Irish National Review

Rebecca Curtis and Sean Bowen ensured some payback for Britain as Haiti Couleurs won the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse under the soon-to-be champion jockey.

Bowen, who will be crowned Britain's champion rider for the first time at Sandown on Saturday, gave the winner a fine aggressive steer in front and they gamely repelled the challenge of the gallant Any Second Now in the closing stages.

The Ted Walsh-trained veteran was runner-up in the Easter Monday feature for the second time and afterwards his trainer confirmed that Any Second Now would be given a happy retirement.

Haiti Couleurs dominates Fairyhouse feature

A month on from his National Hunt Cup win at the Cheltenham Festival, Haiti Couleurs breezed around Fairyhouse to complete a resoundingly successful Welsh blitz on Ireland's richest race for Rebecca Curtis and British champion jockey-elect Sean Bowen.

In so doing, Haiti Couleurs became the first UK-based winner of the race since Shutthefrontdoor in 2014 and he proved a popular winner.

Bowen got a fairly easy time of it in front, with Philip Enright on Bushmans Pass providing him company, so the race didn't become as much of a stamina-test as forecast on the testing ground.

The staying-on 11/2 favourite Quai De Bourbon looked the likeliest challenger going to the last for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend, but it was Any Second Now who emerged as the only real danger and he was soon turned away by Haiti Couleurs.

"I was wondering if there was another circuit I was going that well," Bowen said with an infectious giggle.

"He's just improved and improved and it was good to do it for Becca as well. Champion jockey is all I've ever wanted and when you get it, you want more, and I need the big winners, so it's great that he has done it for me."

Curtis thrilled with major success

Curtis had pinpointed the Fairyhouse race in the immediate aftermath of last month's Cheltenham Festival win and the Pembrokeshire handler admitted there was a building pressure in the countdown to the race.

The was all released as Haiti Couleurs followed in the footsteps of Shutthefrontdoor, Niche Market, Butler's Cabin and Granit D'Estruval in becoming only the fifth non-Irish winner this century of the Easter Monday showpiece.

"It feels like one of our best wins, I think," she said. "Just the atmosphere and everything, it's fantastic. I felt pressure, I haven't slept for about two weeks!"

Curtis also won the 2018 Scottish National with Joe Farrell and has been enjoying her best season for five years, with victory and the €275,000 pot that accompanies it capping that off.

Any Second Now bows out in style

Ted Walsh's Any Second Now has finished second and third in the Aintree Grand National and now twice finished runner-up in the Fairyhouse version.

He was backed from 20/1 in the morning to 17/2 at the off and duly ran a blinder for Mark Walsh and his trainer.

The 13-year-old was bidding to become the first teenager since 1953 to win the Easter Monday marathon and his popular trainer was thrilled with his effort as he confirmed that it would be his last outing.

"That's the last time you'll see him, that's definitely the last time. I'm just delighted he's going out sound. I would have been happy with him coming back sound and running a nice race. A win would have been fairytale stuff," said the supremely popular Walsh.

"He'll enjoy himself now. He's been a great old horse. Any Second Now - he's well named! He ran his heart out. He did himself proud."