BoyleSports Irish Grand National

TWELVE years on since Lion Na Bearnai provided local trainer Tom Gibney with a first Irish Grand National, Intense Raffles (13/2) gave him another with a quality performance to see off National specialist, but unfortunately constant bridesmaid Any Second Now in front of 16,758 people at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday.

You could say that this result was off script from the current state of play in National Hunt racing, the era of the super stable, but then again the Irish National has always had the propensity to allow for a huge result for the small trainer. In winning the three-mile-five-furlong contest, Gibney was equalling Willie Mullins’ record in the race, but also fellow local trainer Dermot McLoughlin.

His two winners could hardly have been much different. Lion Na Bearnai was an unconsidered nine-year-old, allowed to go off 33/1. Intense Raffles was an up-and-coming six-year-old who despite his inexperience and weight, ticked plenty of other boxes and was well found in the market ever since the first show.

He was also the first horse Gibney trained for powerhouse owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede and with that came an intense sort of pressure to deliver. The horse was to be ridden by the ‘double green’ retained jockey Daryl Jacob, but he cruelly missed out because of a broken collarbone, and that allowed J.J. Slevin to take full advantage to ride his own second winner in the race following General Principle’s score in 2018.

Prominent

Gibney would later reveal that he told Slevin that all he needed was a clear round to win, and perhaps with that in mind, the jockey kept his horse in a prominent position, away from any trouble. He jumped with aplomb, apart from a skewed effort at the fourth last, but that didn’t deter him and Slevin allowed him to take it up after the third last.

The challengers were led firstly by top weight Minella Cocooner and then the 12-year-old Any Second Now, but bar a brief moment after the last, you never felt the latter could catch up with the horse half his age and it was another valiant effort in defeat for Ted Walsh’s horse.

Reflecting afterwards, Gibney said: “It’s fantastic. I had huge confidence in the horse. People were asking me if I was nervous, and hand on my heart, I wasn’t nervous because we have huge confidence in him.

“He is the best I’ve had. You know when you ride this horse, he just gives you a better feeling than all the others and that’s the feeling I get on him nearly every day that I ride him.

“He’s only six, so who knows where he will go. It was a dream to win the race in 2012 but it’s so different to today. There was much more expectation today. When you have a horse so good. The team I just want to say thanks to the staff.

“We’re a small outfit with my family, my daughters and my wife and it’s a small local team. They’re brilliant and it’s great for them, they needed it as much as I needed it.”

Indeed, off his weight of 11st 4lb, Intense Raffles joined Our Duke (2017) and Commanche Court (2000) as the joint highest weighted winners since Flashing Steel won off top weight in 1995. With just eight chase starts to his name, he has the potential to be a force at graded level at least and perhaps will pave the way for his trainer to move on to another level.

Recalling how he made the connection with Munir and Souede, Gibney said: “Last February (last year) was the first time I spoke to them but fair play to the boys, it’s very easy for the big owners to go to the big yards so for them to pick out a yard like ours and give us a horse, kudos to them, it’s great to be able to repay them.”

Slevin, who was quick to turn attention to injured Jacob in his post race comments, said: “The horse got a bit lonely in front but he got over the last well and he was good and brave from there to the line.

“He’s only a six-year-old so it’s a massive achievement for him to come and do that. He got a massive grounding in France and it’s great for Tom to be able to show what he can do with a horse like this.

“Tom is doing very well in fairness to him but horses like this are hard to come by in Ireland and it’s great that he has got one. It’s his second time winning the National so he knows what he is doing.”

Any Second Now has now finished second and third in two Aintree Nationals and second in an Irish National. Ted Walsh cut an emotional figure in the parade ring afterwards, and reflected: “Proud as punch. The same way I was when he was second at Aintree, and third at Aintree. Sure what can you do? It was a huge run. He ran his heart out. He’s not Brown Lad. he never was Brown Lad, but he ran a cracker.”

OLLY Murphy constantly references how important and enjoyable his time spent in Ireland as an assistant to Gordon Elliott was for his career, and that had plenty to do with his emotional state after his 11-year-old Brewinup’astorm (5/1) deterred the challenge of Zarak The Brave to win the Grade 2 Rathbarry & Glenview Studs Hurdle over two and a half miles.

The Barbara Hester-owned gelding is a classy operator on his day and showed all that class along with guts and determination for Jack Kennedy to see off a horse more than half his age after the last, with the Ellitot-trained Maxxum earlier coming down at the second last when in contention.

It was a 10th career win for Brewinup’astorm and third at Grade 2 level.

“I enjoyed that,” said Murphy. “He’s a very good horse on his day and he’s kind of only good once a year if that makes sense. He really turned up today and just managed to outstay Willie’s horse after the last.

“Ireland has been brilliant for me, I spent five fantastic years here, learned a lot off Gordon, watched Jack grow up to the man he is today from the day he rode his first winner.

“To come over and take on the Irish, just the way National Hunt racing is nowadays on both sides of the Irish Sea, this is huge. I’ve always wanted to train a winner over here, never mind a big winner, so I really enjoyed that.

“It’s hard to win anywhere, England and Ireland, so to come back and win a proper race is magic. I enjoyed that as much as any winner I’ve trained.”

Strong

Whatcouldhavebeen (14/1) put up a strong staying performance from the front to win the two-mile-six-furlong Fairyhouse Steel Handicap Hurdle for Aidan Kelly and Jarlath Fahey.

The six-year-old mare had finished second to Ashroe Diamond in the Grade 1 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Honeysuckle Mares’ Novice Hurdle at this festival last season, but had failed to find her best form this term. She bounced back emphatically here, adding to her general fine record at the course, by coming all of nine lengths clear of favourite O’Moore Park.

“We haven’t had a great run over the winter, a lot of our horses have been under a cloud and things just weren’t flowing for us,” said Fahey, who trains the mare for his wife Suzanne. “We thought she had been working well, she did a nice bit of work with Boher Road, and he was giving us a nice run until he decided to exit the race, but that gave us a bit of confidence that she was going in the right direction.

“She was second in a Grade 1 here last year. Since she came back off her summer break she hasn’t been firing but she looks back to herself now. We might stick to handicap company at Punchestown but it’s just great to get her head back in front again, back to the way she can run.”

BOTTLER’SECRET created a fair impression to win a Grade 3 contest at Naas on his first start and he did little to dampen enthusiasm with a fine performance to take the Grade 2 O’Driscoll’s Irish Whiskey Juvenile Hurdle for locals Keith Donoghue and Gavin Cromwell.

The Patrick Sheanon-owned gelding was weak in the betting, allowed to go off 4/1, having been sub 2/1 on Sunday evening, but he made this look straightforward, always vying for the lead with Donoghue before taking control of the race by picking up impressively between the final two flights.

“Yeah he was impressive,” Cromwell agreed afterwards. “He’s a lovely, straightforward horse, and he races lazily which you’d love for a horse coming off the flat. He jumped really well and the cheekpieces helped him to travel a bit better. He was behind the bridle a lot the last day and he went to the line really well today. Hopefully there is a lot more to come.

“I wouldn’t say he has to have it this soft. I’d say soft ground was important to him on the flat because he lacked a gear.

“We will go for the Grade 1 for juveniles at Punchestown now. Why wouldn’t you give it a go? The timing is nice as well, with the early Easter we have enough time.”

Mulllins treble

Willie Mullins rounded up another successful Easter period with a treble on the card which kickstarted with Implicit (9/2) in the opening Farmhouse Foods Novice Handicap Hurdle over two miles.

This was a dramatic contest as just before the straight, the front-running Boher Road ducked out through the wing of the third last when 10 lengths clear, shattering the nearby railing in the process. Luckily both horse and rider were okay, but it paved the way for a grandstand finish that looked set to go the way of Tony Martin’s Ossie’s Lodge, who led over the last and had a three length advantage, only for Paul Townend to summon a tremendous late bid from his mare, getting up to win by the minimum margin.

The Merriebelle Irish Farm Ltd-owned six-year-old was scoring off a mark of 116 and looks set to head to Punchestown now, with a summer campaign also likely after that, according to assistant trainer David Casey.

Mullins combined with nephew Danny to take the race after the National, the three-mile Envirogreen Building Services Handicap Chase, with Macdermott (5/1).

The Gallagher Bloodstock Limited-owned six-year-old more or less led from start to finish, was held together when challenged by three rivals in the straight before sticking to his task well to see off favourite Better Times Ahead by 12 lengths.

Mullins earmarked the gelding as a future National type horse, alluding that the combination of soft ground and longer trip was key to the improvement in performance.

The final race of the festival, the Leinster Reinforcing & Brazil Piling INH Flat Race went to Mullins and Jody Townend with Redemption Day (2/1 joint-favourite).

The Tim O’Driscoll-owned gelding was running in his seventh bumper across three seasons and put his experience to good use by travelling powerfully through the race and quickening up smartly in the straight.

JOURNEY With Me (4/1) has long been touted as a potential Grade 1 horse and he took a step back in the right direction with a strong staying performance to claim the Grade 2 McInerney Properties Chase for Henry de Bromhead, Darragh O’Keeffe and Robcour.

The complexion of this two-and-a-half-mile contest changed when favourite Saint Sam built up a significant lead after the first fence.

That allowed for a strongly-run contest and once the chasers caught up with the Mullins inmate before the straight, it was always going to be a case of who could sustain their energy best, with the finishing speed percentages for all four finishers dipping well below 100%.

In the end, Journey With Me saw it out best, coming right away from Appreciate It after the last for a 12-length score.

“He jumped well, did everything right, Darragh was great on him and it was brilliant for Robcour, so we’re delighted,” said de Bromhead. “They went a fair lick the whole way, Saint Sam went a real good gallop so it probably helped us in a sense, helped us settle and he stuck it out really well.

“We’d always hoped he was a Grade 1 horse. It’s nice to be back on track.”