Grand National Lucky Dip

Champ Kiely was a useful horse over hurdles, winning three times and finishing third at the Cheltenham Festival but he is now even more highly rated over fences. 

Willie Mullins kept the gelding to trips shorter than three miles in the early part of his novice year and Champ Kiely was good enough to win twice but on his final start of the season Mullins moved him up to three miles at the Punchestown Festival. This proved a masterstroke as the gelding took advantage of some indifferent jumping from more fancied stablemates (such as Ballyburn and Lecky Watson) to win by over six lengths at the relatively unexpected odds of 22/1.

This season hasn’t really gone to plan for Champ Kiely and began with a short-head defeat over just two miles at Naas in November. The ten-year-old gelding then stepped up in class to contest the Grade One Savills Chase at Leopardstown but slipped up on the flat after the fourth fence. A move back in grade at Tramore followed this but he could manage only a disappointing well-beaten fifth when 2/1 favourite. 

Mullins set the gelding another tough task next when running him in the Irish Gold Cup where he was sent off 66/1 and finished seventh, beaten twenty-eight lengths.

Many punters will focus on Willie Mullins’ runners now after he has dominated the last two Nationals and this horse fits a lot of the Mullins set-up for Aintree as he has been sending lightly raced but classy horses. Champ Kiely fits the bill in experience having just had nine races over fences but he is older than most second season chasers at ten-years-old and we have to go back to Pineau De Re in 2014 to find the last Grand National winner aged in double figures.

If you can overlook his age, he will appeal to many as he is a former Grade One winner and seemingly goes well on all ground conditions.