Countdown to Grand National at Fairyhouse gathers momentum

The Irish Grand National. It's a race as much associated with Fairyhouse as Croke Park is with the All-Ireland finals, Wimbledon with tennis or Wembley with the FA Cup final. The famous steeplechase has been run at the Co Meath course since 1870 and on Easter Monday the now annual event will once more be staged at the venue as part of a three-day festival which runs from Sunday, 24th Aprill to Tuesday, 26th April. With a first prize of €142,000 this is a race with plenty to offer - and one of the reasons why the race has attracted a record entry of 88, with 22 of those from across the water. Aside from the money, there is the prestige, the honour that goes with claiming top spot. The locally-trained horses which have been entered for this year's extravaganza would make up a decent card on their own. They include Chicago Grey, Backstage, Tharawaat, Ballymak, Beautiful Sound (Gordon Elliott), Oscar Time (Martin Lynch), Montan, Saddlers Storm (Tony Martin), Golden Kite (Adrian Maguire), Aran Concerto, Oscar Looby, Fisher Bridge (Noel Meade). The countdown to the big race started in earnest last Monday when weights were announced in the BobbyJo Bistro at the racecourse and - considering the location - it was fitting that among the guests was Tommy Carberry. He trained BobbyJo to the 1998 Irish Grand National. The following year the horse once again proved his class when he finished ahead of the field in the Aintree Grand National, 24 years after Carberry had guided L'Escargot first past the post in the same race. Carberry also won the Irish Grand National with Brown Lad 1975 and again the following year. Yet it is a race that many of the top Irish jockeys have found devilishly difficult to land - and among that list is Barry Geraghty. The Meath man has won most big prizes on offer in the Sport of Kings, including the Aintree National on Monty's Pass in 2004. Despite his long list of triumphs he has yet to claim the Irish National. On Monday, Geraghty reflected on a his past experiences in a race he would dearly love to add to his impressive CV. His disappointing record demonstrates just how difficult a race it is to win even for the most talented of jockeys. For over a decade now his involvement has turned into an annual tale of woe when little went his way on the big day. "Unfortunately I've never had the opportunity of winning the race and I don't think I even went close for that matter, but it's a great race, he told the Meath Chronicle. "I grew up not far from Fairyhouse, only about six miles away, so it is a race we've always come to since I was a youngster. "It's a race that would be very close to me personally and one I'd love to win, but I haven't done it yet. I would say I have ridden six or seven favourites but didn't finish in the first five or six. "You need a lot of luck, I've been brought down, I've fallen, I just haven't had the rub of the green in it, maybe this year might be my year," he added. There has been some joy for the Geraghtys in that Barry's brother, Ross, guided The Bunny Boiler to the Irish National in 2002, surviving a severe brush with the last fence to go on an win. While connected with Nicky Henderson in England, Geraghty is freelance in Ireland and, at the time of writing, he didn't know what he will be on for the big one on Easter Monday. He felt that Gordon Elliott's Chicago Grey could do the business this time considering the form he showed at Cheltenham while he felt Willie Mullins' Midnight Club would also put in a strong run. Also expected to feature is Barker owned by Navan businessman Eamonn Duignan. Noel Meade trained the Bunny Boiler in 2002 and watched with some trepidation as the horse hit the last fence hard before recovering. "It was one of the best days of my life," he recalled without hesitation on Monday. Meade has entered three horses in this year's race with Aran Concerto emerging from retirement to lead the charge. The trainer watched the horse at Christmas and felt that there were good reasons not to put him out to grass just yet. Putting Aran Concerto in the frame was "a shot in the dark" yet worth it, he felt. He also expected Oscar Looby and Fisher Bridge to give the race a good go if they get the opportunity. Saturday's Aintree winner Ballabriggs was allocated top weight of 11-10 although he will almost certainly not participate with the well-fancied Chicago Grey at 11-4 and Aran Concerto at 10-10. The Castletown trainer believes the Fairyhouse National is a race that never fails to fascinate or excite. "As nationals go it (the Irish version) is probably the next biggest one after Aintree, we've a lot of other nationals around, we've the Scottish one, the Welsh one and all those, but I think the Irish version is right up there. Aran is given a bit of a chance, he (the handicapper) has dropped him five pounds which is a big help. "He had been retired so, look, we're on a bit of a wing and a prayer with him, but he's in great form and that's certainly encouraging. "He has a pedigree that suggests he can stay, but the furthest he has ever won over is two-and-half. It's looks a very competitive race. "There's a lot of history attached to the race, a lot of good horses have won the race, anybody training horses would want to win it," he added. According to the handicapper Noel O'Brien, what to watch out for is an improving novice. Among those present at Fairyhouse was Nina Carberry fresh from her latest attempt to become the first woman to win the Aintree Grand National. Carberry says the Irish National is a great occasion for the "local community" and it is a race she would love to win. It may very well happen especially if she gets the kind of luck that, so far, has proved elusive to others such as Barry Geraghty. "It's anyone's race," according to pre-publicity material from the sponsors Ladbrokes. While there will be plenty of speculation about who will win, plenty of drama is promised on one of the biggest days in Irish sport.