Irish Grand National field could be smallest in years with just ‘23 or 24 runners’

The €500,000 Boylesports Irish Grand National is the country’s richest jumps race but could have its smallest field in years this Easter Monday.

The traditional highlight of Fairyhouse’s Easter Festival can have a maximum 30 runners but only 33 potential starters are left in the race in advance of the next crucial acceptance stage later this week.

Of those, 11 are trained by Gordon Elliott while a handful of Willie Mullins hopefuls are headed by the 4-1 ante-post favourite Nick Rockett. Topweight Farouk D’alene is the sole entry rated above 150.

A total of 27 starters have lined up in the last two renewals of the hugely lucrative prize while a maximum field of 30 was last achieved in 2019 when Burrows Saint finally broke Willie Mullins’s duck in the race. The smallest field in the last decade was 26 in 2014.

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Fairyhouse officials anticipate this year’s race could wind up being the smallest field since Hear The Echo beat 22 opponents in 2008, and point to an early Easter date as one contributory factor.

“It’s small but we have to accept this year, with the timing of Cheltenham, and it being run on heavy ground, horses won’t bounce back as quick. That is a factor. Aintree [April 13th] is after us again, that’s a factor as well,” said Fairyhouse general manager Peter Roe.

“We also have new restrictions over the past three years in terms of horses having to prove to have won or be placed over a staying trip. Three horses were taken out because of that. We’ll still have about 23 or 24 runners but it’s a little bit disappointing,” he admitted.

Disappointed but not surprised was his attitude to the lack of a cross-channel entry for this year’s National – “We tried but they didn’t want to come.”

Shutthefrontdoor in 2014 was the last horse trained in Britain to land the Irish National.

Hopes for another local Co Meath success are high however with trainer Tom Gibney, a winner with Lion Na Bearnai in 2012, targeting more success through the fancied Intense Raffles.

Dermot McLoughlin, who trains less than eight kilometres from Fairyhouse, broke records when Freewheelin Dylan became the biggest-priced winner ever with a 150-1 victory in 2021. A year later he followed up with Lord Lariat at 40-1.

He told the big-race race sponsors on Monday that he hopes to point another lively outsider at the race in Digby.

“He hasn’t even run in a handicap yet with the ground being so bad all winter. He was due to run a couple of times but with the ground so heavy I haven’t risked him. He is more of a spring horse and could easily sneak into the field,” McLoughlin said.

All eyes will be on Gordon Elliott’s plans later this week as he divides his powerful National resources between Fairyhouse and Aintree 12 days later.

“We will probably have five or six runners in it; just not 100% sure of what I am going to run yet. We will split them up between Aintree and elsewhere,” he said on Monday.

A three-time Aintree National winner, including twice with Tiger Roll, Elliott’s sole Irish National success to date came with General Principle in 2018.

There could be cross-channel interest elsewhere at the festival including with Fergal O’Brien’s Springtime Promise in the Grade One Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle on Easter Sunday. The National favourite, Nick Rockett, also holds an Easter entry in the Grade One WillowWarm Gold Cup.

Ground conditions look set to be testing at Fairyhouse and the weather may prove a spoilsport in advance of Wednesday’s Wexford card which has to pass a 10.00 inspection on Tuesday morning.

The track was waterlogged and unfit for racing on Monday after heavy rainfall which is forecast to continue.

“In the forecast this morning, we were due to get approximately 21mm in total before racing, but having had 15mm already, the latest forecast suggests we could get another 18mm up to race time.

“Due to the track being waterlogged, and with the revised forecast, we will now inspect at 10am tomorrow to determine if the fixture on Wednesday can go ahead,” clerk of the course Paul Moloney said.