THE Boylesports-sponsored Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse has had more illustrious winners than this year’s, General Principle, but it
may well never have had such a dramatic or close-fought finish. Little more than a length covered the first five home at the end of 29 gruelling furlongs, and four of the runners traded at long odds-on at one stage or another.

General Principle, carrying just 10-00, gets a timefigure of 134 (somewhat speculative in that this was one of just three races over fences on the card on deteriorating ground) and it is fourth-past-the-post Bellshill, under 11-05, who emerges with the most credit with a timefigure of 152.