FOLLOWING a near record seven wins at Cheltenham, highlighted by the Gold Cup and Champion Chase victories of Imperial Call and Klairon Davis, it would be fitting if an Irish trained horse could crown a wonderful season by ending a 21 year old losing spell in today's Martell Grand National. Only six Irish chasers have won since the war.
Of today's five Irish contenders - Life Of A Lord, Son Of War, Rust Never Sleeps, Wylde Hide and Three Brownies - Life Of A Lord and Son Of War appear to have the best prospects on the prevailing good jumping ground. I favour Life Of A Lord, who represents Aidan O'Brien, our champion trainer for the past two seasons, six time champion Charlie Swan and owner Michael Clancy, a hotelier from Spiddal, Co Galway.
Life Of A Lord, a first National runner for O'Brien (26), who saddled his first winner in Britain when Urubande won Cheltenham's Sun Alliance Chase earlier this month, has his full share of weight. But he is a big horse and has made phenomenal improvement since joining O'Brien last summer. He won the Galway Plate by 20 lengths and the Kerry National at Listowel under top weight of 11st 13lb. In the latter event, Life Of A Lord gave 29 lb to Gimme Five, the subsequent winner of the Troytown Handicap Chase at Navan.
Life Of A Lord met with his first defeat in five starts this season when he pulled up in the closing stages of the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at. Leopardstown, having chased the eventual winner Imperial Call to the fourth last fence. But he was unsuited to the soft ground and was competing for the first time in 19 weeks. A good, safejumper, this former hunter chaser is untried beyond three miles, but the same remark applies to most of this field. He does not lack pace, and I see no good reason why he should not stay.
Son Of War won the Irish Grand National as a seven year old in 1994. If he wins today, he will have emulated Rhyme N' Reason, successful in the Irish National as a six year old novice in 1985 and three years later won the Grand National for David Elsworth and Brendan Powell. Seeking to become the first grey to win the National for 35 years and only the second in the history of the race (The Lamb, 1868 and
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