The Easter Bank Holiday historically concludes with the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse, with the race being steeped in prestige since its inception in 1870. Coined the ‘Dubs’ Day Out’, the race has thrown up some big priced winners in the last ten renewals including the 150/1 Freewheelin Dylan, whose trainer Dermot McLoughlin landed it the following season with Lord Lariat at 40/1. The last British-trained horse to win the race was Shutthefrontdoor in 2014, and Willie Mullins has only won the race just twice, with Burrows Saint in 2019 then I Am Maximus in 2023, who duly obliged in the Aintree equivalent a year later.
Leading Market Contenders
Haiti Couleurs
Haiti Couleurs was a well-backed winner of the National Hunt Chase Handicap at the Cheltenham Festival, taking up the running at the third last travelling sweetly under Ben Jones, kicking off the turn and staying on well up the hill. He may have been somewhat fortunate given both Due Coat and Now Is The Hour came down at the second last, but a subsequent 7lbs rise doesn’t look overly harsh given how he travelled through the contest. He evidently stays the trip well, and he’s backed up wins twice in the past.
Now Is The Hour
Gavin Cromwell’s charge came for some late money in the National Hunt Chase and given the dangerous late headway he made before falling two out, he may well have got up to beat Haiti Couleurs. A former G2 winner over hurdles, Now Is The Hour made an early chase debut last March presumably to kick-start his handicap qualification for the festival, as he was hid away in rear for the two subsequent starts this season. There was much more to shout about his four length fourth to Three Card Brag at Navan with the subsequent Scottish Grand National winner Captain Cody a length ahead in third, so even if that wasn’t his maximum effort, a revised mark of 141 looks certainly workable. He has a 5lbs swing in the weights with Haiti Couleurs, and bids to give Gavin Cromwell his first success in the Irish Grand National.
Johnnywho
The second best British hope is Johnnywho, who agonisingly gave favourite backers a bad beat when collared late on by Daily Present in the Kim Muir at the Cheltenham Festival. The son of Califet is of a similar mould to Now Is The Hour in regards to the fact he was a smart enough novice hurdler, and after making a winning chases debut at Carlisle, was hidden away in Graded company to qualify for a lenient handicap mark at Cheltenham. The handicapper was punished connections for their tomfoolery with a 7lbs rise, but it was a career high RPR of 152 there and the pair pulled 11 lengths clear of the third. He’ll be suited to the way the race will unfold, and Jonjo O’Neill won this with Shutthefrontdoor, who ran a solid race himself at the Cheltenham Festival en-route.
Kinturk Kalanisi
Kinturk Kalanisi was one of my GG top ten to follow at the start of the season and has quietly progressed over fences with the view to a bigger pot in mind, and last year’s winner trainer Thomas Gibney looks to have campaigned him shrewdly to land back-to-back renewals. The Kalanisi gelding looked outpaced over 2m4f behind Cheltenham Festival winners Better Days Ahead and Slade Steel at Navan on chase debut, and was just touched off at Fairyhouse next time out on lively enough ground, for all he didn’t look the most willing of participants to go past up the run in. He found little off the bridle again at Navan behind Three Card Brag with Captain Cody and Now Is The Hour in behind, but he kept on up the run in to suggest this 3m5f test is what he’ll relish.
Each-Way Angles
Bioluminescence
The Walk In The Park mare Bioluminescence skipped the Cheltenham Festival, which could prove a wise move given her form figures when fresh read 12211 and as she’s out of an Old Vid mare, the Irish National trip could see her get back on track. She won a G2 Mares Novice Chase on her debut in this sphere with the third going in since, and she ran a huge race in defeat when giving a pound to Dancing City next time out, for all that one was disappointing in the Brown’s. Better was perhaps expected at Fairyhouse in Listed company, but the winner is a progressive mare for Willie Mullins and was due to run in the Fairyhouse Gold Cup on Sunday, with the third finishing second in G3 company at Cheltenham next time out.
Panda Boy
Panda Boy was a seven-length fifth to I Am Maximus in this race in 2023 and a 2lbs higher mark looks somewhat workable. Martin Brassil’s sole success in the race came in 2005, and the way in which Panda Boy stayed on to finished third in the Leinster National suggested marking the twentieth anniversary was not out of the realms of possibility. Though he was collared by Must Be Obeyed prior to the last, it was pleasing to see him rally on and regain third suggesting the return to this trip is ne for the Brassil charge. However, it would be a concern that he’s winless since May 2022, and the balance of his better form has come on good ground.
Any Second Now
One who will relish the ground is Any Second Now, who was beaten a length by Intense Raffles in this race last season after a spell in the doldrums, and the handicapper has kindly dropped him 6lbs in two races in his bid to go one better. The son of Oscar has a third and second in consecutive Grand National’s to his CV and has been given a quieter season this time around in his bid to return to the winners enclosure at the grand old age of thirteen. He was another staying on in the Leinster National from rear when not given an overly hard time in the straight under Mark Walsh, who looked to be full of horse once eventually given a squeeze, passing four on the run in. That effort suggested he’s evidently well within himself, and he’ll be popular with the each-way players.
Lord Lariat
The 2022 winner Lord Lariat would have to be the first horse to retain the Irish Grand National crown since Brown Lad in 1978 for Jim Dreaper, who’s father Tom Dreaper farmed this race in the ‘60s with seven consecutive victories including with the mighty Arkle in 1964. Lord Lariat was a a game winner of what looked a strong renewal of this race, but we’ve only seen him ve times since and his penultimate race came from a 702 day layoff here over an inadequate 2m4f over hurdles, but ran a promising race to nish a fourteen length fourth prior to the bounce factor presumably being the result of him pulling up there just seventeen days later. Dermot McLoughlin evidently knows what it takes to win this contest, and Lord Lariat is just a pound higher this time around.
Mint Boy
Gavin Cromwell’s battalion is something of a minefield to whittle down but Mint Boy rates an interesting contender. He was another hidden away over inadequate trips for Cheltenham handicap mark and he was travelling ominously well prior to unseating Barry O’Neil at the 15th in the Kim Muir. His last success came at Fairyhouse over hurdles on softer going off top-weight, staying on strongly having to be merely pushed out by Keith Donoghue, marking him as a staying chaser for the future. There was some hilarity involved in that respect to see him race over 2m1f on good ground this season, and he was far from disgraced when stepped back up in trip to a more suitable 2m6f at Punchestown, before his well supported Kim Muir tilt came to an abrupt end. His trainer has already remarked he has little concerns in the staying department, and is one perhaps ying under the radar.
Verdict
If there is something of the ilk of an I Am Maximus or an Intense Raffles in here, then it could be in the form of JOHNNYWHO for Jonjo O’Neil who is of a similar mould to his 2014 winner Shutthefrontdoor, also in the colours of JP McManus. He looked for all the world the likely winner of the Kim Muir having tanked through the contest under Derek O’Connor, before a peck on landing scuppered some vital momentum and conceded ground to the oncoming Daily Present. It was pleasing to see him stick on gamely to the task and he was giving 17lbs to the winner, so along with the fact he was eleven lengths clear of the second, a subsequent 7lbs rise doesn’t look insurmountable. Visually this trip looks within reach, and he’s a half brother to the 2020 London National winner Doing Fine so the pedigree backs up that suspicion.
Irish Grand National 1-2-3
- Jonnywho
- Kinturk Kalanisi
- Any Second Now
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