Mullins thwarted in Ireland’s richest jumps race

A David overcame Goliath in the Boylesports Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse when trainer Tom Gibney broke Willie Mullins’s big-race domination by securing victory with the novice Intense Raffles.

Mullins and Gordon Elliott could field 10 runners apiece in the Randox Grand National on Saturday week but, as Gibney proved, having the right horse is more important than lots of them as he repeated the success he enjoyed in this race 12 years ago with Lion Na Bearnai.

Of the three Mullins runners, Minella Cocooner fared best, finishing third. Elliott saddled six, but could do no better than fourth through Frontal Assault.

Intense Raffles, a homebred belonging to Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, was never out of the first two in Ireland’s richest jumps race. He had been due to be partnered by Daryl Jacob, who had ridden him in his previous two wins. However, when the jockey broke his collarbone last week, JJ Slevin came in for the spare ride.

Intense Raffles, the only six-yearold in the race, made only one mistake, at the fourth-last. From the final fence, his biggest danger was Ted Walsh’s Any Second Now, but in a battle between the youngest and oldest horses in the race, it was the younger legs of Intense Raffles that held on to win by 1½ lengths.

Gibney, who trains locally at Trim, Co Meath, had just a handful of horses when he had his first Irish National success. That win drew in a few more but he remains, relatively, a small trainer, and this success was just his 13th of the season.

“It’s every bit as much of a thrill [winning for a second time] but for different reasons,” Gibney said. “He was second favourite, and we had high expectations.

“He’s our first horse for Simon and Isaac. I spoke to Simon 15 months ago and the long and the short of it was he called last September, he’d kept an eye on what we were doing, liked what he’d seen and wanted to send us this horse. We’re small compared to the big trainers so it took a bit of doing and it’s great to be able to repay him.”