Murphy's Grand feeling

RACING/ Irish Grand National: Granit D'Estruval provided the perfect homecoming for Ferdy Murphy and Brian Harding with victory in an incident packed Powers Gold Label Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse yesterday.

The 33 to 1 shot was the longest priced National winner for 20 years and the big race turned into a bookies benefit with Marcus Du Berlais (20 to 1) and Golden Storm (25 to 1) filling the placings.

However, behind the first three were just seven other finishers which indicated the drama that the 28-strong field had served up during the Easter Monday marathon.

Sadly two horses lost their lives with Rose Perk falling at the second fence and the well fancied Xenophon breaking his back when crashing out at the second last.

Xenophon's rider, Davy Russell, was sent to hospital for X-rays on a possible fractured wrist while Rose Perk's jockey, Paddy Flood, was kicked in his lower back and was sent for X-rays to Blanchardstown hospital.

Other jockeys on the injury list included Sam Curling who picked up a suspected broken collar bone and Paul Carberry who was stood down for the day after his ankle was struck by a stirrup in the first race.

It was a pretty sore afternoon for the punters too with the 9 to 1 joint favourites Direct Bearing, who was badly interfered with by a faller at the fifth, and Hume Castle being pulled up.

However, if there was a dizzying amount of post-race detail, the only thing spinning around the heads of the winners was delight after the first British-based winner since Mudahim seven years ago.

That horse was trained by Jenny Pitman but there was a distinctly Irish flavour to Granit D'Estruval's success with the Co Cork-born Harding scoring his very first Irish winner and Murphy returning to his roots.

"My mother was from Ratoath and I've been coming to this race since I can remember," said Midleham-based Murphy who has made a habit of successfully raiding big Irish prizes. Macs Supreme was a Kerry National winner in 2000 but Granit D'Estruval was a memorable triumph in the big one.

"We ran over the big fences at Aintree in November but he didn't really handle them," Murphy said. "He was fourth in the Eider going left-handed and he is much better going right-handed. He's had keyhole surgery which means he is best going that way and Brian decided the inner was the best way to go today. He got a great run round."

Harding (31), who comes from Castletownroche in north Cork, fell at the first in the Aintree National 10 days ago on a Murphy-trained horse but made no mistake this time. "Obviously I wasn't expecting to win since he was 33 to 1, but I was hopeful and I didn't see a bit of bother the whole way around. I actually got to the front too soon, about five out, and he was dossing in front," said the jockey who tasted big-race success in the past with One Man in the Champion Chase.

That tendency to lose concentration looked like proving costly in the straight as the Arthur Moore duo, Marcus Du Berlais and Native Jack, threw down serious challenges with Golden Storm also staying on well.

Granit D'Estruval, who had taken over from the long-time leader What Odds, slowed on the approach to the last which briefly appeared to let Marcus Du Berlais back in with a shout.

Mudahim's victim in a tight 1997 finish had been Amble Speedy and Arthur Moore again had to settle for second behind a cross-channel raider.

"That race ran through my head again but really I can have no complaints. He's run a blinder and the other horse ran well too," Moore said.

Last year's winner, Timbera, kept on for fifth but it was Granit D'Estruval's day. He might have had to have buckets of water thrown on him after finishing slighty distressed but he has a well deserved holiday to look forward to. "We'll put him in a field now and aim to bring him back here next year. He was very effective out there today and it's a tremendous pot to win," said Murphy.

A crowd of almost 19,000 enjoyed the day, compared to 17,100 last year.