Irish Grand National Chase Guide 2022

The first string for Willie Mullins, Gaillard Du Mesnil has recorded a string of 3rd place finishes this season.

A grade 1 winning hurdler, he’s moved to fences but failed to win over the bigger obstacles this season.

Finishing 3rd in grade 1 events in his last two outings reads well however, being beaten by good horses in the process.

Last seen staying on powerfully at the end of the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham, he’s got a mark of 154 and could just relish this test of stamina.

De Bromhead and Blackmore team up here on a very lightly raced 8 year old. Only seen once over hurdles, Full Time Score won on deep ground over 2.5 miles here at Fairyhouse and got off the mark at the first time of asking over fences too.

Despite not quite cutting in at graded level in a novice chase, he put his best foot forward to score against more experienced rivals at this course back in February, showing strong stamina.

A mark of 138 looks more than workable, the main concern would be he’s only run on soft ground or worse all his career and will likely face much faster conditions here.

Lightly raced this season for Gordon Elliott, Farclas had some smart form last season over fences, Running well in a few handicap chases, including finishing 5th in the grand national.

This season he’s only been seen twice however, unseating on seasonal debut and then being a well beaten 2nd to Run Wild Fred in the Troytown.

Not seen since November, a mark of 151 isn’t unrealistic with Shane Fitzgerald claiming 5lbs in the saddle.

Solid each way claims.

An attractive looking unexposed sort for Francis Casey, Max Flamingo has been running over intermediate trips this season but shaped well in grade 1 company to be 4th behind Fury Road earlier this season.

He looked smart last time out when beating Bacardys a touch cosily at Thurles.

He’s only had 7 outings over fences and has gained a rating of 144.

This longer trip could unlock some improvement and it’s likely he can progress past his current handicap mark.

Finishing 2nd in this race last year as a novice off a mark of 140, Run Wild Fred returns to Fairyhouse for Gordon Elliott.

An emphatic winner of the Troytown earlier in the season, it’s his only victory over fences.

He couldn’t live with Stattler in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham and came down early in the grand national when falling at the Canal Turn.

A mark of 155 looks stiff enough but a smart jockey booking sees 7lbs claimed off his back.

Likely to play a major role.

Unseating in the Grand national last month at the first fence, Enjoy D’allen is still relatively fresh despite running 9 days ago.

He ran a stormer here 12 months ago to be a close 3rd off a mark of 142 and lines up this year only 6lbs higher in the weights.

He’s run well in big handicap races in Ireland this season and showed his staying credentials here last year to be 3rd.

If coping with a 6lb rise this year he can get involved again.

Made a splash when winning a big pot staying handicap chase over at Leopardstown over Christmas when just getting the better of Ben Dundee.

He looked sure to be one to follow going through the season in handicap chases but his form has tailed off badly since.

Sent off favourite for the Kim Muir at Cheltenham, a bad blunder 4 out saw him pull up.

A similar story last week at Aintree as he made a shuddering error at the 9th fence and quickly pulled up.

If that hasn’t left a mark, he’s still well handicapped off his Leopardstown win but he certainly needs to brush up on his jumping.

Carrying top weight is Willie Mullins’ 7 year old Franco De Port. A grade 1 winner over 2 miles as a novice chaser, Franco De Port has slowly gone up in trip over the last season.

He hasn’t won since his grade 1 success but has shaped well in handicap company recently over staying trips. Notably being 2nd in the Thyestes Chase.

Jack Foley claims a valuable 5lbs off his back but it’ll take some performance to win this off of 158.

She’s spent most of the season over 2,5 miles for Gordon Elliott in mares’ races but showed her stamina when powering home in the Kim Muir at Cheltenham last season.

She’s got bundles of pace and stamina but isn’t the easiest of rides.

She took no interest in most of the Kim Muir until building a late head of steam.

She managed to unseat at the first in the grand national last week when violently shifting right.

Talented but equally as quirky.

Thoroughly unexposed as a staying chaser for Joseph O’Brien. He’s placed over 3 miles and a furlong previously and showed strong stamina to rattle home late and win the Galway Plate.

A few lacklustre runs over the minimum distance and intermediate trips have followed this season however.

Last seen being well outpaced over 2 miles in a grade 2 at Navan.

A mark of 148 looks feasible and going back up in trip could suddenly spark revival.

Not without hope.

Last seen scoring in the Leinster National last month, Diol Ker finally showed the talent he’d looked capable of all of his career.

His novice campaign as a chaser didn’t go to plan and he failed to win in his first three outings over fences.

Not delivering on the promise of beating Monkfish in a maiden hurdle.

He returned to fences this season but was finding 2.5 miles too sharp. He shaped better over 3 miles and a furlong to be 4th in the Thyestes before winning last time out off a mark of 137.

Now up to 147, he’s still got scope for improvement compared to his hurdles mark and this marathon trip might just be up his alley.

Last year’s midlands grand national winner for Jonjo O’Neill, Time To Get Up tried to repeat the feat last month off a 4lbs higher rating but had to settle for a never nearer 3rd place.

Connections aim him here off the back of that and he’s been given a mark of 139, only 1lb higher than his win at Uttoxeter last season.

He failed to get into the grand national this season so a raid here is an interesting plan.

He certainly stays and has the ability if he’s up for taking on the Irish.

A 9 year old who has shown some decent form in staying hurdles during his career. Running well in grade 1 events over the smaller obstacles many times, he only spent a small time chasing as a novice.

Only running 3 times over fences during his initial stint, he recently returned to the bigger obstacles and ran a stormer to be a narrow 2nd to Diol Ker in the Leinster National.

The handicapper’s put him up another 5lbs for that effort but he certainly has place claims again.

This 11 year old has mainly been seen in staying handicap chases of late. Coming a close 4th in last season’s Midlands National, he returned to Uttoxeter this season off a much higher mark but managed to win the listed handicap chase with ease.

Also coming 2nd in the Cork grand national this season, he’s found his niche in these marathon chases.

However the handicapper has swiped at him to the tune of 5lbs for his success at Uttoxeter and he might be vulnerable to younger and more progressive sorts.

A 7 year old for Gordon Elliott who attracted some serious market support for the Ultima last month but he wilted back into 10th. Before this however he ran a stormer to be 3rd behind Death Duty in the Irish National trial at Punchestown.

Seemingly suited by a slower going, he cut through the mud well at Punchestown so connections will likely be praying for rain.

A mark of 141 is more than workable for an improving novice but the fast underfoot conditions might not play to his strengths.

Peter Fahey’s 8 year old has been busy this season and has run well in a multitude of staying handicap chases. Placing in the Cork National, the Troytown and the Thyestes.

He’s slowly climbed the weights for his good runs in decent handicaps but lines up here off a mark of 138 after finishing 6th in the Kim Muir last time out at Cheltenham.

He’s a decent price to finish in the money again and has been super consistent all campaign.

He handles a variety of ground and isn’t handicapped out of it.

Unless a long season takes its toll, he’s got a great chance to be involved in the finish.

Charles Byrnes’ 9 year old managed to scalp Grand National winner Minella Times last season en route to coming 6th in this race last year.

This season he’s been far less successful, with some poor form figures.

Poor jumping last time out saw him finish a poor 8th of 9 in a 3 mile chase here at Fairyhouse.

With his form dipping his mark has dropped to 145, so he’s 3lbs lower than last season.

But with him being well out of form this campaign, he looks better avoided.

Gordon Elliott’s 11 year old departed in the grand national at only the 8th fence at Aintree last week so looks to take his chance here instead.

He’s been running to a fairly consistent level this season in handicap chases, running well in some big events.

Notably winning a Grand National trial at Punchestown and finishing 6th in the Ultima at Cheltenham last month; he has bundles of stamina and plenty of class.

He lines up here off the same mark he finished 6th in the Ultima last month.

He’s proven to stay this far so has solid place claims.

Another for Gordon Elliott is 7 year old Fakir D’alene.

It took him 4 attempts to break his maiden over hurdles and was quickly sent chasing off the back of a single run on a novice hurdle back in October.

Scoring twice over intermediate trips earmarked him as being smart of fences and he tried to follow a similar path to stablemate Mount Ida when contesting the Kim Muir last time out, running well over 3 miles and 2 furlongs to be a close 4th.

However, he looked to be tiring late on in the Kim Muir so his stamina isn’t assured for this taxing trip.

A very unexposed and lightly raced novice chaser for Thomas Gibney.

Not amounting to much over hurdles, winning only a couple of low grade affairs, he bumped into some smart rivals in beginner chases.

He was well outclassed in a grade 3 over 2 miles but tasted success over fences when moving to handicap company and going up to 3 miles when last seen.

He’s been handed a hefty 10lbs rise in the weights for that win and it’s going to be incredibly difficult for an inexperienced 6 year old to have a big say in this kind of big field handicap.

Only seen three times over timber, the plan was seemingly to always to go chasing for Ten Ten but he’s only won once over the bigger obstacles.

A good run in last year’s Leinster national saw him come 2nd behind Scoir Mear when a warm favourite and he subsequently ran well in another staying handicap chase at the end of last season.

He’s been well off the boil this season however and pulled up in his two chase starts.

Shaping better when last seen over hurdles, he’ll have to show marked improvement on his two chase runs this campaign to get involved here.

This 8 year old for Noel Meade has mainly been seen running over intermediate trips in his career. This season he’s mainly been over 2.5 miles in novice chase company and managed to just get the better of Max Flamingo here last November.

He only tried 3 miles once as a hurdler and finished well tailed off.

His stamina isn’t assured to get this marathon trip and this will only be his 5th start over fences.

Plenty of negatives to consider.

Beaten into 2nd by Death Duty in the Irish National trial at Punchestown back in February, Champagne Platinum was then well fancied for the Leinster National last time out but his jumping went to pieces, eventually settling for 7th place.

He ran incredibly well to be 2nd in the trial for this race and lines up here only 2lbs higher in the ratings.

However that run came on heavy ground and he’s going to encounter much faster underfoot conditions here.

He’s got place claims if his jumping holds up.

Winning a grade 1 novice chaser over 3 miles a couple of years ago, Battleoverdoyen has struggled for wins since.

Seemingly trip-less, he’s bounced from 2 miles right up to 3 miles and 5 furlongs here.

Seen only 10 days ago running in the Topham at Aintree, he only managed a distant 10th.

He’s backing up quickly under a big weight and hasn’t tried a long trip since early 2020.

Opposable.

The winner of the Fred Winter back in 2020, Aramax went chasing off the back of that but was struggling to find success over 2 miles as a chaser.

More recently he’s gone considerably up in trip but has been grossly struggling for form this campaign.

Despite running well over 2 miles and 6 furlongs in the summer, he pulled up on his first go over 3 miles and then finished a heavily beaten 12th in the Munster National.

He’s not been seen since then however, so it’s hard to build a strong case for him here.

The talking horse for Gordon Elliott in the Kim Muir this season, Frontal Assault was a very warm ante post favourite for Cheltenham but ended up pulling up last month.

He was a 3 mile graded winner over hurdles however so connections looked assured that he would have the stamina necessary, yet he spent the majority of the season running over intermediate trips.

He’s yet to win over fences, with the plan seemingly to give him an appealing handicap mark to scoop a big pot.

A mistake put paid to his chances at Cheltenham, so given a clean round he could atone for that mistake.

A mark of 139 looks more than lenient.

Sneaking in at the foot of the weights is Smoking Gun for Gordon Elliott. A winner of the Porterstown chase here last November over this distance, he lines up with a course and distance win to his name.

His form has tailed off quite badly since however and an 8lbs rise saw him pull up in the Thyestes chase.

Shaping better behind Full Time Score here in February, he was then beaten a long way in the Kim Muir last month to finish a distant 8th.

However, he has scored over this course and distance and carries bottom weight here.

Not without hope if showing a bit more quality that he can mix it with this level of opposition.

Another runner who was last seen at the grand national last month, Samcro ran well for a long way at Aintree before weakening back into 11th.

He’s been off the boil this season and hasn’t won since a grade 3 victory last May.

Completing a marathon only 9 days ago has surely left its mark and it’s hard to see him backing that run up so soon after.

Despite getting the better of Flooring Porter in a handicap hurdle back in 2020 and winning a couple of decent 3 mile novice hurdles off the back of that, Streets Of Doyen has failed to build on the promise shown.

Despite winning well in his first attempt over fences, he’s failed to strike again over the bigger obstacles.

Well beaten in a grade 3 by Gentleman De Mee, he then went off a massive price for the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham last month and failed to complete.

He gets in here off a mark of 138 but it’s difficult to have any real confidence in him.

His best run this season came over 2 miles and he failed to finish in both attempts over 3 miles as a chaser.

Another big priced runner, Lord Lariat managed to score twice back to back over fences earlier in the season when winning a brace of handicaps well.

Dealing with a 4lbs rise for his first win, he then handled heavy ground and a longer trip well to win again.

Last seen being beaten by Full Time Score here over 3 miles, he looks out of his depth in this level of race and a mark of 137 probably has his number for now.