BoyleSports Irish Grand National Weights Announced

Henry De Bromhead’s Grand Jesture and the Tony Martin-trained Gallant Oscar head the early betting for the €275,000 BoyleSports Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday, April 6th.

Both 10/1 chances with BoyleSports, the pair finished second and third in the Ultima Business Solutions Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last week. Henry De Bromhead has put two in the race and while Grand Jesture has been given 10st 5lbs, Bishops Road is on 9st 6lbs.

Gallant Oscar is one of six horses Tony Martin has entered for Ireland’s richest jumps race. He has been allotted 9st 10lbs while the recent Navan winner Heathfield has been given 8st 8lbs and is a 14/1 chance with the sponsors. No Secrets on 9st 7lbs is a 16/1 shot and Buddy Bolero (10st 1lb) and Rivage D’Or (9st 10lbs) are both 20/1 chances with BoyleSports.

Champion trainer Willie Mullins has yet to win the BoyleSports Irish Grand National, and like De Bromhead, he has put two horses in the three miles and five furlongs contest. With 10st 1lb, Perfect Gentleman is a 16/1 chance and on 9st 10lbs, Dogora is priced up at 25/1.

Gordon Elliott is another who has yet to win the race and he has five horses to choose from. He is responsible for the top-weight Don Cossack (11st 10lbs), who looked an unlucky loser at Cheltenham and Roi Du Mee (11st) who scored his 16th career success when winning at Down Royal on Tuesday. They are priced up at 16/1 and 25/1 respectively while the Cheltenham Festival winner Cause Of Causes (10st 7lbs) is a 16/1 chance, the same price as Bless The Wings (9st 9lbs).

Jim Dreaper is a four-time winner of the race and he has entered three horses for this year’s renewal, including Saturday’s Midlands Grand National winner Goonyella who has been allotted 10st 2lbs and is a 14/1 shot with BoyleSports. Noel Meade has a team of seven entered and his Wounded Warrior is on 11st and is a 16/1 chance in the ante-post book. On the same price is Busty Brown who has been given 9st 5lbs while Bose Ikard (20/1) has been allotted 8st 12lbs.

The Colm Murphy-trained Empire Of Dirt, so impressive at Naas, has been given 9st 7lbs and is joint second favourite on 12/1 with Paul Fahey’s Lots Of Memories (9st 13lbs). Pass The Hat, trained by 2011 winning trainer Arthur Moore, is another leading fancy at 14/1 and he is set to carry 10st at this stage. Moore also rode the Georgie Wells-trained King’s Sprite to win the race in 1971.

British trainers have a fine record in the BoyleSports Irish Grand National and they are responsible for nine entries. The Philip Hobbs-trained If In Doubt has been given 10st 12lbs and is a 14/1 chance while Le Reve on 10st 8lbs is priced up at 16/1, the same price as Cheltenham Festival winner The Package (10st 8lbs), trained by David Pipe whose father Martin saddled Omerta to win in 1991 under the then amateur Adrian Maguire.

Head of Communications for BoyleSports, Leon Blanche said: “This is an exciting time for all of us at BoyleSports as the weights are released for the Boylesports Irish Grand National. It is a huge privilege to be associated with Ireland’s most prestigious premier handicap chase.

The quality and depth to this year’s field has the ingredients for a vintage renewal, and as we saw with last year’s winner Shutthefrontdoor, who is now favourite for Aintree, the standard of horse you need to win the race is definitely on the upgrade.

We would like to wish all the race participants the best of luck. We will be Non-Runner Cash Back from today to help our customers should their selection not turn up in the race.”

Peter Roe, General Manager of Fairyhouse Racecourse, said: “We are thrilled with the quality of entries for this year’s BoyleSports Irish Grand National which will be the richest jumps race in Ireland in 2015. It is great to see two of this year’s Cheltenham festival winners along with a previous winner, Lion Na Bearnai, among the entries. The BoyleSports Irish Grand National entries coupled with the entries for the Grade 1 races means that we should have a very successful Easter Festival.”