Irish Grand National

Irish Grand National 2012 - Lion Na Bearnai Claims Excellent Win

Irish Grand NationalWell the big day is here with the eyes of the racing world on Fairyhouse as the Irish Grand National takes centre stage once again on Easter Monday. It is run over a testing Fairyhouse racecourse of 3 miles and five furlongs, with 23 fences for the horses to tackle. Since its inception, see Irish Grand National history for details, it has been run on Easter Monday every year. The Irish Grand National Odds for this year are now taking shape and there is some excellent value on offer for the big race. There are some cracking horses lining up at Fairyhouse including the likes of Alfie Sherrin and Four Commanders, while Groody Hill and Ninetieth Minute are being well backed to run a big race this Easter Monday.

16:50 Ladbrokes Irish Grand National Chase (Grade A Handicap) (3m 5f)
1.Lion Na Bearnai - A Thornton - T Gibney - 33/1
2.Out Now - P Mangan - E O'Grady - 14/1
3.Alfie Sherrin - R McLernon - J O'Neill - 10/1
4.Paddy Pub - T Doyle - K Purcell - 20/1
29 Ran

The ground has eased with overnight rain and will provide a real test for all the Irish Grand National Runners. That will ensure that it will be a test of stanima and that is sure to affect the outcome of the race.

Irish Grand National History and Results

Irish Grand National BettingThe very first winner of the Irish Grand National was Sir Robert Peel and its latest was Bluesea Cracker, but among its greatest winners have been horses such as the incomparable, Arkle in 1964, Flyingbolt in 1966, Rhyme and Reason in 1985 and Desert Orchid in 1990. See here for a comprehensive list of Irish Grand National past winners going back over the last 20 years. Also well worth a read is our page on Irish Grand National legends, here we describe the outstanding performances of some of the horses who have left their mark on the race. Additionally there are pages dedicated to some of the top Irish Trainers and Irelands leading jockeys.

Recent results will always have a bearing on the race, please look through the race reports of the 2006 result, 2007 result and the 2008 result. You may find something in there that will appeal.

The Irish Grand National is one four Grand Nationals that we cover; The others being the Aintree Grand National itself, the Welsh Grand National and the Scottish Grand National.

Irish Grand National Betting

Irish Grand National BettingBeing the biggest steeplechase means of course that the race attracts considerable interest from both racing followers and racing punters and there are numerous betting options, some of them can be seen on Irish Grand National Free Bets, made available for this site this year, by one of the most popular bookmakers in the country, Paddy Power.

Our experts have also put together a number of pointers for the race and the results of these can be seen by clicking Irish Grand National tips. Here we like to give you some idea of who is likely to run well, stables in form, gallop reports and jockey bookings, plus we will have put together a page, the 2012 Irish Grand national odds, that will keep you up to speed with market movers and drifters.

Irish Grand National Runners 2012

There is always a top class list of entries for the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse with 30 runners generally going to post on Easter Day. We see some top class stayers in the Irish National and this year is expected to be no different with plenty of top class types set to take their chance. We often see some potential Aintree Grand National stars of the future run in the Irish equivalent as connections look to see if their horses are going to stay the trip on offer in the Irish National. The Irish Grand National Runners will be revealed at various stages with the final list of entries known 48 hours before the race. The crucial factor for punters to look at here is the weights that each horse is allocated and we will be keeping a close eye on that as the handicapper makes that all important decision.

Irish Grand National Tips

Like any big handicap race, the Irish Grand National is a tough for punters to pick over so the Irish Grand National Tips could prove invaluable for punters wanting to have a bet on the race. All of the race trends are available for punters which should help narrow down the field with the aim of finding a lucrative winner for the Fairyhouse marathon. As always the handicap mark will be important for punters to consider before making a bet as well as the age and experience of the horses in the Irish Grand National field.