The question of who won grand national 2025 may sound like a result search, but the real story on race day is the shape of the contest itself. Kevin Blake’s preview centers on a 28/1 chance to finish first in the Randox Grand National at 4. 00 ET, while also mapping out the horses he believes can fill the places. His view is built around a race that has changed over time, with the modern National demanding a different profile than it once did. That shift is central to the betting logic now.
Why the Grand National 2025 question matters now
The immediate reason who won grand national 2025 matters is simple: the race remains one of the biggest sporting spectacles anywhere in the world, and the field size creates genuine uncertainty. Kevin Blake’s angle is not just about a winner but about how the race unfolds from first to fourth, which is often where value can be found. He points to the fact that so much has changed in the race over decades, and says the modern version has altered the kind of horse best suited to win. That makes the 4. 00 ET feature a test of profile as much as performance.
Blake’s top pick is a 28/1 chance, and that price itself underlines the tension in the market: strong enough to attract attention, but still long enough to keep expectations measured. In a race with a mammoth field and numerous candidates, his approach is to narrow the focus to horses he believes fit the day’s demands. For readers trying to understand who won grand national 2025 before the tapes rise, the more useful question may be which runner is best positioned to handle the specific shape of this race.
What lies beneath the headline: pace, stamina and race shape
Blake’s analysis begins away from the National and into the supporting races, which helps explain how he sees the card as a whole. In the William Hill Handicap Hurdle at 13: 20 ET, he prefers KAKA’S COUSIN, a six-year-old with two wins from four starts over hurdles and a most recent run at Sandown that shaped well for a long way. The key factor for him is the step up in trip, which he says should suit and may unlock improvement from a lightly weighted runner.
In the William Hill Handicap Chase at 14: 30 ET, he turns to CRUZ CONTROL, a horse he says could win the race for a third consecutive time. Blake notes the horse’s prior success in the race off 136 in 2024 and again off 139 last year, and adds that two moderate runs earlier in the season produced a 3lb drop from the handicapper. That leaves the horse just 1lb higher than for last year’s success, a detail that matters in a race where small margins can decide who won grand national 2025 or who simply ran into a place.
The deeper analytical point is that Blake is consistently weighting race fitness, trip, handicap position and current yard form. He does not frame the National as a lottery. Instead, he treats it as a puzzle in which the right combination of weight, jumping and race shape can matter as much as reputation. That is why his top four for the feature race is presented as a carefully ordered set rather than a broad list of hopefuls.
Expert perspectives from the weighing room and the training ranks
Elsewhere on the card, the expert debate reinforces how selective this year’s thinking has become. H&H racing editor describes Jagwar as the pick, noting the horse’s second in the Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival over 3m 1f and arguing that the big-striding seven-year-old should be better suited by Aintree. ITV Racing presenter Oli Bell also backs Jagwar, saying the horse has a great weight, ran a super race at Cheltenham and could thrive over the National trip.
For another angle, Grand National-winning trainer and H&H columnist Kim Bailey says Panic Attack has the ideal profile, citing speed and stamina as the essential combination. Nick Skelton adds that the mare has a low weight, travels well, jumps well and is quick enough to lie up with the field early. Those remarks matter because they underline how the race is being framed by experienced voices: not as a simple popularity contest, but as a question of suitability.
Regional and broader impact: why the Aintree reading travels beyond one race
The wider impact of the Grand National reaches beyond Aintree because it becomes a reference point for how racing is analyzed. A mammoth field of 34 horses, a 4m 2½f test, and a national audience combine to make every betting and tactical judgment visible. That visibility raises the value of precise handicapping language, which is why Blake’s reading of weights, trip and freshness carries weight across the card.
It also shows how the race’s modern profile has changed decision-making. Horses with the wrong blend of stamina, speed or jumping can be dismissed quickly, while runners with a clear setup gain momentum in the market. In that sense, who won grand national 2025 is tied not only to the final result but to the logic that shaped the result well before the off. The National remains a race where analysis, not just noise, still matters most.
As the race moves toward 16: 00 ET, the unresolved question is not only who won grand national 2025, but which reading of the race proved most accurate when the demands of Aintree finally took over?
