Who will fill the 7 Places on the Irish Grand National? Big race Sponsors BoyleSports are offering 7 places to their mobile customers on today’s 150th running of the €500,000 Irish Grand National in what looks a quality renewal. 7 Places - Irish Grand National This offer is available to new and existing customers of BoyleSports. This is a Mobile only offer. 25+ horses must run for 7 Places. 1/5 odds. Applies to bets placed from 3pm, Saturday 16th April. Applies to UK and IRE Customers aged 18+.Standard BoyleSports T&Cs Apply. GamblingCare.ie Despite a maximum field of 30 runners set to line up many punters appear to be siding with the novice Gaillard Du Mesnil to provide Champion trainer Willie Mullins with his second victory in the race following the success of Burrows Saint in 2019. The grey six-year-old is yet to win a race over fences but has competed at a very high level in his four novice starts to date, finishing third each time to the likes of Bob Olinger, Galopin Des Champ and most recently to L’Homme Presse at the Cheltenham Festival. Gaillard Du Mesnil is yet to race beyond three miles but indicated at Cheltenham that this marathon trip of three miles and five furlongs should be within his compass and he seems almost certain to be sent off favourite as he is now trading at 5/1 with BoyleSports. BoyleSports Ambassador Robbie Power said about the favourite: “If there’s a horse in it that will blow the field away I think it would just be one, Gaillard Du Mesnil. When you’re looking through the Irish Grand National and what to fancy, novices have a fantastic record in the race and he ticks that box. He was a dual grade one winner over hurdles. He probably hasn’t hit the heights that he should have done over fences, but he’s been keeping the best of company and I think he’d have to be a strong fancy for the race.” Power, who won the Irish Grand National on Our Duke in 2017, is himself booked to ride English challenger Time To Get Up from the Jonjo O’Neill yard. This nine-year-old is not without a chance having already proven his stamina when winning last season’s Midland’s Grand National at Uttoxeter over four miles and two furlongs. He arrives here off the back of a third place finish in the same race last month which was won by another of today’s rivals Screaming Colours. Jonjo O’Neill has already trained two winners of the Irish Grand National with Butler’s Cabin (2007) and Shuthefrontdoor (2014). Besides Robbie Power, the only other rider in today’s race to have already won an Irish Grand National is JJ Slevin who won the race in 2018 aboard the Gordon Elliott trained General Principle. Slevin rides 14/1 chance Early Doors for Joseph O’Brien this time around. Unusually, six horses that ran in last weekend’s Aintree Grand National try their luck again in the Fairyhouse contest. Five of the sextet - Death Duty, Enjoy D’Allen, Mount Ida, Run Wild Fred and School Boy Hours - exited the Aintree contest before halfway so are likely to be relatively fresh for this assignment. The other horse is Samcro which trailed home a distant 11th behind Noble Yeats at Aintree. Rachael Blackmore will be hoping to add the Irish version to her formidable CV having famously won the Aintree version aboard Minella Times last season. Blackmore’s mount Full Time Score is likely to prove popular with punters having prepared for this assignment with a victory over the course in February when beating the ill-fated Discorama by one length. Other leading fancies for today’s race include Max Flamingo from the local Francis Casey yard and Farclas which arrives here fresh having been off the track since finishing second to Run Wild Fred in the Troytown Chase at Navan in November. The 149th running of the National produced a 150/1 winner in the shape of Freewheelin Dylan so there is no reason why we couldn’t see another shock result in this anniversary year but here are some suggestions as to the horses that might fill the first seven places: 1. Gaillard Du Mesnil 2. Farclas 3. Death Duty 4. Run Wild Fred 5. Enjoy D’allen 6. Time To Get Up 7. Mount Ida BoyleSports are offering new customers an enhanced sign up offer to mark their sponsorship of this weekend’s 150th running of the Irish Grand National. Bet €10 Get €50 in Free Bets New customers that register and place a qualifying bet of €10 or more will receive €50 in Free Bets. Players must be 18 or over to participate and their first bet of €10 or more must be placed at odds of Evens or greater. The €50 free bet will be applied to the customer’s account within 5 minutes of the 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. Free bets will expire within 7 days. T&Cs Apply. GamblingCare.ie
