No Tiger Roll and no crowds - but it's good to have the Irish National back

Tiger Roll won’t be there and neither will any of the devout flock of National Hunt enthusiasts who congregate at Fairyhouse each Easter Monday for Irish racing’s most prestigious and lucrative contest, but it’s worth taking a moment to step back and embrace the positives.

This time last year, the pandemic was getting its teeth in and, with due respect to the Lincoln and the Brocklesby, the BoyleSports Irish Grand National is the first of the marquee events lost in 2020 to go ahead this time around.

The Galway Plate, established in 1869, beats the €400,000 Fairyhouse feature by a year in terms of longevity in Ireland, but there is little doubt as to the identity of jump racing’s crown jewel in this country. It’s good to have it back.