There are some names in racing that stop you in your tracks, and Goraibhmaithagat is one of them. At first glance, it looks like a keyboard has had a bad day, but say it out loud, and it suddenly clicks. It is Irish, it has meaning, and it feels right at home in a race like the Irish Grand National.
It translates as “thank you”, which is either a lovely bit of optimism or a neat piece of pressure, depending on how you look at it.
If things fall into place at Fairyhouse, there will be plenty of punters more than happy to repeat it. Trained by Colm Murphy, Goraibhmaithagat is worth more than a passing thought as the field begins to take shape.
Owned by JP McManus, he is also homebred by Noreen McManus, which is very important because she has an extraordinary record that includes Gold Cup winners Synchronised and Inothewayurthinkin, as well as Festival winner, Limerick Lace.
Incidentally, she also bred Showurappreciation, who is also running in the 2026 Irish Grand National.
Trainer Colm Murphy has already pointed to Goraibhmaithagat’s pedigree and background as reasons to expect more as the trips get longer, saying “his whole pedigree looks like a stayer” and that “the further he goes, the better he’ll be.”
The Trip Around Fairyhouse
His chasing career has gotten off to a decent start, and he has certainly put more miles on the clock than many of his rivals have this season, running in six chases since November.
He was second in the Leinster National Handicap Chase last time out, narrowly beaten by The Lovely Man, but it did prove that he can more than handle himself at 3m1f.
That said, Fairyhouse’s Irish Grand National trip of 3m5f is a different test again, but there are several reasons to believe Goraibhmaithagat will relish it, and it seems that the betting markets have cottoned on as his drops shrink the closer the race gets.
Colm Murphy’s Quiet Resurgence
If you were designing an “under-the-radar but deadly” profile for an Irish National hopeful, giving him to Colm Murphy would be a decent start.
The Wexford trainer has already done most of the things ambitious jump trainers dream about: Brave Inca’s Champion Hurdle, Big Zeb’s Queen Mother Champion Chase, Grade 1 wins all over the shop, and a Cheltenham handicap job in the shape of Empire Of Dirt.
Murphy actually walked away from training in 2016, took up a role as a racing official, and then came back in 2019 – a second act that is only now beginning to look fully stocked with serious horses again.
He deliberately swerved Cheltenham this year, preferring “nice pots at home” and teeing up Fairyhouse as the focal point of his spring, with Grade 1 contenders and a leading Irish Grand National hope in Goraibhmaithagat.
When a trainer who has already climbed the mountain is happy to skip Cheltenham and quietly aim the right horse at the Irish National, you pay attention.
Goraibhmaithagat Ticking Boxes
So why might punters be saying “go raibh maith agat” after the 2026 Irish Grand National?
He is an improving six-year-old with form figures that are trending the right way at exactly the right time, and he already has a Listed chase win in a competitive handicap and a nose defeat in a strong Leinster National over 3m1f.
His trainer has publicly targeted this race and believes not only that he stays, but that a bigger test of stamina will bring out more.
In handicap terms, he also arrives looking like he may still be ahead of the assessor. The National will demand another step forward, but with a lightly raced novice, that’s as much an opportunity as a risk.
No horse with Goraibhmaithagat’s CV walks into an Irish National without question marks, though, and his are clear enough.
First, the jumping. That Naas Listed win came “after a sketchy round of jumping”, with several silly mistakes noted in the report. Fairyhouse over 3m5f with 30 fences is not the place to be learning on the job.
Second, the depth of opposition. This is Ireland in 2026; you can assume multiple runners from Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott, among others, with their own well-handicapped projects lining up. Murphy himself has “never landed the Irish Grand National” despite his top-level record, which underlines how hard this race is to win rather than casting any doubt on his ability.
And finally, the small matter of price. He was at around 16/1 in the early shows, but has now dropped to 10/1 so he’s no secret, but there are still plenty ahead of him in the betting markets, though that’s not always a bad thing.
Overall, More Positive Than Negative
Put it all together, and Goraibhmaithagat looks like a proper, workmanlike 2026 Irish National candidate rather than a headline-grabbing star.
He is tough, still learning, bred to stay, trained by a man who knows how to win the biggest races, and owned by the most patient big-race operator in the game.
If his fencing holds up and he finds a little more for the extra half mile, there is every chance fans will be practicing their Irish on Easter Monday evening – and saying “thank you” for a horse who has been quietly telling us for months that Fairyhouse is his sort of race.
BETFRED
