There is much to look forward to for racing fans over the Easter Weekend. Good Friday sees the stars of the sand take their turn in the spotlight on All-Weather Championship Finals Day at Newcastle, whilst Saturday sees the focus switch north of the border for Scottish Sprint Cup Day at Musselburgh.
Big as those events are in the all-weather and flat turf spheres, the best is saved until last with a huge betting heat from Fairyhouse on Easter Monday. Making its debut in 1870 – 31 years after the Aintree version first appeared on the scene – the Irish Grand National has entertained racegoers for over 150 years.
Much of the build-up to the 2025 edition centres upon a certain Closutton-based trainer going by the name of Willie Mullins. On the cusp of defending his British Champion Trainers Title and having already sent out a 1-2-3 in the English Grand National and a 1-2 in the Scottish National, can anyone stop the Mullins express train?
Elliott Strong on Numbers
Whilst it is easy to get carried away by the Mullins hype, he has won the Irish Grand National only twice. Granted, that’s twice more than many trainers, but it pales in comparison to his dominance of many other events. If there is a major race to beat Mullins, this may be the one.
Those looking to take on the Mullins machine may instinctively turn to the yard of Gordon Elliott. However, those doing so will then face the task of choosing between as many as 11 Cullentra House-based challengers.
But Intriguing Contenders Lurk Elsewhere
Given the vast squadrons at their disposal, it would be no surprise if Mullins or Elliott claimed the 2025 Irish Grand National. However, in recent years, this €500,00 contest has thrust the relatively small-time operators into the spotlight. County Meath handler Thomas Gibney recorded the biggest win of his career when saddling Intense Raffles to victory in 2024, whilst locally based Dermot A McLoughlin caused back-to-back shocks with 150/1 shot Freewheelin Dylan in 2021 and 40/1 chance Lord Lariat in 2022.
Those types of results illustrate that David can master Goliath in these competitive handicap contests and fuel the dreams of smaller operators on both sides of the Irish Sea. Ahead of the 2025 event, the following are among those looking to upset the big boys on the biggest stage.
- Haiti Couleurs – With four Grade 1 wins, including two at the Cheltenham Festival, Rebecca Curtis isn’t exactly small-time. However, with a string of only around 30 horses, she has significantly less ammunition than Mullins or Elliott. Unsurprisingly, Curtis holds only one entry for the race, but her sole representative, Haiti Collonges, currently heads the betting. Last sighted powering to a 4½l success in the National Hunt Challenge Cup, he is only 6lb higher here and has champion jockey elect Sean Bowen in the saddle.
- Kinturk Kalanisi – Likely to sneak in towards the foot of the weights, this seven-year-old gelding represents 2024 winning trainer Thomas Gibney. Making only his fifth start over fences, he is more open to improvement than most and looked to be travelling well before unseating his rider last time out at Naas.
- Lord Lariat – Shock-result specialist Dermot McLoughlin returns with 2022 hero Lord Lariat. Having missed the best part of two years through injury, things haven’t gone smoothly for the likeable bay of late, and he needs to step up on recent efforts. On the plus side, he claimed the 2022 edition by an impressive 4¾l and is only 1lb higher here.
- Monbeg Park – Having helped develop talents such as Holywell and American Mike, Sean Doyle has had a hand in several big race wins. However, significant wins under his own name as a trainer have been few and far between. The Grade 3 success of Theatre Bird at Leopardstown in 2013 represents the only Graded victory of his career to date. There could be fewer better places to claim a second than in the most valuable contest of the Irish National Hunt season. Could Monbeg Park be the horse to take the successful Point-to-Point trainer to the Fairyhouse winner’s enclosure? By leading sire Walk In The Park, he has hit the frame in six of 11 starts over fences and thrust his name into contention for this when landing a Listed contest at Leopardstown in March.
Will Mullins add to his Grand National collection? Will he be foiled by the overwhelming Elliott numbers? Or will a lesser light grab the chance to shine once again? 5pm on Easter Monday is the time to find out.
