Champion trainer saddles seven runners in Monday’s Boylesports Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse
Willie Mullins celebrates winning(Image: ©INPHO/Tom Maher)
Champion trainer Willie Mullins saddles seven horses in Monday’s Boylesports Irish Grand National but has surprisingly tipped a big 33-1 outsider to win the race.
The all-conquering Carlow trainer won the race in 2019 and 2023 and will be desperately hoping to bag some of the €500,000 prize-money to help fend off Gordon Elliott in their battle for the Irish trainers’ championship.
The Mullins’ trained Kiss Will has been the subject of a sizeable gamble in the weekend leading up to the race with Boylesports Senior PR Manager Brian O’Keeffe reporting a move from 20-1 into 6-1 on Saturday.
Argento Boy and C’est Ta Chance are another pair strongly fancied from Mullins’ stable to feature according to the market with both priced at around 8-1 with Boylesports.
But on Saturday, when interviewed on TG4 by Daragh Ó Conchúir, Mullins surprisingly steered punters towards a more unlikey one of his septet of runners as a horse likely to be challenging for honours.
Karia Des Blaises is currently trading at odds of around 33-1 and will be ridden by amateur lady jockey Anna McGuinness, who can claim 7lbs off the mare, who won at Thurles last time out.
Mullins even suggested that the pair could really appeal to female punters as it’s a mare ridden by a lady jockey.
Having gone through his runners he then said: “And then there’s another mare down there, Karia Des Blaises, and she’s nicely in.
“And I’ll take a chance and put up Ana McGuinness, so for all the ladies who want to back a lady in the Irish Grand National, each-way at a big price.
“This is her first time over this trip and I think she is going to improve significantly with a clear round over this trip.
Tyrone native McGuinness came agonisingly close to riding a Cheltenham Festival winner for Mullins, finishing third on Jump Allen in the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle.
Lady riders have won the Fairyhouse feature before with both Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh following in the footsteps of Anne Ferris, who was the first to win in 1984.
“I think she is (great value for 7lbs) and especially around here. She was just beaten in the Ladies National here before and she has great experience of the track. So, horse and rider I think a lady riding a mare, why not.
“We’ve had three or four claimers win the National over the last few years, claimers can win the Irish Grand National.”
The 150-year old race takes place at 5.00pm on Monday at the Meath venue and is live on RTE2.
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