Almost a month on from another memorable edition of the Cheltenham Festival, the Easter period lies on a series of treats for racing fans. It’s all eyes on Aintree on 11th April for the 2026 edition of the most famous race of them all, as Merseyside warms up for the Grand National. However, the first Grand National off the conveyor belt is the Irish version of the staying chase marvel.
Taking place at Fairyhouse in its traditional Easter Monday slot, the Irish Grand National lays on a 3m5f challenge, with 24 fences standing between the field and €500,000 in prize money. Always one of the biggest betting races of the year, this year’s edition looks as competitive as ever. With the clock ticking down towards the big day, 45 runners remain in contention, headed by a British raider from the yard of the King George winning trainer.
Pauling to Play a Winning Tune?
The Irish Grand National has proven a tough nut to crack for British-based trainers. When coming home in front in 2025, the Rebecca Curtis star Haiti Couleurs became only the third British-trained winner in the 21st Century, following the Jonjo O’Neill duo of Butler’s Cabin (2007) and Shutthefrontdoor (2014). However, having waited 11 years for an Irish Grand National winner, the market suggests another may arrive in double quick time.
Hailing from the yard of Ben Pauling and sharing a sire with the King George-winning stable star The Jukebox Man, The Jukebox Kid is out on his own at the head of the market. Odds of 6/1 is the general price on offer for this seven-year-old, who will bid to extend the solid recent record of novices in this event (six novice winners since 2014).
With only four starts over fences, he is one of the least exposed runners in the field and could be nicely handicapped off a mark of 144. Having won on good to soft and soft ground, he should cope with conditions and could go close if handling the step up to 3m5f.
Argento the Pick of Mullins Squad?
A little surprisingly, Willie Mullins only won this race for the first time when saddling Burrows Saint to victory in 2019. Having since added a second win with I Am Maximus in 2023, Mullins boasts strength in numbers in his bid for a third success. Of the 45 remaining runners, nine hail from Mullins’ Closutton operation – eight of which are guaranteed to make the final field of 30 should Mullins wish.
The shortest price member of the Mullins team is another seven-year-old son of Jukebox Jury, going by the name of Argento Boy. Also a novice, this promising gelding carries the same Mrs Audrey Turley silks as Galopin Des Champs.
🏆 Finlay Ford At Naas Novice Chase 🏆
🥇 Dancing City
🥈 Bioluminescence
🥉 Good Land@PTownend | @WillieMullinsNH pic.twitter.com/jOK8u9e4gK— Horse Racing Ireland (@HRIRacing) January 26, 2025
He has some way to go to be mentioned in the same breath as that illustrious stablemate, but he has made a promising start to his chase career. Bouncing back from a fall to post cosy wins at Punchestown and Naas, he was then pitched into the heat of Grade 1 battle in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. That proved a step too far, but he looks interesting moving up in trip for his first start in a handicap chase.
Others to catch the eye from the Mullins contingent include C’Est Ta Chance, who sports the 2024 winning silks of Simon Munir and Isaac Soude, and Shanbally Kid, who won his only previous start in a marathon event by 15 lengths.
Soldier to Strike for Emmet
If Willie Mullins fails in his Irish National quest, the prize may still fall to a member of the Mullins clan. Flying the flag for Willie Mullins’ nephew, Emmet Mullins, is another of the seven-year-olds in the field, Soldier In Milan.
This son of Soldier Of Fortune raced only once in the 2024/25 season, when claiming a 2m3f bumper at Punchestown. The form of that race has since received a boost, with the runner-up King Rasko Grey winning the Turners Novices Hurdle at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival. Soldier In Milan skips his hurdles season to go straight over fences and has made a positive start. Breaking his chasing duck at Punchestown in February, he finished behind C’Est Ta Chance last time but looks the sort to enjoy this step up in trip.
Elliott to Strike Trainers Championship Blow
| Trainer | Wins | Total Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
| Gordon Elliott | 168 | €4,405,245 |
| Willie Mullins | 171 | €4,072,330 |
| Henry de Bromhead | 74 | €1,421,615 |
| Gavin Cromwell | 58 | €1,214,800 |
| P.J. Rothwell | 35 | €559,420 |
Willie Mullins has won the Irish Trainers’ Championship every year since the 2007/08 season. He remains favourite to do so again but has ground to make up with the current championship leader Gordon Elliott. Heading into the Easter weekend, Elliott holds a lead of €332,915 over Mullins as the season approaches the final furlong.
Elliott must still survive the inevitable Mullins onslaught at the Punchestown Festival, but he could at least increase his cushion with a second Irish Grand National triumph. First successful with General Principle in 2018, Elliott matches Mullins’ tally of nine entries in 2026. The betting market suggests that his best chance lies with one of the class acts in the race, Better Days Ahead. A Grade 2 novice winner, this eight-year-old has performed with credit at the highest level – finishing second in the 2024 Long Distance Novice Chase at Leopardstown, and third in the 2025 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Top weight doesn’t make life easy, but he could go close if seeing out the trip.
With a maximum field of 30 all but guaranteed and a race crammed with intriguing storylines, the Irish Grand National looks set to deliver an Easter treat. We will discover who comes out on top at 5 pm on Easter Monday.