Postponed Irish Grand National could be run in November

Rescheduling the 2020 Boylesports Irish Grand National to the Friday of a revamped three-day ‘Winter Festival’ at Fairyhouse in late November is one potential option being examined for Ireland’s richest jumps race.

The €500,000 contest is synonymous with Easter Monday but was cancelled on its traditional date due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Horse Racing Ireland has opted to try and run the race in the final quarter of this year as part of an enhanced programme of National Hunt action in the autumn although it is a move that has been criticised in some quarters.

Top jockey Robbie Power, an Irish National winner on Our Duke in 2017, and significantly an 'ambassador' for the Irish Grand National sponsors, outlined his objections in a recent blog for Boylesports.

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Power pointed out that he feels the race belong to “one day and one day only and that is Easter Monday.” He also said he can’t see where the race could fit into the calendar between October and December.

On Sunday that view was supported by a number of high-profile figures within the sport that preferred not to go on the record. Although Power used a Boylesports platform to express his views the sponsoring organisation declined to comment on the matter.

The ‘Winter Festival’ traditionally takes place over two days and is scheduled for November 28th-29th this year. Once again the Saturday date sees the high-profile Ladbrokes Trophy - formerly the Hennessy - take place at Newbury as well.

Unique

Concerns about fitting in another staying handicap chase into a programme that already includes the Kerry National in September, the Munster National a month later, and the Troytown at Navan in November, have been raised.

However HRI's chief executive Brian Kavanagh has stressed his belief that the National is a "unique" race and that the 2020 renewal needs to be run this year.

“There are a few races in the programme for horses in the three mile category. This is three miles and five (furlongs.) It is a unique race. We will try to run it. It is an important race and there’s a fair amount of prizemoney to spread out into the system,” he said on Sunday.

As for possible dates, the HRI boss commented: “There are a few options. One is on the Saturday of the Winter Festival where there is already a race with very similar conditions, the Porterstown Chase. That’s one option.

“Then the Friday- Saturday- Sunday is an option to consider. And the other option is to look at a suitable date sometime in October-November.”

As for resistance to HRI’s re-scheduling plans, Kavanagh said: “We’re in uncharted territory in all this. Certainly the board at Fairyhouse are anxious we will try and have a Grand National this year.

“It’s a historic race and you would like to think at that time of year there will be some normality returning and we will be able to look forward to a decent day’s racing with decent crowds.”

Fairyhouse is one of four tracks in Ireland owned by HRI.

The Irish National has been cancelled just twice since it was first run in 1870. The first was in 1919 and it was also cancelled in 1941 due to the second world war.

Arkle

The Dreaper name is an integral part of National history with Arkle one of ten victories for the legendary trainer Tom Dreaper. His son Jim has also won it on four occasions, including with the hat-trick hero Brown Lad who scored back to back in 1975-76 and also in 1978.

Jim Dreaper is based near Fairyhouse at Kilsallaghan in Co. Dublin and like everyone in the sport is looking at the lack of racing in the overall context of the Covid-19 crisis.

“The outlook is bleak. Obviously there are more important things than racing - people need to stay healthy in life.

“There are going to be some desperately sad stories. Quite apart from living and dying, the after-effects of this from a financial, physical and mental point of view will cause devastation. It’s horrid,” he said on Sunday.

Dreaper’s father saddled a remarkable seven National winners in a row between 1960 and 1966 including Arkle and the horse rated closest to him, Flyingbolt.

“I think the performances of Arkle and Flyingbolt in the Irish Grand National were way better than any of their Gold Cup and Cheltenham performances.

“It’s been rehashed so often but the facts on paper and the Irish handicapper’s view at the time suggested Flyingbolt was within a pound of Arkle. I think Flyingbolt had 12.7 the year he won it and was giving 40lbs to the runner -up, Height O’Fashion.

“Winning a race at level weights is great. But when you’re trying to give horses nearly three stone, that takes a bit of doing!

“Arkle had to work hard to win it, but he did. There’s no need to ask the top horses nowadays to do that because they’ve got such a great series of conditions races, where the maximum they’ll be conceding might be the 7lbs mares allowance,” Jim Dreaper reported.