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The Irish Grand National is one of the most exciting steeplechases in the world and the winners board reads like a who’s who of national hunt greats. It is an annual racing even which takes place at Fairyhouse Racecourse in County Meath in the Republic of Ireland, just 12 miles northwest of Dublin. The race traditionally takes place on Easter Monday. The first race took place in 1870, for a prize of 167 sovereigns and was won by Sir Robert Peele. The winner of the second race was Scots Grey who won again in 1875 – the first dual winner of the Irish Grand National. The race has taken place every year since then bar two – 1919 and 1941 due to the First and Second World Wars. The 2010 event will be the 138th running of the race.

The racecourse is 3 miles 5 furlongs short – it is in fact the shortest of the Nationals. But there are 25 fences to clear, which is quite an amount for such a short course. The event is Ireland’s most prestigious steeplechase event, and is a handicap race for horses five years or over. Steeplechasing is the ideal kind of race for staying horses, and although a gruelling race, it is a fair one and attracts the best contenders from around the world.

One of these contenders was Arkle who won the Irish Grand National in 1964. Arkle was so good that two weighting systems were created for the handicap – the first was used when Arkle was running and the second when he wasn’t! This meant that in 1964 he had to carry 2.5 stone more than all the other horses in the race. And he still won! In the same year he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup for the first time. He won 27 out of his 35 races but had to stop racing after he injured his hoof in the King George Chase, and was put down at 13 due to arthritis. His name does however live on as the best steeplechaser ever.

Another legend of the Irish Grand National was Flying Bolt who won the race in 1966. As well as this huge achievement Flying Bolt won at the Cheltenham Festival three times – in 1965 he won the Champion Chase and a day later he came second in the Champion Hurdle. Flying Bolt was trained by the same trainer as Arkle, Tom Dreaper. Flying Bolt contracted Brucellosis aged 7 and he was never the same afterwards, winning only one race until he turned 11 and was retired.

Rhyme N Reason won the Irish Grand National in 1985, one of a very few horses to have won both the Irish and English Grand Nationals. He also won the Grand National and the Racing Post Trophy in the same year – remarkable achievements.

Desert Orchid was another extremely popular steeplechaser who won the Irish Grand National in 1990. Desert Orchid won almost every steeplechase race, including the Whitbread Gold Cup, the Tingle Creek, the Racing Post Chase and the Victor Chandler.

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