Irish Grand National 2023 E/W Ante-Post Selections

The first runner that can go close in this years Irish Grand National is the Gavin Cromwell trained and Kim Muir Handicap Chase second Stumptown.

Running over shorter trips for the most part of his career and always looking to need further, in January at Thurles he won a Handicap Chase by 12 lengths off 112.

Moved up to 125 he went up in trip to three miles at Sandown and took a decent Handicap Chase, jumping his rivals into submission to win by seven lengths.

The second has since come out and franked the form and off 135 he went into the Kim Muir Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham festival on day three of the meeting with a live chance.

Jumping the last he rallied to get upsides Angels Dawn but was unfortunately beaten by a neck close home, with the giving away of 4lb to the winner the likely cause of the defeat.

However, he ran an absolute cracker jumping well and staying well and running in the Irish National off a 2lb lower mark makes him a live player at a double figure price.

Following the same form line at two points bigger in the market is the Kim Muir winner Angels Dawn who is 7lb higher in the handicap, but from what she did at the festival and the way she travelled, she is a live player.

Really kicking her form into gear this season when a short head second at Punchestown on New Year's Day in a Handicap Chase.

She then went to Down Royal in January and got back to winning ways on soft ground over three miles off a mark of 122.

Upped 6lb for her next run at Punchestown she was running a superb race in the Grand National Trial over 3m4f and when challenging she unseated her rider.

Only on a mark of 131 for the Kim Muir she made light work of it to rally up the hill and beat Stumptown by a neck, but at the line she showed scope that she was staying further.

She is worse off at the weights with the Cromwell horse but if fresh after the Cheltenham Festival, she is another live contender with the Kim Muir form line solid as a rock in our eyes.