Countdown to BoyleSports Irish Grand National

Meath trainers are well represented amongst the 97 entries, including Tiger Roll, in the 150th BoyleSports Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday 13th April with the €500,000 showpiece scheduled for 5pm.

Gordon Elliott, Noel Meade, Tony Martin and Dermot McLoughlin all feature with the details announced today. 

Elliott leads the way with 24 entries of which 10 make it into the top 30 in the weights while Meade's quintet has two in that category. Tony Martin's Anibale Fly is also guaranteed a run, but McLoughlin's Captain CJ is number 41 at the moment.

Champion trainer Willie Mullins has last year's winner Burrows Saint (10-10) as one of his 17 entries for the race, seven in the top 30.

Elliot provides the top-weighted horse Delta Work (11-10), already the winner this season of the Grade 1 Paddy Power Gold Cup and the Grade 1 Savills Chase at Leopardstown.

Tiger Roll (11-8) and Magic Of Light (10-12), first and second in the Randox Health Aintree Grand National last year for Elliott and Jessica Harrington, are other notable entries.

However, the ante-post favourites with the sponsors BoyleSports share the same distinction – they are the two most recent winners of the Kim Muir Handicap Chase at Cheltenham. 

Ted Walsh, who was successful in the race with Commanche Court in 2000, has Any Second Now (10-6) which started a well-backed 10/1 for the race last year after winning the 2019 Kim Muir but fell at the eighth fence. 

Sharing the mantle of favouritism with BoyleSports is Milan Native (10-3), an impressive winner of the Kim Muir at Cheltenham last week for Elliott and top amateur rider Rob James.

Paul Nolan’s Discorama, which recorded a third successive Cheltenham Festival placing when finishing third in the Ultima Handicap Chase last week, has been given 10-4.

“The BoyleSports Irish Grand National was finally ticked off Willie Mullins’ to-do list last year and he will be keen to build on a magnificent Cheltenham Festival in the richest race on the Irish National Hunt calendar," commented BoyleSports Head of Communications Leon Blanche.

"But it’s Ted Walsh and Gordon Elliott who saddle the current joint favourites in Any Second Now and Milan Native at 10/1.

"Tiger Roll is in at 14/1 as we wait to hear where his plans lie following his second in the Cross County at Cheltenham,” he added. 

“We are delighted with the strength-in-depth of the entries for the BoyleSports Irish Grand National," commented Fairyhouse manager Peter Roe.

"We hope to celebrate the 150th anniversary of this great race this year and will work in tandem with Horse Racing Ireland to ensure that all guidelines set by the Irish Government are met,” he added.