The Irish Grand National horse race is a National Hunt steeplechase held at the Fairyhouse Racecourse in Ratoath, County Meath, in the Republic of Ireland. This annual race is held every Easter Monday during the Fairyhouse Easter Festival. As the biggest steeplechase and one of the most prestigious races in Europe, the Irish Grand National attracts some of the best quality racehorses in the region. This handicap race is only open to horses at least five years of age. 

The Fairyhouse Racecourse

The famous Fairyhouse Racecourse has hosted the Irish Grand National throughout the race’s entire long history. This course is a grueling 3 miles and 5 furlongs long and the horses must jump 23 difficult fences by the time they cross the finish line. Because the Fairyhouse Racecourse is so challenging, European trainers like to test their horses out on this course. Horses that perform well at Fairyhouse typically have the stamina needed to excel at other European racecourses.  

Brief History of the Irish Grand National Horse Race 

The Irish Grand National was established way back in 1870. A horse named Sir Robert Peel won the very first race. Because it is held on Easter Monday, the event attracts many racing fans from Dublin, which earned this race the nickname of “The Dub’s Day Out.” The Irish Distillers sponsored this race under various names for much of the race’s history, but Ladbrokes took over the sponsorship in 2010.

Legends of the Irish Grand National 

The horse named Brown Lad is the Irish Grand National’s most successful racehorse, winning three times in 1975, 1976 and 1978. Pat Taaffee is currently the event’s most successful jockey, winning the race six times on six different horses from 1954 to 1966. The most successful trainer during the history of the Irish Grand National is named Tom Dreaper. Mr. Dreaper trained ten winning horses from 1943 to 1966. 

Several of the Irish Grand National winners went on to win the Grand National race held at the Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, but no horse has won both races in the same year. The first horse to complete the double was named Ascetic’s Silver, who achieved this feat in the early 1900s. More recent double winners include the horses named Bobbyjo, Numbersixvalverde and Rhyme ‘n’ Reason. 

The Irish Grand National’s Top Jockey Family

The Carberry family has had several family members perform successfully as jockeys in the Irish Grand National horse race. Tommy Carberry began the family tradition when he was a jockey in the 1960s and 1970s. He was the overall champion Irish jockey twice before retiring in 1982 to train racehorses. 

Tommy’s son, Paul Carberry, also won the champion title twice. Paul took the Irish Grand National in 1998 on Bobbyjo, a horse that his father trained. Tommy’s son Paul has also won this prestigious race, jockeying to victory in 2006. The most recent Carberry to win the Irish Grand National is Tommy’s daughter, Nina Carberry, who won the race in 2011 on Organisedconfusion, a horse trained by her uncle, Arthur Moore.