By Callum Close
Thousands will turn their attention to Fairyhouse in under two weeks’ time for the 2025 Irish Grand National Festival.
Three days of action-packed racing in the Irish countryside precede Ireland’s most valuable jumps race on Easter Monday – the Irish Grand National.
Worth 500,000 euros, just over 3.5 miles and 24 scheduled fences stand between starters’ orders and the shadows of the winning post in the Festival’s showpiece.
Though shorter than its English counterpart, the race has unearthed many horses who go on to run at Aintree the following season – sometimes to win.
The latest to do so was the Willie Mullins-trained I am Maximus when he won the 2023 Irish National and followed up at Aintree a year later.
Irish racing often dominates as the away side, but how will it unfold as they play host to a fantastic weekend of racing?
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When is the Irish Grand National Festival?
Saturday, April 19 is the date that will see racing’s stars gather in County Meath, in the East of Ireland.
The Tom Quinlan Electrical Maiden Hurdle kicks off ‘Ladies’ Day’ and is the ‘curtain raiser’ for the three-day weekend; it begins at 2:10pm UK time.
Day two features two Grade One races including the Willow Warm Gold Cup, a race won by Mullins in five of the last six runnings with notable names such as Cheltenham Gold Cup winners Galopin Des Champs and Al Boum Photo.
Easter weekend culminates with the running of the BoyleSports Irish Grand National Steeplechase on Monday, April 21, it will run at approximately 5pm.
Trainers to watch
The star of Cheltenham and Aintree, Mullins, returns to home turf having seen his horses dominate at both respective meetings.
He retained Champion Trainer at the Cheltenham Festival for the seventh consecutive year and trained a record-equalling 10 winners at the Gloucestershire meeting.
Two weeks later Mullins sired the Grand National winning jockey as his son Patrick Mullins stormed to victory on board the 33/1 shot Nick Rockett – also trained by the Irishman.
The form of his stable cannot be ignored as he continues to cut the gap in the Trainers’ Championship to Englishman Dan Skelton.
Despite having 760 fewer runners than Skelton, the gap in prize money is down to £122,026 with the pair clear of Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson in third and fourth.
Gavin Cromwell saw his horse, Stumptown, win the Cross Country at Cheltenham and had three runners in the Grand National.
However, the Irish Grand National is a race that eludes him.
He, alongside fellow Irishman and 2018 winning trainer Gordon Elliott, both train horses that are prominent in the ante-post markets.
Elliott, of course, trained ‘the people’s horse’ in Tiger Roll, so he certainly knows how to prepare a horse for a staying-steeplechase.
The Irish National hasn’t had a British winning trainer since Bob Buckler trained the 2009 winner Niche Market.
Of the British contingent with potential, Rebecca Curtis stands out as she trains the ante-post favourite Haiti Couleurs.
Jockeys to watch
The last five runnings of the race have had five different winning jockeys but it will be JJ Slevins’ turn to emulate Timothy Carberry who, back in the 70s, won the race in consecutive years.
Slevin, who won last year’s renewal on-board Intense Raffles, will be the first to win back-to-back Irish Nationals in 50 years should he win this year.
Mullins’ stable jockey Paul Townend is in red-hot form as he arrives off the back of a Cheltenham Festival where he retained the Festival Champion Jockey crown for the fourth year running.
Sam Ewing and Keith Donoghue sit behind Townend in the Irish Champion Jockey table overall.
The leading British Jockeys, according to the Championship table, are Sean Bowen and Harry Skelton.
The latter won the Irish National back in 2009 and is sure to ride if his brother sends one over the Irish Sea.
How to watch on TV?
The festival will be broadcasted on Racing TV and is available to subscribers.
It will also be shown on ITV, live and for free to everyone in the UK.
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