Irish entries break record for National
A record Irish entry of 61 – 26 of them trained by Gordon Elliott alone – was announced yesterday for the Randox Grand National at Aintree on April 13.
Between L’escargot in 1975 and Bobbyjo in 1999, rarely more than a handful of Irish horses took part in the race, but this year they make up nearly two-thirds of the 94-strong entry.
Corach Rambler, last year’s winner, and the 14-1 joint-favourite, heads the home hopes in the £1 million race, which will start earlier – 4pm instead of 5.15pm – after concerns about the effect of a long build-up on horses.
Sulekha Varma, the Jockey Club’s North West head of racing and clerk of the course at Aintree, said: “This was a decision we took after a number of participants and other racing stakeholders raised concerns about the long build-up to the race throughout the day and heightened tension as a result.
“These were not issues which had been identified as a problem when the race was previously staged at 3.45pm and 4.15pm.
“Bringing forward the start time will also help us to maintain optimal jumping ground, as warm or breezy conditions can dry out the racing surface.”
Ever since Lottery won the inaugural National in 1839, the course has evolved, but it is fair to say the 176th running has a new look after the changes announced in the aftermath of Hill Sixteen’s demise at the first fence last April. There will be a maximum of 34 runners, a standing start, a first fence brought closer to the start in an attempt to reduce speed and the reduction in size of one fence.
In last year’s race, Irish runners outnumbered British 27-12, and the domination could be even greater this year. Chemical Energy, one of the Elliott entries, was bought by Bective Stud at the Andy and Gemma Brown dispersal sale on Monday for £215,000.
Among the British entries is the Jonjo O’neill-trained Monbeg Genius, runner-up in the Coral Gold Cup before Christmas, and who is owned by Baroness Mone and her husband, Doug Barrowman. The couple had £75 million of assets “frozen or restrained” by the Crown Prosecution Service after controversially setting up a company to make PPE equipment during the pandemic.
The British Horseracing Authority is expected to decide shortly how that affects the status of Monbeg Genius, a 20-1 shot for the National.