, directed by Petra Collins, sees the three-time Grammy winner dancing through the Palace Of Versailles in Paris in a frilly blue dress, running between the rooms before picking up her pink guitar and rocking out.
“You lookin’ like an angel on the walls of Versailles,” she sings on the track. “The most alive I’ve ever been.”
Watch the exciting clip for yourself below:
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On Instagram, the chart-topping singer described Drop Dead as a “new chapter” in the story of her new album.
“It makes me wanna skip around and roll the windows down and make out!” she enthused. “I was lucky enough to film the music video at the Palace Of Versailles a few months ago with the wonderful Petra Collins and I’m so stoked with how it turned out.”
Although Olivia has never directly said who inspired the song, she told British Vogue recently that the “person that the song is about is great”.
In the bridge of Drop Dead, she’s heard singing: “Pisces and a Gemini. But I think we might go really nice together. If you let me stay the night. Well, I think I might just have to stay forever.”
Olivia is a Pisces and Louis is a Gemini, further fuelling the speculation that he is the subject of the song – and, likely, more tracks from her upcoming album.
Olivia Rodrigo and Louis Partridge in October 2025
In the same British Vogue article, Olivia teased that her time with Louis – with whom she reportedly split in December 2025 – in London has inspired her new album.
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She teased: “I’ve spent so much time here over the course of making this album. It has a lot of songs that are London vibes, about experiences that I’ve had here”
The Summertime Sadness singer told the BBC in 2024: “I mean, how has that not happened yet? Can we just say, (singing) ‘it’s only 24 hours in a day’, I wrote that for them, but Sam (Smith, who sang Writing’s On The Wall, the theme to 2015’s Skyfall) you did a wonderful job, really, no I’m just kidding…
Alejandro Garnacho left Manchester United last summer to join Chelsea and could be on the move again
Alejandro Garnacho reportedly made it clear that he wanted to swap Manchester United for Chelsea several months before he left the club. Garnacho left United last summer to join the Londoners in a deal worth up to £40million.
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Since leaving United, Garnacho has made 38 appearances for Chelsea and has scored just eight goals in his debut season at Stamford Bridge.
The Argentina international has been forced to deal with a change of manager during his first season after leaving United, with Chelsea replacing former boss Enzo Maresca with Liam Rosenior back in January.
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Just months after leaving United, a fresh update has emerged about Garnacho’s future, including some insight into his final season at Old Trafford.
The Sun have reported that Chelsea are weighing up whether to cash in on Garnacho just a year after signing the forward from United.
The report also claims that Garnacho was keen to join Chelsea as early as January last year, with the player’s agent said to have made a trip to Stamford Bridge in the same month.
Garnacho’s agent is former Chelsea player Enrique de Lucas, and it now remains to be seen what the future holds for the former United star.
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Last summer, Garnacho expressed a desire to leave United, and was critical of the club’s former manager Ruben Amorim, following the decision to drop the forward to the bench for the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
This was followed by Garnacho being left out of the squad for the Premier League finale against Aston Villa last season, and the forward recently opened up about his final months as a United player.
“I remember that, in the last six months, I was not playing like before at Manchester United,” Garnacho recently told Premier League Productions.
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“I started to be on the bench. It’s not such a bad thing – I was only 20 years old – but in my mind it was like I had to play every game.
“In my mind, maybe it was also on me. I started to do some bad things. But it was just a moment in life and sometimes you have to make decisions. I am really proud to be [at Chelsea] and still in the Premier League at a club like this.
“About United, I have nothing wrong to say about the club, anyone at the club or my team-mates. It was just a moment that changed and life continues. I have no regrets.”
Mohammed Mizanoor Rahman, who owns Norton restaurant Pangea, appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (April 15) charged with a string of offences.
They include three counts of assaulting a child under 13 by sexual touching and two counts of taking an indecent photograph/pseudo photograph of a child.
The 34-year-old, who is also known as Mizzy, did not enter any pleas during the short hearing.
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Rahman, of Durham Street in Stockton, was remanded in custody until his next appearance at Teesside Crown Court on Wednesday, May 13.
The restauranter first opened Pangea on Norton Road in 2023.
The problem has been ongoing, according to Cllr Hilary Fairclough, for several months, usually reappearing after periods of heavy rain.
Council officers tested the water and found it was not untreated sewage as had been feared for locals, though they were unable to account for the smell or colour.
Cllr Fairclough said: “Several residents have reported this to me – they all said it was terribly smelly.
Residents described the small as ‘foul’ (Image: Hilary Fairclough)
“It’s been going on for a quite a long time as well – it was hot on Facebook just before Easter, but some residents have told me its been going on for months, not weeks.
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“I think it was the Facebook pictures that finally got people to take a serious look at it – just the fact that it looked so horrible.”
The sludgy, foul-smelling water flows down the ginnel from Whithill lane, past Highview and the back of Eastgrove Avenue.
There was at first concern that the water was coming from the nearby Sweetloves Water Treatment Plant, though United Utilities investigated this and found this not to be the case.
Despite this, neither United Utilities nor Bolton Council were able to ascertain the source of the water nor what it consisted of.
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The water seems to have formed a thick sludge (Image: Hilary Fairclough)
But United Utilities have install a channel drain on the path to fix the issue, work which they will complete ‘within the next few weeks’.
United Utilities said: “We’ve carried out a number of investigations on site and don’t believe the water to be coming from Sweetloves water treatment works or the wastewater and clean water networks in the area.
“We’ve agreed with the council as a goodwill gesture that we will install a channel drain on the path to direct the water into a nearby road gully which will rectify the issue – this will be done within the next couple of weeks.”
Williams’ cautiousness about going under the knife suggests he still has ambitions to continue on the baize for years to come – and who can blame him.
Last October, at the age of 50 years and 206 days, he beat the mark set back in 1982 by fellow Welshman Ray Reardon to become the oldest winner of a ranking event when he triumphed in the Xi’an Grand Prix.
Even now, having turned 51 last month, he is ranked sixth in the world going into the World Championship this weekend.
“When I was 45 I said I’d like to see where I am in the rankings when I’m 50,” Williams recalled.
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“I’m not retiring, I made that decision years ago. Let’s see where I am in the rankings at 55, that’ll be interesting.”
He may have ruled out retirement but is not feeling quite so confident about his chances at the Crucible this year.
“I’m still fighting. I’m still trying and that’s all I can say,” he said.
“I try my best in every tournament and if you win, great, if you lose, that’s not the end of the world.
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“I’ve been doing this since I was an eight-year-old kid. My father was going down the mines for 30 years, my grandfather for 50 years.
“I’m just travelling around the world playing the stupid game of snooker, getting paid well for it and enjoying it. You can’t put too much pressure on yourself.”
Teenager Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14, went missing in 2024
Olivia Beeson UK & World News Reporter and Kirstie McCrum Deputy Head of News, Live News Network
09:10, 17 Apr 2026
American singer D4vd has been taken into custody following the discovery of a missing teenage girl’s body in his Tesla.
The TikTok sensation, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, faces arrest in connection with the death of the teenager who disappeared in 2024. The Coachella performer became the subject of a grand jury probe into the suspected murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14, after her remains were located in his vehicle in September.
Los Angeles Police Department confirmed on Thursday that the 21 year old is being detained without bail, with the case due to be submitted to the District Attorney’s office on Monday for potential charges.
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The musician has remained silent regarding the case, though his representatives confirmed he is assisting authorities with their enquiries, reports the Daily Star. Information surrounding the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez has been restricted from public disclosure, according to officials.
The court directive prevents any details about Hernandez’s death from being released or published on the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office website. Hernandez’s remains were found inside the boot of D4vd’s impounded Tesla on September 8 2025, after complaints of a foul odour at a Hollywood tow yard.
Rivas Hernandez, from Lake Elsinore in California, was last spotted in April 2024. Following the discovery of Celeste’s body, D4vd called off the remainder of his tour dates, with a representative confirming his co-operation with police enquiries. “D4vd has been informed about what’s happened. And, although he is still out on tour, he is fully cooperating with the authorities,” a spokesperson for the artist stated.
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The LAPD told The Mirror US in a statement: “On September 17, 2025, detectives from the Robbery-Homicide Division served a search warrant on the 1300 block of Doheny Place in connection with the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Several items of evidence were recovered and will be analysed by detectives in the coming days.
“This is an ongoing investigation. Investigators are following up on several leads. Once additional information is available to share with the public, it will be released by the Media Relations Division.”
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Hit Bravo series The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills has been airing since 2010 but series 15 has its lowest viewing figures yet
I first started watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills during lockdown. When the world was forced to stay indoors and socially distance, I found escapism in the glamorous Bravo series, living vicariously through the cast members’ lives.
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Starting with series one, within six months I had caught up on all seasons and soon wondered how I had lived without the lives of Kyle Richards, Lisa Vanderpump and Lisa Rinna in my life.
Over the seasons, the housewives have undergone huge changes, from losing fan favourites to iconic newcomers joining, all while wearing extravagant outfits and being head-to-toe in designer goods.
When series 15 started back in December, I couldn’t wait to get my next fix, although I was sad to have lost one of my favourites as Garcelle Beauvais quit the show during the series 14 reunion.
With new additions such as Amanda Frances and Rachel Zoe, as well as guests Kathy Hilton, Jennifer Tilly and Natalie Swanston, the fivesome joined series regulars Kyle Richards, Erika Girardi, Dorit Kemsley, Sutton Stracke and Bozoma Saint John in a huge shake-up.
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As much as I want to love series 15, which is currently airing, it sadly doesn’t hit in the same way past series do. It appears viewers feel the same way, as series 15 has the lowest viewing figures of a premiere episode.
The series have always seen more than 1million average viewers tune in, with series two bringing in 2.17million for the opening episode, but series 15 had its lowest yet with 0.70. What’s caused this decline?
I personally think that by losing some iconic cast members over the years, from Lisa Vanderpump, Lisa Rinna, Denise Richards and Garcelle Beauvais, while replacing them with relatively unknown celebrities in the Bravo atmosphere, it has left the series feeling disjointed.
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We’ve followed the housewives for years, and the only still-standing cast member from series one in 2010 is Kyle, with her sister Kathy regularly appearing as a friend throughout the franchise. The next-longest cast member is Erika, who joined in 2015; Dorit in 2016; and Sutton in 2020.
While it’s nice to shake up the series with new cast members, we’re not always as committed to their journeys as we are to those of long-standing cast members, so they really have to make an impact during their time on the show.
Thankfully, newcomers such as Jennifer, who has joined as a friend of Sutton’s in a guest capacity, Bozoma and Rachel have breathed new life into the series with their hilarious anecdotes, traffic-stopping ensembles and honest insights into their lives.
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This differs from fellow newcomer, Amanda, who has left the cast and viewers at home just as confused. Described as a ‘world-renowned thought leader on financial empowerment for women’ and known for her manifesting courses, which have divided the cast, Amanda was introduced as someone who had bought Kyle’s former Bel-Air family home.
This caused confusion from the start, as typically, newcomers have long-standing friendships with housewives already on the show or at least a history with them. But with Amanda’s link being bought by Kyle’s former home, she’s found it hard to settle on the series, and the other housewives have been just as hard on her. And this is my main issue with series 15.
Of course, with any Real Housewives series, we’re used to the drama, petty arguments or gossip between the ladies, but series 15 has taken on a new level of pettiness or dare I say it, nastiness.
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Typically, newcomers are given an easy ride on their first series as they settle into the housewives’ dynamics and socialising, but I don’t feel Amanda has been given that grace. Thankfully, Kyle and Sutton have taken Amanda under their wing, but the businesswoman has unfairly found herself and her business under scrutiny.
In one particularly harsh scene, some of the housewives used ChatGPT to dig into Amanda’s life and business, which was relayed back to her, and she hit back at.
Meanwhile, during a group trip to Florence, Italy, the ladies spotted a street vendor selling Venetian masks, which they dubbed ‘Pinocchios’. Newcomer Natalie asked, “Who’s going to be Pinocchio?” to which Bozoma responded, “Amanda!”
As a long-term fan of the show, the excessive scrutiny and behaviour towards Amanda just seems so unbelievably harsh. I understand the ladies might not get on with Amanda or understand her business, but to use ChatGPT to dig into her life and brand her as ‘Pinocchio’ seems way off the mark.
Meanwhile, a big feature of series 15 has been Dorit, who has found herself falling out with most of the cast while developing strong relationships with Bozoma and Rachel as she navigates her messy divorce with husband PK Kemsley. While Dorit’s fiery rows have provided entertainment throughout this series, as we gear up towards the finale, I’m bored with the same narrative.
We’ve seen Dorit storm off from a day out with Kyle and Erica as the trio tried to address their issues, while an expletive-laden dinner with the ladies saw Dorit walk away from a row with Erica.
The latest episode saw Dorit gear up for her book cover party, but with several housewives not attending due to their fallout with the housewife, the series finale, episode 18, is sure to feature the fallout and yet more arguments.
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For the series to succeed, we need to either bring back some fan favourites, introduce housewives with actual history with current cast members, or focus more on the glamorous lifestyles rather than the constant rows.
The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills is available to watch on Hayu.
Every day thousands of passengers board a flight from Manchester Airport, a vital northern travel hub which connects the region to more than 200 destinations across the globe.
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Summer is on the horizon and we will soon be entering one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Over the past few weeks, many holidaymakers have also been jetting off to sunny destinations to enjoy the Easter break, making it a busy time for air travel.
While the travel industry is nearing its peak season for the year, airports have been facing significant disruption.
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Major airlines which operate within the affected region, such as Emirates and Etihad, have now resumed flights. However, the Foreign Office guidance still advises against all but essential travel to the United Arab Emirates.
Despite the uncertainty, travel agents report that Brits are still keen to go on holiday abroad and the appetite for travel remains strong.
Below are the latest delayed (by more than 30 minutes) and cancelled flights from Manchester Airport today (Friday, 17 April) according to FlightRadar24.com, as of 8.30am.
Delayed flights
8.15am Qatar Airways flight QR22 to Doha. Estimated departure at 9.25am.
2.55pm Qatar Airways flight QR28 to Doha. Estimated departure at 3.55pm.
The remains were discovered by fishermen near Peterhead in the North Sea on May 15, 2024.
A skull that washed up on a Scots coast two years ago has been identified as being a missing Norwegian woman.
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The remains were discovered by fishermen near Peterhead in the North Sea on May 15, 2024. Detectives were originally treating the death as unexplained.
They were able to establish that the skull belonged to a 50-year-old woman. Significant searches for the woman’s family went underway, including a reconstruction of her face in a bid to appeal to her loved ones by the University of Dundee.
However, the remains were recently identified as a missing Norwegian woman named Eleah Sneve, who vanished from the city of Kristiansand on April 5, 2024. The DNA identification was only made possible after the 27-year-old was searched for via Interpol’s database.
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The autopsy carried out at the time did not identify any obvious signs of injury. Police are yet to determine how Eleah died, however, they are exploring a number of theories, including whether she was the victim of crime.
Cops in Norway have apologised to Eleah’s family for a failure in procedure. The rest of Eleah’s remains have never been found.
Terje Kaddeberg Skaar, head of prosecution in Agder Police District, said: “The missing person should have been wanted in the Schengen cooperation when the missing person report was received by the police. We have apologised to the relatives that this has not been done. This case shows that we should be looking for people internationally at an earlier time than was done in this case.
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“We are now reviewing our routines at the system level for international wanted persons. We have a great many missing person cases in the district, and it is important that our routines contribute to relatives receiving answers as quickly as possible in the search for missing persons, while at the same time safeguarding the privacy of people who do not want to be found.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “A human skull found by a fishing boat in the North Sea around 150 miles off the coast of Peterhead in May 2024 has been identified as a woman from overseas.”
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