The Irish Grand National is one of the oldest and most popular National Hunt steeplechases in the horse racing calendar. It attracts the attention of hundreds of fans as well as betting enthusiasts. This horse racing event occurs traditionally during the Fairyhouse's Easter Festival meeting.

This year, the festival will take place from the 30th of March until the 1st of April. The featured horse racing event will come about during the last day of the festival. Below we will provide a preview of the Irish National at Fairyhouse as well as give out some useful betting tips.

Irish Grand National Preview

As we mentioned in the intro, the Irish Grand National is a National Hunt steeplechase that first took place in 1870. It’s a Grand 1 race for horses at the age of 5 or older.

This horse race traditionally takes place at the Fairyhouse Racecourse over a distance of around 3 miles and 5 furlongs. During this event, every horse must jump over 24 fences while carrying certain weights. The latter part of the race also makes it a handicap race.

Since 1946, no horse, besides Brown Lad, has managed to win more than once at the Irish Grand National. Brown Lad managed to win it 3 times in 1975, 1976, and 1978, which is a record for this event.

The most successful jockey at the Irish National is Pat Taaffe, having won the race on 6 different occasions. As for the leading trainer, we must mention Tom Dreaper, who participated in 10 wins.

Last year, I Am Maximus managed to win the race alongside jockey Paul Townend. The victorious horse came from the stable of well-known Irish trainer Willie Mullins.

Now, at the Irish Grand National 2024, the fans expect to see some astonishing action. The same goes with punters who enjoy horse racing betting Ireland.

This is due to the fierce competition as several horses are capable of winning the race.

The Irish Grand National Betting Odds

The winning odds for the Irish Grand National 2024 vary from one bookmaker to the other. Many of them provide unique odds to different horses. However, for this analysis, we made sure to combine the odds from the top bookmakers.

As such, the most reputable sportsbook picks Corbetts Cross and Intense Raffles as the ultimate favourites. Both horses have odds of 10/1 for winning this year’s Irish Grand National.

After that come 5 other superb horses superb horses with odds of 14/1. Among them are Three Card Brag, Embassy Gardens, We’llhavewan, Limerick Lace, and Good Time Jonny.

Then we have Mr Incredible, James Du Berlais, Perceval Legallois, Senior Chef, and Yeah Man. For each of these horses, the top bookmakers provide odds of 16/1. There are many other horses that will compete at this horse racing event. But, the sportsbooks don’t feel like they have many chances of winning the race.

Betting Tips for the Irish Grand National 2024

When it comes to betting at the Irish Grand National, everyone is looking at the ultimate favourites. However, you should also look at the stats and form before you place a wager.

As such, when we look at Corbetts Cross, we'll notice that its last win was in early December 2023. However, in the past 10 races, it managed to win on 5 occasions. It also got two 2nd and 3rd place. This makes it a certain top 3 finish at the Irish Grand National.

Next, we have Intense Raffles, who is just starting out with professional horse racing. This horse won its last two races and it is in a row to possibly win its third. However, a finish among the 2, 3, or 4 is always a safe bet.

As for the other top horses that we’ve mentioned, we advise you to avoid Good Time Jonny. We believe that this 9-year-old horse is way past its peak and won’t get a top 5 finish.

We’llhavewan and Limerick Lace are in good form and they might even win the race. But, if you plan on betting on the top finishers, then we advise you to include them.

Embassy Gardens and Three Card Brag were also amazing in their last 2 races. However, their overall form is pretty unstable. Because of that, we would avoid betting on them altogether.