Irish Grand National market leaders The Irish Grand National takes place at Fairyhouse Racecourse on Easter Monday with a scheduled off-time of 5pm. This year it is the first of the three major spring Nationals, with the contests at Aintree and Ayr to follow. We're taking a look at some of the leading contenders according to the antepost betting for the 3m5f Fairyhouse feature race on April 6th. The Jukebox Kid Ben Pauling stepped The Jukebox Kid up to Graded company for the first time at Ascot in February and the seven-year-old was superb over fences as he won the Grade 2 Reynoldstown Novices' Chase in pleasing fashion. That made it three wins from just four runs over fences for the Jukebox Jury gelding, who runs in the colours of The Sixsmiths Overlords. Two of those wins have come over the three-mile trip at Ascot and connections seem confident he can get further. Senior Irish jumps handicapper Shay Quinn admits a mark of 144, revised 2lb from his UK mark, could still be lenient. "He's probably the first English horse to go into the Irish National off a higher mark than his one at home. That's probably a tip in itself," he said. Argento Boy This is a race on which Willie Mullins hasn't been able to establish an iron grip. The Closutton chief scored with Burrows Saint in 2019 and I Am Maximus in 2023, but they are his only Irish National successes to date. He had as many as 14 contenders in the 68-strong list of entries left standing and they include Argento Boy as the only one of his trading at single-figure odds. He's another Jukebox Jury gelding and has the profile of an improving novice that often sits in well for this race. He won his first two completed starts over fences, including a Grade 3 novice at Naas over the extended three-mile trip in January and he ran as well as odds of 33/1 implied he might in the Grade 1 Brown Advisory at Cheltenham last time. He's got a mark of 144 and could have plenty more to offer in the Galopin Des Champs silks of the Turley family. Kiss Will The Mullins-trained Kiss Will is another towards the head of the betting. He has shown some solid form without winning in his four starts over fences so far. He was runner-up to promising sorts in Koktail Divin and Soldier In Milan (another with an entry here) at Leopardstown and Punchestown either side of the New Year and was last spotted finishing fifth in the Jack Richards Novices' Limited Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival over 2m4½f. He was a Listed novice hurdle winner over three-miles and the six-year-old could improve markedly off a mark of 139 upped in trip over fences. Better Days Ahead Gordon Elliott is still leading the Irish trainers' title race but he knows that his old rival Mullins is closing fast. The Cullentra handler needs a big lead to bring to the season-ending Punchestown Festival and he suggests he would 'need the first two in the Irish Grand National to have any squeak at all' of repelling the perennial champion. The Bective Stud-owned Better Days Ahead was sixth in this contest 12 months ago as Haiti Couleurs won. He raced off 154 that afternoon and it came after a string of good efforts in top novice company through the season. We didn't see him this time around until a return with a spin over hurdles at Navan in February and he has since finished a good second in the 2m4½f Webster Cup at the same venue in a four-runner contest that didn't really play to his strengths over an inadequate trip. That was a good effort in the circumstances. He's a year older now, races from 154 again and could be one of Elliott's leading lights in a race the trainer certainly feels he has to win for only the second time if he's to keep his title hopes intact.
