Irish Grand National ante-post tips Fairyhouse’s Easter Festival takes place over the Bank Holiday weekend and the main event is Monday’s Irish Grand National. With a total prize fund of €500,000, it’s a race that every trainer wants to win. It’s run over a distance of 3m5f and progressive younger horses have a very good record in recent years, with seven of the last 10 winners being six or seven-year-olds. It’s surely going to be a thoroughly competitive and fascinating renewal this year so our expert has picked out two ante-post selections that are well worth considering. Irish Grand National Selections Selection: Johnnywho @ 9/1 with Quinnbet Next Best: Malina Girl @ 14/1 with Quinnbet Odds courtesy of Quinnbet and correct at the time of publishing Quinnbet Irish Grand National Betting Offer If you have already signed up to Quinnbet, check out more of the best betting sites and casino bonuses Who can stop the Willie Mullins machine? Willie Mullins has won the English and Scottish Grand Nationals for the second consecutive season and he’s sure to have a strong hand to play here, with the likes of High Class Hero and Sa Majeste who could line up. Gavin Cromwell is having an excellent season thus far and he’s particularly strong in the staying chase department. Now Is The Hour is prominent in the betting and it’s easy to see why. Paul Nolan could run Kim Muir winner Daily Present and it’s not hard to make a case for him. We could see a strong British challenge this year and Rebecca Curtis’ National Hunt Chase winner Haiti Couleurs is the ante-post market leader. Jonjo & A.J. O’Neill could send over progressive novice Johnnywho and he would be entitled to go well for JP McManus. Johnny can be the one who comes out on top JOHNNYWHO is trained by Jonjo and A.J. O'Neill, who have been very careful with his handicap mark so far this season. That strategy very nearly paid off in the Kim Muir at Cheltenham last month and he was a neck away from winning when finishing second that day. This son of Califet showed promise as a novice hurdler and shaped like a proper stayer in the Challow over 2m5f at Newbury. Keeping on well despite not having the speed to trouble the winner, he was only beaten by two lengths back in fourth and subsequent Grade 1 winner The Jukebox Man was only just ahead of him. Perhaps this marathon trip can facilitate further improvement and he certainly shapes as if it will suit. Life will be harder off a higher mark now but there could be more to come from him over fences. Malina Girl could go close for Cromwell We know MALINA GIRL stays well, having won a marathon race at Cheltenham in 2023, so the trip should be fine on that evidence. She was a 10-length winner over an extended 3m3f that day and you would imagine two extra furlongs won’t be an issue. Third at the Cheltenham Festival when last seen, she had no chance with the winner but stayed on well and did all her best work late on. There aren’t many negatives attached to this horse and her relatively consistent record certainly bodes well, though her runs in the Classic Chase and Scottish Grand National could have been better. Obviously there’s a chance that she’s vulnerable to some unexposed chasers but Cromwell knows what he’s doing in staying handicap chases and his mare is treated well enough to run a big race.
