Grand National punter wins ‘biggest bet ever’ after £100,000 gamble at Aintree

Grand National punter wins ‘biggest bet ever’ after £100,000 gamble at Aintree Chris Davie Published April 11, 2026 5:35pm Updated April 11, 2026 5:38pm Share this article via whatsappShare this article via xCopy the link to this article.Link is copiedShare this article via facebook Comment now Comments Paul Townend celebrates on I Am Maximus after winning the Grand National (PA Wire)

A racegoer at Aintree won ‘the biggest bet ever’ on the Grand National after placing a £100,000 bet on I Am Maximus to win.

Irish bookmaker Johnny Dineen revealed during ITV’s coverage on Saturday that a punter was in line to win £800,000 after betting on I Am Maximus at 8-1.

‘We’ve laid a whopping bet on I Am Maximus, and it’s the biggest bet we’ve ever laid by a mile,’ Dineen told ITV’s Brian Gleeson, who replied, ‘oh my god, that’s what you call a proper bet’.

Dineen added: ”We’ll have to do a bit of trading with it later on, we don’t intend to stand up for £800,000. We’ll have to give some money around the [betting] ring at different stages, we don’t intend to go into liquidation.

‘It would be a bad loser for us, for sure.’

Someone has just placed ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND pounds on I Am Maximus to win the Grand National 😳#ITVRacing pic.twitter.com/uTRn1OnFUF

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 11, 2026

I Am Maximus then went on to win the Grand National for a second time, becoming the first horse to achieve that feat since Red Rum 49 years ago.

Speaking after I Am Maximus’ win, trainer Willie Mullins said: ‘It was really special. People from the outside looking at it may not realise how cool Paul Townend was.

Grand National 2026 results

1. I Am Maximus – 9/1 fav
2. Firefox – 40/1
3. Iroko – 18/1
4. Jordans – 28/1
5. Johnnywho – 12/1
6. High Class Hero – 66/1
7. Favori De Champdou – 40/1
8. Final Orders – 22/1
9. Champ Kiely – 25/1
10. Three Card Brag – 50/1
11. Monty’s Star – 14/1
12. Answer To Kayf – 100/1
13. Gorgeous Tom – 20/1
14. Imperial Saint – 50/1
15. Haiti Couleurs – 28/1
16. Twig – 40/1

‘Most guys would have teared after Jordans but Paul just sat there, came round the bend and you could see the clock in his head turning. Sure enough, as they came the second last and came to the elbow, he could sense he was coming back to him and then he just applied the accelerator and he was away.

‘I have always known he is such a good horse and I have always had such good faith in him and I wanted to go down the Gold Cup route this year because he has won a Grand National but JP [McManus] was insistent, this horse loves Aintree. His good judgement has proved correct.’

I Am Maximus is the first horse since Red Rum 49 years ago to win the Grand National twice (Getty)

Winning jockey Paul Townend told ITV Racing: ‘He’s tough. I think the cheekpieces helped in the middle of the race.

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‘When they jumped off, I got into a good rhythm but I wasn’t going to be the one chasing the ones in front.

‘He’s a really, really good horse and although Grangeclare West and Nick Rockett looked good in training, this lad wasn’t telling me not to ride him.

‘He is so good and has such an engine. He will gallop to the end of the world for you. I am really privileged. What a horse.

‘Grand Nationals and Gold Cups are the pinnacle of the sport and I have them both.’

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