Better Days Ahead has been a slow-burn project rather than an overnight sensation, but that might be exactly why he turns up at Fairyhouse on April 6 looking tailor‑made for the 2026 BoyleSports Irish Grand National.
The 2024/25 season was about getting his chasing education, and Better Days Ahead handled the switch to fences in a straightforward, professional fashion.
He began with a beginner’s chase win at Navan over 2m4f, putting Slade Steel away with something to spare, before going straight into Grade 1 company at Leopardstown over three miles at Christmas, where he was just pipped to the post by Croke Park.
A third place in the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham last season was then followed up by a run at Fairyhouse, where he was sixth in the Irish National.
So it’s back to his old stomping ground for another bite at the apple, but the big question is whether or not he can improve on last year and possibly even win the 2026 Irish Grand National.
The 2026 Plan
If you want to know whether a horse is truly being campaigned with the Irish Grand National in mind, the last piece of the jigsaw is how connections talk about him.
Elliott has been disarmingly clear on that front. He ran Better Days Ahead in the 2025 Irish Grand National, where he finished sixth, convincing his trainer that Fairyhouse should remain the long‑term target.
After a nine‑month break, Better Days Ahead returned in early 2026 and finished second on his first start back, pleasing Elliott, who described him as having run “a very good race” and made it clear that Fairyhouse was once again the aim.
What’s more, Elliott has stressed that he’d “love to see the ground staying… soft” for Better Days Ahead, with most of his best efforts having come when the mud is flying. Assuming the usual Fairyhouse spring ground leans that way, conditions should be a positive rather than a worry.
He’s also not the flashy type who wins by daylight and gets over‑hyped; he wins by doing everything well rather than one thing spectacularly.
There is a gentle irony in his name too: Better Days Ahead has built a career from improving with each new test, and the 2026 Irish Grand National feels like the logical next “better day” on a very deliberate ladder.
Elliott’s National Record
Gordon Elliott knows how to build a staying chaser for a National, whether at Aintree or Fairyhouse. He landed the Irish Grand National once before with General Principle in 2018, and his record in the race since then has been consistently strong in terms of runners placed and in the mix late on.
This season, Elliott has described his operation as having “the seasons of all seasons,” with nine graded winners already and a strong challenge for the trainers’ title.
Better Days Ahead is a central part of that push, but he might need to defy near top weight in the Irish Grand National if he’s to boost Elliott’s chances of being champion trainer for the first time, underlining how important this race, and this horse, are to the yard’s campaign.
Has Every Chance
No horse is a certainty in a staying handicap chase, and Better Days Ahead does come with a couple of clear caveats.
First, the weight. Elliott has acknowledged that “he’s probably going to be top weight or close to it so it’s not ideal,” with the possibility that the weights could rise depending on which high‑rated horses stand their ground.
Giving away weight over three miles and five furlongs on soft ground is never easy, even for a classy sort.
Second, the level of opposition. Elliott himself has warned that “the English horses are going to be very, very dangerous over here,” pointing to recent evidence at Punchestown and last year’s Irish National.
Better Days Ahead is no longer the unexposed novice; he is a known quantity near the top of the handicap, facing rivals who might be sneaking in under the radar.
For all those small warning lights on the dashboard, Better Days Ahead feels like a horse whose entire CV is quietly steering towards Easter Monday at Fairyhouse.
If you enjoy the narrative as much as the form book, there is plenty to like. He is not the buzz horse of the spring, but he might be the one who has been quietly getting ready for this exact afternoon for more than a year.
So, should we be taking Better Days Ahead seriously as a contender to give Gordon Elliott a second Irish Grand National?
On balance, yes: the case is strong, the preparation is deliberate, and the profile is almost textbook for this race – as long as top weight, a deep field, and a few hungry British raiders don’t turn his “better days” into a hard‑luck story.
BETFRED
