Grand National horses from Ireland

Delta Work is a dual Cheltenham Festival Cross Country chase winner and also finished runner-up in the Grand National two years ago. Gordon Elliott tried this gelding again at Aintree last year but when he unseated his rider at the twenty-first fence. Likely to be campaigned very similarly again in 23/24 with the Cross Country at Cheltenham and the Grand National the big targets. Delta Work should again be hard to beat at Cheltenham, but it could be that his best chance of an Aintree victory has passed given he will be eleven years old come next April. Eight Grand Nationals have now passed since the last winner aged in double figures (Pineau De Re in 2014) and the National appears to be moving towards suiting younger, well-handicapped types.

Galvin is currently rated 166 and only one horse (Bristol De Mai) has run in the last five Grand Nationals from a higher rating. The nine-year-old would appear to face a tough task on his first look at the Aintree fences. The Gordon Elliott trained gelding is a winning machine having won thirteen times already with two sequences of five wins in a row. The highlights of those wins were his National Hunt Chase victory two seasons ago at the Cheltenham Festival and his last gasp win over A Plus Tard last season in the Grade One Savills Chase at Leopardstown. Galvin’s season last year ended on a low note after finishing a well-beaten fourth in the Gold Cup behind old foe A Plus Tard and then beaten twenty-four lengths by Allaho at Punchestown. Those defeats could just have been a reaction to a hard season but, despite one win this season and a runner-up spot in the Cross Country at Cheltenham, his current form looks below the highs of last season.  Despite all his victories, Galvin’s jumping can still be inconsistent (see his runner-up to Frodon at Down Royal last season as an example) so that aspect could also be a negative against this horse at Aintree. Stamina would be unlikely to be an issue given his win in the 3m 6f National Hunt Chase and with the gelding’s preference for a sound surface he would be likely to find conditions that suit him. Galvin would be a fascinating contender at Aintree and, given his partnership with double Grand National winning rider Davy Russell, who looks likely to be having his last ride in the race. Galvin is very likely to be well supported to win Russell a third Grand National.

Noble Yeats broke one of the longest running stats regarding the Grand National when he won last year's big race as a seven-year-old. Horses of that age had previously been seen as too inexperienced and this was backed up by the fact that the last winning seven-year-old before this horse was in 1940. Noble Yeats was also a novice, having only started his chasing career the previous October.  Trainer Emmet Mullins had wasted no time though and had managed to fit in seven races over the larger obstacles by the time Noble Yeats lined up at Aintree. The horse had been bought by Robert Waley-Cohen only a month before his Grand National victory where he gave his son Sam a fitting end to his riding career as one of the top Amateur Riders of the last twenty years.  Despite the high-profile new owner and a jockey with one of the best ever records over the Grand National fences, Noble Yeats was allowed to start the big race as a relatively unfancied 50/1 shot. With the benefit of hindsight that was a huge price and it can surely only be that the “seven-year-olds don’t win the Grand National” statistic that put punters off.  Sam Waley-Cohen gave Noble Yeats a patient ride, holding up his horse until starting to make headway after the twelfth fence and he could be seen gradually improving his place until he was tracking the leaders at the Canal Turn on the second circuit. Waley-Cohen pushed Noble Yeats up to dispute the lead at the second last and was then involved in a protracted battle with the 15/2 favourite, Any Second Now,  ridden by Mark Walsh. The two riders gave everything from the second last and Any Second Now briefly had the lead after the last fence but eventually found the task of giving the best part of a stone to his three years younger rival beyond him. The winning jockey announced his retirement from the saddle immediately after the race on what was the perfect way to end his distinguished riding career. Inevitably, after all connections had enjoyed the remarkable feat of winning the biggest race in the world, thoughts turned to 2023.  The handicapper reacted by pushing Noble Yeats up nineteen pounds to his current mark of 166. Grand National winners understandably receive a hefty shunt up the weights so it remains to be seen if this horse can emulate Tiger Roll and win back to back Grand Nationals.  Sean Bowen has been drafted in to replace Waley-Cohen in the saddle and trainer Emmet Mullins has mapped out a very positive programme for Noble Yeats with the horse winning twice already including the Grade Two Many Clouds Chase at Cheltenham. That victory catapulted the eight-year-old into the high points of the Gold Cup betting where he ran really well to be a staying on fourth to Galopin Des Champs. Noble Yeats then ran really well when fourth in the Grand National staying on well from the second last fence.  Noble Yeats' chances for the 2024 Grand National very much depend on how the handicapper treats him when the weights are published in February.

Lifetime Ambition has been a slow burner, taking seven attempts to break his maiden over hurdles but is now a four-time winner, including a Grade Three victory in a novice chase at Limerick last season. He has been a model of consistency since then, not finishing out of the first four in any of completed races to date, which included a fourth place in the Sefton over the Aintree fences and a runner-up spot behind The Big Dog in the Troytown at Navan. Jessica Harrington was interviewed before last year's Grand National and was very positive about Lifetime Ambition's chances but sadly we didn't get to find out how he would have done as a loose horse caused him to unseat his rider at the ninth fence. Up to that point the eight-year-old was jumping well and seemed to be enjoying himself so it seems likely that Harrington will aim the gelding at Aintree again next season.

Considering what he has ultimately achieved, it seems amazing that it took Hewick twelve races under Rules before he recorded his first victory. That first success came in a handicap hurdle at Kilbeggan from a handicap mark of just 94. Hewick is currently rated 168 over fences so Shark Hanlon has improved the gelding by a massive 74lb from that first win.  After that first victory, Hewick’s career was still fairly low-key with four victories in his next eleven starts. Hanlon’s decision to run in the Bet365 Gold Cup two seasons ago looked ambitious but Hewick responded brilliantly to the occasion and ran out a comfortable eight length winner of the 90k race. That Sandown win set the Hewick snowball rolling and since then he has won the Galway Plate and the American Grand National as well as being an unlucky loser (fell at the last) in the Kerry National. However, perhaps the highlight so far of his career was his excellent effort in last season’s Cheltenham Gold Cup where he was sent off an relatively unconsidered 40/1 shot but was still in there pitching when taking a heavy fall at the second last.  A trip to Sandown beckoned after the Gold Cup and Hewick was an easy winner there of a 46k Grade 2 chase. Hanlon also sent his charge over to the French Champion Hurdle where he finished an honourable fourth. The Grand National had been under consideration last season and looks highly likely to be high on the agenda in 2024.  This globetrotting sensation is a tribute to all concerned and is undoubtedly one of the stand out characters on the current National Hunt scene.

Gaillard Du Mesnil ran an excellent race in last year’s Grand National, staying on to finish third, seven lengths behind Corach Rambler. That good run at Aintree came on the back of winning the 3m 6f National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham, so stamina is definitely a strong point for this horse. Willie Mullins has campaigned Gaillard Du Mesnil positively winning two Grade Ones over hurdles and a Grade One novice chase at Leopardstown. With a handicap rating in the mid-150s, this grey gelding is likely to continue moving between handicaps and Graded races next season and as he is still only seven years old, he could possibly develop into a Gold Cup candidate. It will be interesting to see if master trainer Mullins targets Aintree as Gaillard Du Mesnil would be a very strong contender once again.

Mr Incredible is another horse trying to emulate Noble Yeats by taking the Grand National as a seven-year-old with relatively little experience over fences. Some punters may take a look at Mr Incredible’s form figures and be concerned to see more letters than numbers (he has refused, pulled up and been brought down in three of his last five runs) but those defeats need to be offset against his last two runs which were very positive.  Willie Mullins sent the horse over to contest the Classic Chase at Warwick in January and Mr Incredible stepped up considerably on his previous efforts when running Welsh Grand National winner Iwilldoit to just under three lengths. That run would go down as one of the best trials and Mr Incredible followed that effort by finishing third in another traditional Grand National trial, the Kim Muir at the Cheltenham Festival. It looks as if Mullins has found the key to this horse who was trained last season by Henry De Bromhead who only managed to get one low grade novice chase win out of the gelding.  Mr Incredible's handicap mark of 145 for the National is only three pounds higher than his effort at Warwick so he is effectively two pound 'well-in' as he was raised to 147 for Cheltenham. That run in the Kim Muir does not have an effect as the weights for Aintree have already been fixed.  The improvement found by Mr Incredible since the move to Closutton means that Mullins has a well-handicapped chaser on his hands. The stumbling block could be that effort last year where he refused to race. The atmosphere at Aintree is always white-hot so any temperament issues will undoubtedly be put under maximum pressure.

Vanillier ran a remarkable race in last year's Grand National having been in fifteenth position jumping four out and still twelve lengths behind the leader when jumping the last. The grey gelding powered up the run in and passed all of his rivals bar one, the well-handicapped, Corach Rambler. The handicapper has reacted by increasing Vanillier's rating by five pounds, which could look very lenient in a year's time. Given how well the gelding took to the Aintree experience it must be very likely trainer Gavin Cromwell will aim the eight-year-old gelding at the Grand National again in 2024.