Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2026 Irish Grand National Preview
The traditional Easter Monday showpiece, the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse Racecourse, was first run in 1870 and is run over three miles and five furlongs for five-year-olds and upwards, tackling twenty-four standard national hunt fences.
The Irish National is a handicap chase carrying Grade 3 status, the roll of honour includes an impressive list of equine legends like Arkle, Flyingbolt, Tied Cottage, Desert Orchid and Aintree Grand National winners Rhyme N'Reason, Bobbyjo and Numbersixvalverde.
Usually staged pretty close to the Aintree and Scottish equivalents, depending on the Easter calendar, it is not surprising that no Irish Grand National winner has won the Aintree National in the same season. Still, those three former greats listed above are among those to have done the double.
Bobbyjo and Numbersixvalverde both won the Irish version before winning at Aintree the following year, so it's worth making a note of the Irish Grand National winner for future tips.
Irish Grand National Information:
- Irish Grand National Past Winners
- Irish Grand National Trainer Statistics
- Irish Grand National Jockey Statistics
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Fairyhouse tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG expert racing tipsters to find yourself a bet? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Fairyhouse Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Irish Grand National market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2024 when the race had an over-round of 133%. The race in 2025 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 153%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Irish Grand National, the over-round has been 143%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £143 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Irish Grand National Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Irish Grand National Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Irish Grand National over the last 20 renewals:
- Butlers Cabin (7:21.60) in 2007
- Niche Market (7:31.70) in 2009
- Organisedconfusion (7:35.10) in 2011
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Irish Grand National next time out, then you would have backed a total of 2 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -4.00. Before placing your bet on the 2026 Irish Grand National, see which other runners today are being backed on the racing predictions page.
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 7:21.60 was set by Butlers Cabin in 2007, which is the quickest time over that period. The runner was trained by Jonjo O'Neill and ridden by A P McCoy. The slowest winning time was set in 2018 when General Principle won in a time of 9:02.20, booked to ride was J J Slevin by the trainer Gordon Elliott.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Irish Grand National Past Winners
Here are the Irish Grand National past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Irish Grand National are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 8:11.80 | Haiti Couleurs (FR) 8yo 10-13 13/2 | Sean Bowen Rebecca Curtis (GB) |
| 2024 8:39.80 | Intense Raffles (FR) 6yo 11-4 13/2 | J J Slevin Thomas Gibney (IRE) |
| 2023 8:24.50 | I Am Maximus (FR) 7yo 11-1 8/1 | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2022 8:03.80 | Lord Lariat (IRE) 7yo 9-12 40/1 | P J O'Hanlon (7lbs) Dermot A McLoughlin (IRE) |
| 2021 7:48.10 | Freewheelin Dylan (IRE) 9yo 10-8 150/1 | Ricky Doyle Dermot A McLoughlin (IRE) |
| 2019 7:47.60 | Burrows Saint (FR) 6yo 10-8 6/1F | R Walsh W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2018 9:02.20 | General Principle (IRE) 9yo 10-0 20/1 | J J Slevin Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2017 7:47.20 | Our Duke (IRE) 7yo 11-4 9/2F | Robbie Power Mrs John Harrington (IRE) |
| 2016 7:55.70 | Rogue Angel (IRE) 8yo 10-6 16/1 | Ger Fox (3lbs) M F Morris (IRE) |
| 2015 8:08.20 | Thunder And Roses (IRE) 7yo 10-6 20/1 | Ms K Walsh Ms Sandra Hughes (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Irish Grand National have been based:
- IRE: 16 winners with an additional 56 placings from 502 runners
- GB: 4 winners with an additional 2 placings from 36 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 3 runners
Irish Grand National Trainer Statistics
There are multiple leading trainers in the Irish Grand National over the last 20 renewals, with W P Mullins, M F Morris, Jonjo O'Neill, Thomas Gibney, and Dermot A McLoughlin having all won the race two times. W P Mullins winners have been with Burrows Saint (2019) and I Am Maximus (2023). M F Morris winners have been with Hear The Echo I (2008) and Rogue Angel (2016). Jonjo O'Neill winners have been with Butlers Cabin (2007) and Shutthefrontdoor (2014). Thomas Gibney winners have been with Lion Na Bearnai (2012) and Intense Raffles (2024). Dermot A McLoughlin winners have been with Freewheelin Dylan (2021) and Lord Lariat (2022). Multiple trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Irish Grand National. Noel Meade (0-30), A J Martin (0-18), Paul Nolan (0-16), Michael Hourigan (0-13), Gavin Cromwell (0-12) and Joseph Patrick O'Brien (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.
Here are some of the top Irish Grand National trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| W P Mullins | 51-2-11 | -35.00 | -16.86 |
| M F Morris | 14-2-6 | +37.00 | +35.01 |
| Jonjo O'Neill | 11-2-4 | +13.00 | +7.75 |
| Thomas Gibney | 7-2-2 | +34.50 | +19.69 |
| Dermot A McLoughlin | 5-2-2 | +187.00 | +115.75 |
| Gordon Elliott | 74-1-9 | -53.00 | -34.74 |
| A L T Moore | 11-1-3 | +2.00 | -0.37 |
| Martin Brassil | 7-1-1 | +3.00 | -0.37 |
| Mrs John Harrington | 6-1-1 | -0.50 | -2.19 |
| Bob Buckler | 2-1-1 | +32.00 | +19.63 |
Irish Grand National Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Irish Grand National over the last 20 renewals is J J Slevin, who has won the race two times, with those two winners coming from General Principle (2018) and Intense Raffles (2024). Multiple jockeys have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Irish Grand National, Mark Walsh (0-15), Sean Flanagan (0-10), Phillip Enright (0-10) and Danny Mullins (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple rides to the race.
Here are some of the top Irish Grand National jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| J J Slevin | 7-2-3 | +21.50 | +15.19 |
| Paul Townend | 14-1-4 | -5.00 | -5.12 |
| Ricky Doyle | 3-1-1 | +148.00 | +91.75 |
| P J O'Hanlon | 2-1-1 | +39.00 | +24.00 |
| Harry Skelton | 1-1-1 | +33.00 | +20.63 |
| Sean Bowen | 1-1-1 | +6.50 | +4.06 |
| Mark Walsh | 15-0-2 | -15.00 | -11.19 |
| Danny Mullins | 10-0-4 | -10.00 | +3.13 |
| Phillip Enright | 10-0-0 | -10.00 | -10.00 |
| Sean Flanagan | 10-0-0 | -10.00 | -10.00 |
2026 Irish Grand National Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 8, 7, 6, (2, PU), 4, UR, 3, PU, PU, 1, PU, PU, 1, F, 1, 4, 3, PU, 7, 3
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Carried 138 - 165lbs (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Not BL/BR/CH/RG/WH in colour
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Not on GD/GF (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Ran in 8 - 31 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Off a break of 17 - 173 days
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Furthest ran 2m5f - 4m½f
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Won within last 9 starts
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Had 2 - 8 placings (Chase)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - In a field of 6 - 22 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Fewer than 6 races (Class)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Had 2 - 15 placings (Career)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Ran in 3 - 10 races (Season)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Achieved an RPR of 129+ (Season)
- 18 / 20 (78%) - No older than a 9yo
- 18 / 20 (79%) - No more than +3yrs (Vs Min Age)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Fairyhouse racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Irish Grand National. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Irish Grand National by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Irish Grand National Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +153.00, is when runners ran in a Non-Handicap last time out.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran on Good ground on debut, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-79.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Irish Grand National is Cheltenham, there have been a total of 7 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out. The next best course which has produced the second most winners is Leopardstown, there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at Leopardstown last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 18 winners from a total of 506 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 2 winners from a total of 35 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Irish Grand National; that stallion Presenting, has produced 3 winners (2016,2015,2009).
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Irish Grand National despite multiple attempts:
- Old Vic (0 Wins from 19 runners)
- Flemensfirth (0 Wins from 16 runners)
- Beneficial (0 Wins from 12 runners)
- Saddlers Hall (0 Wins from 10 runners)
- Kings Theatre (0 Wins from 9 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Freewheelin Dylan in 2021, winning for Dermot A McLoughlin at odds of 150/1 under the guidance of Ricky Doyle. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 3 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Irish Grand National, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Route to the Irish Grand National
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Irish Grand National, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Haiti Couleurs Cheltenham - 1st of 18 (7/2) | National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup |
| 2024 - Intense Raffles Fairyhouse - 1st of 4 (4/6) | Book Your Advanced Tickets Rated Novice Chase |
| 2023 - I Am Maximus Cheltenham - 4th of 10 (29/1) | Brown Advisory Novices Chase |
| 2022 - Lord Lariat Fairyhouse - 5th of 9 (4/1) | Fairyhouse Easter Festival 16th - 18th April Rated Chase |
| 2021 - Freewheelin Dylan Punchestown - 8th of 8 (50/1) | Irish Daily Star Salutes Our Frontline Heroes Chase |
| 2019 - Burrows Saint Limerick - 1st of 6 (6/5) | Hugh McMahon Memorial Novice Chase |
| 2018 - General Principle Leopardstown - 6th of 10 (5/1) | TRI Equestrian Handicap Chase |
| 2017 - Our Duke Leopardstown - 2nd of 6 (11/4) | Ladbrokes Novice Chase |
| 2016 - Rogue Angel Leopardstown - 4th of 13 (16/1) | TRI Equestrian Handicap Chase |
| 2015 - Thunder And Roses Cheltenham - UR of 17 (14/1) | National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Irish Grand National Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for International racing.
Darren Brett
Tipster Competition Manager
Andy Powell
Content Editor
Irish Grand National FAQs
FAQ
Irish Grand National FAQ
What time is the Irish Grand National?
The 2026 Irish Grand National will take place on Easter Monday, the 4th of April 2026, with the race taking place at 17:00 (GMT).
Who is the most successful Irish National horse?
With three wins in the 1970s, Brown Lad is the most successful horse in the race, he won the race in 1975, 1976 & 1978 for trainer Jim Dreaper. Tommy Carberry rode him in 1975-76 and then Gerry Dowd in 1978.
Who is the Irish Grand National leading trainer?
With an impressive ten wins, Tom Dreaper is the most successful trainer in this race, he won it three times with Brown Lad the most successful horse in the race, his first win came in 1942 with Prince Regent and his last in 1966 with Flying Bolt.
Who is the leading jockey in the Irish National?
With a total of six wins, Pat Taaffe holds the record for most wins in the Irish National, his first win came in 1954 with Royal Approach and his last in 1966 with Flying Bolt, four of his six wins came for trainer Tom Dreaper.
