EXPERTS have predicted the type of horse needed to win the Grand National in future – as I Am Maximus was named the ‘best this century’.
Paul Townend produced one of his greatest rides to power the JP McManus-owned supreme stayer home and secure a cheque for £500,000.
Despite being a bit iffy at a few of his fences, the Willie Mullins-trained eight-year-old had loads left in the tank after the last to win at 7-1.
And he had former Gold Cup winner Minella Indo plus ex-Cross Country Chase hero Delta Work toiling behind.
All in all it meant ratings experts Timeform gave I Am Maximus a ‘top-class’ rating of 167 – two better than previous best this century Tiger Roll.
Gordon Elliott’s two-time winner hit a high of 165 after defending his crown in 2019.
The Gold Cup could be on the agenda next for I Am Maximus, who features among a star-studded line-up of JP novice chasers including Fact To File and Inothewayurthinkin.
Timeform’s official verdict said: “I Am Maximus produced the best performance this century by a Grand National winner, eclipsing the 165 rating which Tiger Roll recorded when winning for the second time.
“The eight-year-old carried 11-6 to victory which was a big burden by recent Aintree standards.
“Since the days of Red Rum, only Many Clouds, who won under 11-9 in 2015, has carried a bigger weight to victory.
“You have to go back to 1998 to find a better performance than the one put up by I Am Maximus.
“Suny Bay achieved a rating of 171 from his second to Earth Summit that year, carrying 12-0 and conceding 23lb to the winner.”
I Am Maximus is already 12-1 favourite to win the race for a second time next year.
And, according to Timeform, he typifies the type of horse needed to win the race these days.
With the reduced field and smaller fences, they say the classier horses – and maybe those more at the head of the market – will come to the fore.
Their verdict continued: “The older trio who chased I Am Maximus home – Delta Work, Minella Indo and Galvin – are all Grade 1 winners who’ve been Gold Cup horses in the past.
“They contributed to a high-class result overall which ran deeper than just the winner.
“With a minimum BHA rating of 146 needed just to make the cut for this year’s Grand National, it points to a much ‘classier’ type of horse being needed for the race nowadays rather than the dour, and often older, staying handicappers of the past.”
A responsible gambler is someone who:
