Exploring the key storylines that could play a part in the Irish Grand National

Homebred heroes

The Fairyhouse marathon has attracted a strong minority of homebred horses, with five of the 30 runners either homebreds or owned in partnership by their registered breeder.

Angels Dawn has already provided her owner-breeder Alfred Sweetnam with one of the greatest achievements of any National Hunt breeder's career - a Cheltenham Festival winner. 

The eight-year-old daughter of Yeats fought out a thrilling finish to the Kim Muir for Sam Curling and Pa King, holding the challenge of the reopposing Stumptown at bay by a neck. Successful in two of her last three starts over fences, she was second in a Grade 3 novice hurdle to Frontal Assault ,who was runner-up to Lord Lariat in last year's Irish Grand National. 

Sweetnam bred the Yeats mare out of Angels Guard Thee, a daughter of Dylan Thomas who he purchased for €50,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale. Sold there through Triermore Stud, Angels Guard Thee was sent into training with Tommy Stack and won a Roscommon maiden at three. Angels Dawn is her first foal; her second, the Dragon Pulse filly Angel's Amy, won twice at three but sadly died, and Angels Guard Thee also died prematurely, at the age of seven, leaving just Angels Dawn to carry the line.

Angels Dawn and Pa King on their way to Cheltenham gloryCredit: Patrick McCann

Angels Guard Thee is a half-sister to Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices' Chase winner Jack The Giant and the Listed-placed Crystal Curling. Another half-sister, Top Crystal, is the dam of Group 3 Minstrel Stakes winner Three Rocks.

They are out of the Lancashire Oaks winner State Crystal, who was also placed in the Prix Vermeille, Yorkshire Oaks and Sun Chariot Stakes and is a half-sister to Crystal Music, who won the Fillies' Mile and was second in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes. It is also the family of Prix Jean Prat winner Zelzal and National Hunt sire Ocovango.

Max Flamingo is still part-owned by his breeder Junie Casey and trained by son Francis, while staying chaser and Grade 2-placed Fairyhill Run carries the colours of her breeder Thomas Meagher. 

The Stuart Crawford-trained Now Where Or When, runner-up in the novice chase at last year's Easter festival, represents owner-breeder Margaret McCrudden.

Fill in the gaps

One of those potential homebred fairytales is Must Be Obeyed, who has Irish Grand National links everywhere you look.

The Mr Prospector line supplied last year's surprise Irish Grand National winner Lord Lariat through Golden Lariat, and the brilliant stallion's grandson Mustameet is the sire of seven-year-old mare Must Be Obeyed.

Lion Na Bearnai was bred by Lorna Groarke and Frank Daly, owner-breeders of Must Be ObeyedCredit: Patrick McCann

Not only does Must Be Obeyed represent Tom Gibney, the trainer of 2012 Fairyhouse hero Lion Na Bearnai, she is a homebred for Lorna Groarke and Frank Daly, the breeders of Gibney's winner to whom Must Be Obeyed is related.

The Westmeath couple bred the dual-winning chaser out of Clare Belle, an unraced daughter of Sayarshan, who won the Group 2 Prix Hocquart for Pascal Bary. The son of Darshaan spent a number of years at Tullaghansleek Stud, the Westmeath farm that is home to Golden Lariat.

Clare Belle is out of Benown Belle, placed twice in point-to-points, and she is a Toulon half-sister to Lion Na Bearnai. By another lesser-known sire in New Frontier, Lion Na Bearnai also won the Grade 2 Ten Up Novice Chase and was runner-up in the Porterstown Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse. He was sold as a four-year-old by his breeders to Gibney for €8,800 at Tattersalls Ireland.

Must Be Obeyed is one of three runners, all winners, bred so far by Clare Belle, and she warmed up for the Irish Grand National challenge with a fourth-placed finish in the Ten Up Novice Chase at Navan last month. 

Prior to that, she won a Fairyhouse novice chase and a beginners' chase at Punchestown and was also successful over hurdles and in a bumper, when she beat subsequent Grade 3 Shannon Spray Mares' Novice Hurdle winner Kilbarry Chloe.

Title race hots up

As the National Hunt season builds to a crescendo, the sires' title race looks as if it will be played until the final note, with lucrative prizes at Aintree and Punchestown still to be won.

However, the result at Fairyhouse on Monday could play a significant role in determining whether Yeats retains the title he first won last season, and this time round it is almost a re-run of the battle between the Castlehyde Stud resident and his late Coolmore compatriot Fame And Glory.

Yeats poses with Castlehyde staff to celebrate his first sire's titleCredit: Colin Kenny

In 2022, it was the victory of Noble Yeats at Aintree which finally swung the contest in favour of the four-time Gold Cup winner and, with three weeks of the season remaining, Yeats sits atop the standings by progeny prize-money earnings. Fame And Glory's offspring have also amassed nearly £2.3 million - and there is only around £150,000 between them so one big payday could make all the difference.

With a first prize of €250,000 and €100,000 for the runner-up in the BoyleSports-backed Irish Grand National, there is a substantial pot available and Yeats has two representatives in the field of 30, whereas Fame And Glory is without a runner in the Easter highlight.

The Kim Muir winner Angels Dawn is her sire's leading hope according to the bookmakers, who have Sam Curling's mare among the handful of horses disputing favouritism, a group that includes Stumptown.

The 22-year-old son of Sadler's Wells also has The Goffer running for him in the Fairyhouse feature and he is not without a chance. Fourth behind Corach Rambler in the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham last time out, the Gordon Elliott-trained six-year-old was bred by Joseph O'Rahilly out of the winning hurdler Ballylough Lady, by Mister Lord.

Sales-toppers

At the other end of the spectrum from the homebred hopes are the horses who command jaw-dropping sums at the sales, albeit the history of the race proves that price tag is no arbiter of success.

Dermot McLoughlin trained the last two winners of the Irish Grand National, with Lord Lariat a bargain buy of €5,500 at the Tattersalls Ireland August National Hunt Sale. Freewheelin Dylan cost €30,000 as a foal at Tattersalls Ireland but brought only €13,000 when resold as a store at the Goffs Land Rover Sale. 

Defi Bleu: the 2016 Derby sale topper is the most expensive horse in this year's Irish Grand NationalCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

The two winners before them were at a more affordable level too; Burrows Saint was a €29,000 foal through the ring at Arqana but was led out unsold at €45,000 as a two-year-old, while General Principle was a £20,000 store sale purchase by Stuart Crawford at Doncaster.

The most expensive winner of the race in the last decade was Thunder And Roses, with the Presenting full-brother to Shirley Casper knocked down for €130,000 to the late Dessie Hughes at the Derby Sale. 

Tattersalls Ireland's flagship store sale is the source of the second most expensive runner in this year's renewal. Defi Bleu topped the 2016 Derby Sale when purchased by Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins for €255,000, consigned by John Bleahen's Lakefield Farm. 

Owned by Gigginstown House Stud and trained by Gordon Elliott, the son of Saddler Maker was fifth behind Angels Dawn at Cheltenham and won the 3m handicap chase on this card last season.

At £250,000, Champagne Platinum is the most expensive horse from auction in the race. The Stowaway gelding commanded the second highest price at the Goffs UK Aintree Sale when purchased in 2018 by Kieran McManus from Roisin Hickey, for whom he had won a Quakerstown four-year-old maiden on his debut.

Grade 1-placed over fences for Nicky Henderson, he was transferred to Enda Bolger's care in 2021. He was fourth in the Grand National Trial at Punchestown last time out, just half a length behind Defi Bleu in third. 

The only other horse in the field to sell for six figures is Ash Tree Meadow, who made £135,000 to Elliott and Aidan O'Ryan at the Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale of 2021. Winner of a five-year-old maiden on his second start for Donnchadh Doyle, he was a €30,000 Goffs Land Rover store.

Read this next:

'We were inundated after Constitution Hill' - the inside story of the most unlikely sire sensation