Two notable recent winners are among a quartet of horses topping the sponsor’s early betting for the BoyleSports Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday, April 5th.
The weights for the race were unveiled on Monday afternoon with the Ian Ferguson-trained Galvin (11st) one of four co-favourites at 10/1 following his battling success in the Sam Vestey National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Chase at last week’s Cheltenham Festival.
The Jonjo O’Neill-trained Time To Get Up (10st 2lbs) landed the Marston´s 61 Deep Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter on Saturday and he also rates as a 10/1 chance with BoyleSports alongside Martin Brassil’s Longhouse Poet on the same weight and the Paul Nolan-trained Latest Exhibition on 10st 13lbs.
Of Denise Foster’s 22 entries, the sponsors make Pencilfulloflead (10st 12lbs) a 12/1 chance with his stable companions Tiger Roll (11st 9lbs), 1lb below top-weight, and Run Wild Fred (10st) on offer at odds of 14/1. Fellow Cullentra entries Coko Beach (10st 10lbs), Conflated (10st 5lbs), Escaria Ten (10st 11lbs) and Farclas (10st 8lbs) are among those priced at 16/1. The Storyteller has a top-weight of 11st 10lbs and is a 20/1 chance.
Burrows Saint (11st 2lbs), which gave Willie Mullins his first success in the most recent renewal of the BoyleSports Irish Grand National two years ago, is another 16/1 chance with BoyleSports, the same price as his stable companion, the Slaneyville Syndicate-owned Acapella Bourgeois (11st 3lbs). The Ted Walsh-trained Any Second Now, winner of the Grade 2 Webster Cup Chase at Navan, has been allotted 11st and is also available at odds of 16/1.
Joseph O’Brien has an entry of nine and Home By The Lee (10st 9lbs) and Sempo (9st 13lbs) are rated as 14/1 shots as is the Robbie Burns-trained Off You Go (10st 8lbs).
Noel Meade’s squad of seven includes the 25/1 shot School Boy Hours (9st 9lbs) and 33/1 chances Snow Falcon and Tout Est Permis on 10st 13lbs. Meade won the race with the Ross Geraghty-ridden The Bunny Boiler in 2002.
Runner-up to Tiger Roll in the Aintree Grand National in 2019, Magic Of Light (10st 12lbs) is a 33/1 chance and is one of three entries for Jessica Harrington who won the BoyleSports Irish Grand National with Our Duke two years earlier.
Tom Mullins’ dual course winner and Porterstown Handicap Chase heroine Court Maid is on 10st 12lbs and is priced at 25/1 while Moyhenna (10st 4lbs), the highest-rated of Denis Hogan’s three entries, is available at 33/1.
