RACE FAVOURITE
This year’s race favourite for the Irish Grand National is Latest Exhibition from trainer Paul Nolan.
For 2021, the Irish Grand National will be held today, Monday April 5th at 5pm at Fairyhouse Racecourse. The race is always held on Easter Monday!
There were 98 entries this year including fan favourite Tiger Roll and the 2019 winner Burrows Saint. At the declaration stage for the 2021 Irish Grand National on Wednesday, March 31st, 60 went forward.
Final declarations were announced on Friday, April 2nd 2021. ‘The Big Dog’ was the only runner withdrawn on the day of the Irish Grand National.
The runners below make up the 29 horses that are officially declared. They are all guaranteed to run in the race and the odds are from Paddy Power who are paying to SIX places on this race.
If you fancy a flutter, just click on the horse’s name!
Latest Exhibition9/2NO: 1 | FORM: 2-1222 | AGE: 8 | WEIGHT: 11-10 | JOCKEY: Bryan Cooper | TRAINER: P Nolan
Agusta Gold8/1NO: 11 | FORM: 232-14 | AGE: 8 | WEIGHT: 11-03 | JOCKEY: Danny Mullins | TRAINER: W Mullins
Run Wild Fred9/1NO: 20 | FORM: 345522 | AGE: 7 | WEIGHT: 10-11 | JOCKEY: Jack Kennedy | TRAINER: D Foster
Robin De Carlow12/1NO: 23 | FORM: 11P21- | AGE: 8 | WEIGHT: 10-09 | JOCKEY: Rachael Blackmore | TRAINER: W Mullins
Brace Yourself12/1NO: 25 | FORM: 7-1232 | AGE: 8 | WEIGHT: 10-08 | JOCKEY: Sean Flanagan | TRAINER: N Meade
Escaria Ten14/1NO: 3 | FORM: 0-5123 | AGE: 7 | WEIGHT: 11-08 | JOCKEY: AP Heskin | TRAINER: D Foster
Coko Beach14/1NO: 5 | FORM: 242311 | AGE: 6 | WEIGHT: 11-07 | JOCKEY: Jordan Gainford | TRAINER: D Foster
Espanito Bello14/1NO: 10 | FORM: 2-7412 | AGE: 7 | WEIGHT: 11-04 | JOCKEY: Mark Bolger | TRAINER: B Connell
Sempo16/1NO: 21 | FORM: -U3U32 | AGE: 7 | WEIGHT: 10-10 | JOCKEY: Donagh Meyler | TRAINER: J O’Brien
Court Maid18/1NO: 2 | FORM: -11413 | AGE: 8 | WEIGHT: 11-09 | JOCKEY: Sean O’Keeffe | TRAINER: T Mullins
Off You Go22/1NO: 8 | FORM: 4-24F1 | AGE: 8 | WEIGHT: 11-05 | JOCKEY: Mark Walsh | TRAINER: R Burns
Top Moon22/1NO: 29 | FORM: 660022 | AGE: 6 | WEIGHT: 10-07 | JOCKEY: Denis O’Regan | TRAINER: J O’Brien
Opposites Attract22/1NO: 30 | FORM: -32242 | AGE: 7 | WEIGHT: 10-06 | JOCKEY: Conor Maxwell | TRAINER: D McLoughlin
Home By The Lee28/1NO: 7 | FORM: -113P1 | AGE: 6 | WEIGHT: 11-06 | JOCKEY: JJ Slevin | TRAINER: J O’Brien
Moyhenna28/1NO: 14 | FORM: 40P235 | AGE: 9 | WEIGHT: 11-01 | JOCKEY: Hugh Morgan | TRAINER: D Hogan
Jerrysback28/1NO: 19 | FORM: /03-3P | AGE: 9 | WEIGHT: 10-11 | JOCKEY: Jody McGarvey | TRAINER: P Hobbs
- Fitzhenry28/1NO: 26 | FORM: -50703 | AGE: 9 | WEIGHT: 10-08 | JOCKEY: Darragh O’Keefe | TRAINER: P Nolan
Eurobot28/1NO: 31 | FORM: 3-1U64 | AGE: 7 | WEIGHT: 10-06 | JOCKEY: Barry Browne | TRAINER: N Meade
Scoir Mear33/1NO: 15 | FORM: 135351 | AGE: 11 | WEIGHT: 11-00 | JOCKEY: Simon Torrens | TRAINER: T Mullins
Enjoy D’allen33/1NO: 16 | FORM: 221122 | AGE: 7 | WEIGHT: 10-13 | JOCKEY: Conor Orr | TRAINER: C Murphy
Discordantly33/1NO: 17 | FORM: 149UF6 | AGE: 7 | WEIGHT: 10-11 | JOCKEY: Robbie Power | TRAINER: J Harrington
Brahma Bull40/1NO: 4 | FORM: 61-2UP | AGE: 10 | WEIGHT: 11-07 | JOCKEY: Brian Hayes | TRAINER: W Mullins
- Salsaretta40/1NO: 9 | FORM: 11-F54 | AGE: 8 | WEIGHT: 11-05 | JOCKEY: Conor McNamara | TRAINER: W Mullins
Atlantic Shore40/1NO: 24 | FORM: 42211P | AGE: 8 | WEIGHT: 10-08 | JOCKEY: Kevin Sexton | TRAINER: P Fenton
Snugsborough Benny66/1NO: 12 | FORM: 96-059 | AGE: 11 | WEIGHT: 11-02 | JOCKEY: R Deegan | TRAINER: L Cusack
Dragon D’estruval100/1NO: 18 | FORM: V1P-30 | AGE: 8 | WEIGHT: 10-11 | JOCKEY: Kevin Brouder | TRAINER: W Mullins
Mortal150/1NO: 6 | FORM: 8F40PF | AGE: 9 | WEIGHT: 11-07 | JOCKEY: S Fitzgerald | TRAINER: J O’Brien
Freewheelin Dylan150/1NO: 27 | FORM: -1F598 | AGE: 9 | WEIGHT: 10-08 | JOCKEY: Ricky Doyle | TRAINER: D McLoughlin
Odds listed on this page are taken from Paddy Power on 05/04/21. Check the odds with your Bookmaker before placing a bet as fluctuations can occur. Full Terms and Conditions for the promotional bet offers can be found on the respective websites – please read them before signing up.
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Follow the trends and statistics to narrow down the Irish Grand National 2021 field.
Who will you be backing in this year’s Irish National? Some people will take a punt on a tip from a friend or look for horse racing betting tips. Others will pick a runner based on the colour of silks worn by the jockey. While more will lump on a horse for no other reason than they like the name of the horse.
Being more strategic about your choice of a horse only involves a little extra work. Study the trends and statistics that have emerged over the last ten years and try to determine patterns that will help whittle down your selections.
Only one winner carried more than 11-00 and that was Our Duke in 2017 (11-04). Irish Grand National winners tend to carry less weight with winners generally carrying 10-08 or under.
Seven of the last ten winners were 8, 7 or 6 years old. Burrows Saint, for trainer Willie Mullins won the race last year at just 6-years-old. Seven and eight-year-olds tend to win the race more often than any other age group.
Only three winners went off as the favourite from the last ten Irish Grand Nationals. They were Burrows Saint in 2019, General Principle in 2018 and Shutthefrontdoor in 2014. There have also been a few long-shot winners including Liberty Counsel in 2013 (50/1) and Lion Na Bearnai in 2012 (33/1).
All 10 winners had at least three seasonal runs before going on to win the Fairyhouse spectacular. Six of the winners had run four or more times in the season they won the Irish Grand National.
Six winners had won in a race longer than 3m in the season they won the Irish Grand National. Two more had placed and only General Principle and Organisedconfusion had neither won nor placed in a race of more than 3m in the same season they won.
Nine of the last 10 winners had not unseated their jockey in the season they won the Irish Grand National.
Nine of the last ten winners had not fallen in the season they won the Irish Grand National. Only two had pulled-up. Thunder and Roses in 2015 was the only winner to have both fallen and unseated in the same season as the National win.
Ideally, as a tip, what you’re looking for is an Irish Grand National 2021 Runner that is carrying 10-08 or less, who is 6,7 or 8 years old.
Favourites only win about 30% of the time so look for those who are priced above 12/1 and who have at least three seasonal runs, with extra consideration for those who have won or placed at 3 miles or more.
For 2021 the top weight in the Irish National is Latest Exhibition from trainer Paul Nolan.
That was a rather late development in the proceedings as Tiger Roll had been given top weight. He came out of the race at the final declaration stage which bumped up all the weights by 11lbs. That leaves Latest Exhibition as the highest weighted runner on 11-10.
The eight-year-old will be partnered with jockey Bryan Cooper, and the pairing has been very successful over the last two seasons.
An excellent novice hurdler, he was second to Monkfish in the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival in 2020.
He then started this season as a novice chaser, winning at Punchestown in October. Always stepping up in class, Latest Exhibition headed back to Punchestown in November, placing second in a Grade 2.
By December he was starting in his first Grade1 at Leopardstown, placing second to Monkfish. With history repeating itself, he was back at Leopardstown in February, again just losing out to Monkfish.
In terms of the 2021 Irish Grand National, he will carry top weight which is difficult to win off and he has never been tested beyond three miles.
However, he is used to heavier weights and definitely has enough stamina to go the extra 5f of the Irish National.
Neither Bryan Cooper nor trainer Paul Nolan has ever won an Irish Grand National so will they be popping the champagne on Monday? Time will tell.
For 2021, the Irish Grand National will be held on Monday, April 5th at 5pm at Fairyhouse Racecourse. The race is always held on Easter Monday!
There were 98 entries this year including fan favourite Tiger Roll and the 2019 winner Burrows Saint.
Other dual entry runners include The Storyteller, Acapella Bourgois, Any Second Now, Magic Of Light, Tout Est Permis and Brahma Bull.
In fact, there were over 20 potential runners entered into both races.
Of course, there was no guarantee that they would all actually make the line-up for both but undoubtedly some tough decisions had to be made. That’s why Tiger Roll was withdrawn in favour of the Bowl Chase at Aintree!
Just like in Britain, there is an Irish Handicapper and once the weights are allocated, the process for getting 30 runners to the starting line is very similar.
There are entries, weights, and declaration stages though all of that is over a much shorter period of time. In fact, there are less than two weeks from the weights to the race.
The final declaration stage for the 2021 Irish Grand National was Friday, April 2nd 2021.
The final line-up of 30 runners with three reserves was announced and the going has been described as ‘Yielding’ with selective watering around the course.
Almost as old as the Aintree version, the Irish Grand National was established in 1870. Held at Fairyhouse Racecourse, it’s present home, the first renewal was won by a horse called Sir Robert Peel.
The winning connections took home a prize of 167 sovereigns. On the basis that they were 1871 sovereigns, worth £670 each today, the total prize would have been £111,890 in today’s money. So highly valuable but not as much as the £248K that the winner takes home today.
Over the years there have been significant connections with the Aintree Grand National where many of the same horses have won both races. Though none have won both in the same year, the first to complete the double was Ascetic’s Silver, the winner of the UK version in 1906.
More recently this has also been achieved by Rhyme ‘n’ Reason – Irish National in 1985, UK in 1988. Bobbyjo also won in Ireland in 1988 and Aintree in 1989. The last to achieve the double was Numbersixvalverde from trainer Martin Brassil. He won the Irish Grand National in 2005 and the Aintree National in 2006.
In 2021, Burrows Saint from trainer Willie Mullins is the only horse that can still achieve that feat. He won the Irish national in 2019 and is entered in the 2021 Grand National at Aintree.
Last Ten Irish Grand National Winners
Just like the 2020 National, the race was also cancelled in Ireland.
| Year | Horse | Age | Wgt | OR | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2019 | Burrows Saint | 6 | 10-08 | 144 | Ruby Walsh | Willie Mullins |
| 2018 | General Principle | 9 | 10-00 | 139 | James Slevin | Gordon Elliott IRE |
| 2017 | Our Duke | 7 | 11-04 | 153 | Robbie Power | Jessica Harrington |
| 2016 | Rogue Angel | 8 | 10-06 | 137 | Ger Fox | Mouse Morris |
| 2015 | Thunder And Roses | 7 | 10-06 | 136 | Katie Walsh | Sandra Hughes |
| 2014 | Shutthefrontdoor | 7 | 10-13 | 142 | Barry Geraghty | Jonjo O’Neill |
| 2013 | Liberty Counsel | 10 | 9-05 | 128 | Ben Dalton | Dot Love |
| 2012 | Lion Na Bearnai | 10 | 10-05 | 135 | Andrew Thornton | Thomas Gibney |
| 2011 | Organisedconfusion | 6 | 10-13 | 132 | Nina Carberry | Arthur Moore |
| 2010 | Bluesea Cracker | 8 | 10-04 | 131 | Andrew McNamara | James Motherway |
