One of the biggest events in the Irish racing calendar arrives on Easter Monday when the BoyleSports Irish Grand National takes place at Fairyhouse in County Meath.
Thirty horses and jockeys will arrive at the starting line, with 24 fences and just over three miles separating them and a chance of a €500,000 payday for winning one of the country’s most prestigious jump races.
Paul Carberry, who won the race aboard Bobbyjo in 1998 and the English Grand National a year later gave his thoughts on the event.
NAAS, IRELAND - APRIL 29: A delighted Paul Carberry after riding Don Cossack to win The Bibby Financial Services Ireland Punchestown Gold Cup at Punchestown racecourse on April 29, 2015 in Naas, Ireland. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)It’s a pretty straightforward formula to win the Irish Grand National
"It’s a pretty straightforward formula to win the Irish Grand National,"said Carberry about Irish Grand National Betting
"You need a horse that stays, definitely has to be able to do that. Noel Meade had two in the race in 2002 with The Bunny Boiler and Arctic Copper and the latter was probably the better horse, but he got to the second last fence and just stopped, he didn’t stay, the other horse did and went on to win.
"The ground will be very testing at the moment so they will need a few dry days coming up. It’s pretty simple, a horse that jumps and stays well is needed to have any chance of winning the Irish Grand National."
The race has certainly made its way back into the elite level of Irish racing
"It definitely is, it is getting the runners now, we have had some big winners in the last couple of years so it is good to see that as well as it isn’t the main guns winning every year.
"It is coming back up, especially with the prize money and that will always bring the horses back in."
Paul Carberry's tips
"Thedevilscoachman, if he didn’t run a week or so ago, then he would be the right favourite, but two weeks to recover from that race for this one might not be long enough with another three miles and more ahead of him.
"I assume he will run but I suspect he’ll need more time to recover if he is to win.
"Gaillard Du Mesnil had a good win at Cheltenham, that’ll help him. Willie Mullins has a lot thrown in and he looked one of his better winners at the Festival in a good race.
"Dermot McLoughlin is a good friend of mine and he’s going well, he’s just down the road from me and it is great to see him win the race the last two years.
"I think his runner Lord Lariat, winner last year, had a great prep run for this race at Leopardstown. Dermot obviously thinks he’s got a big chance of winning here and I think he does too.
"Panda Boy has a good chance too, for sure. Martin Brassil has been very unlucky, he had two seconds at Cheltenham, it would be good to see him come back and get his head in front here.
"It is a very open race, Angel’s Dawn won at Cheltenham, there is Stumptown as well, but it is going to be a cracker, it’ll be really hard to split them.
"I suppose it will be a question of which horses come back right after going to Cheltenham as well, getting themselves back in order. "
What you need to do to win at Fairyhouse
"It is a lovely racecourse to ride at. What you need there is a good horse! There is no hiding place there. You need a good horse to win there.
"When I won the Irish Grand National, I beat Ruby Walsh and he was only an amateur at the time, a couple of years later he might have beaten me. He took me on three out, I wouldn't have dared do that, but it is a lovely track."
"The track is looking great."
Great to hear from @Fairyhouse general manager @PeterRoe1 ahead of the three-day Easter Festival.
Enjoy the feature meeting and not forgetting the @BoyleSports Irish Grand National in the coming days live on Racing TV! pic.twitter.com/7Y3ukU4B4g— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 5, 2023
