2025 Fairyhouse Irish Grand National Meeting Preview

We managed to nab a couple of places at Ayr and Newbury last weekend with Betty Clover and our NAP Flash De Touzaine. Our Scottish Champion Hurdle bet Kihavah came out and won the big handicap at Musselburgh on Saturday. Frustrating. Now, Dave Stevos is going to run his eye over ther 2025 Fairyhouse Irish Grand National meeting card, check out his preview and tips below.

2.05 – Farmhouse Foods Novice Handicap Hurdle (120 = 11st 12lb)

I am torn between two here. King Eddie Cawley runs Chosen Diamond and he’ll enjoy the ground but this trip might just be on the sharp side for him. The other one I am interested in is Kool One. I was absolutely gutted when he unseated in the Fred Winter as it was through no fault of his own. The saddle slipped and Ivan Ryan was sent out the front door when still well in contention at the second last hurdle.

Would he have won? It is hard to say but I think he would have gone mightily close and he gets to race off his lower Irish rating of 120 here. With Ivan Ryan taking off 7lb he effectively runs off 113 and on his Grade 3 effort behind Bacchanalian, he ought to be very dangerous off that sort of rating.

He handles testing ground, he has form going right handed and while 8/1 is usually too short for the blog, it is big enough to tempt me to have a win only bet. Hopefully Kool One gets more luck than he did at Cheltenham. If he does, he might just get his head in front.

2025 Fairyhouse Irish Grand National meeting tip: Kool One win @ 8/1

2.40 – Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 2)

Just seven run here and it doesn’t make much appeal from an e/w perspective. Holy See could outrun his odds back on testing ground but he’ll probably find a couple too good. No bet.

2025 Fairyhouse Irish Grand National meeting tip: No Bet

3.15 – Handicap Hurdle (0-140)

The High King of Fairyhouse Eddie Cawley runs two in this valuable handicap. By far the most obvious one of his pair is Come Walk With Me, who will be ridden by Eoin Walsh. He might be well treated off a mark of 125 but the bookies haven’t missed him and I am instead going to take a chance on his stablemate, Petit King.

We have backed this horse at this meeting for the last two years. In 2023 he nicked place money for us in third off 105 on soft at 33/1 and last year, he did exactly the same off 113 on soft to heavy at 22/1 (NB). He has struggled since that fine run, mostly in chases, but I’d imagine his whole season has been geared towards this meeting.

Another cause for optimism is that Philip Enright rides. He has ridden 16 winners for Cawley, Eoin Walsh has ridden none and Enright was on board for this fella’s only career win at Punchestown on bottomless ground in December 2023.

Now, it must be said that this is the toughest race Petit King has run in and he may be overfaced. However, if he can manage to sneak into the first five, that’ll do for us. At odds of 50/1, a small e/w interest is advised.

2025 Fairyhouse Irish Grand National meeting tip: Petit King e/w @ 50/1 (5 places)

3.50 – Rathbarry & Glenview Hurdle (Grade 2)

If he can rediscover his best form in the first-time blinkers, Eagle Fang is more than capable of outrunning his odds in this Grade 2. Trained by William Durkan, he has failed to fire in his last two starts, though to be fair he wasn’t disgraced when a 9l seventh in the Grade 1 Long Walk at Ascot in December.

Last time out he ran in the Coral Cup and he could only manage a midfield finish but the ground may have been a shade lively for him. Previous to that was the run that makes him of interest here. He ran a blinder to finish third in the Grade 2 Lismullen Hurdle at Navan, finishing 7l behind Home By The Lee and just 3.5l behind subsequent Stayers’ Hurdle winner Bob Olinger.

He has run well on heavy ground before, including in a maiden and a Grade 3 at this venue, and those runs came over 2m. This trip may well be his optimum and William Durkan’s last two runners both placed, which is another positive. At odds of 28/1, Eagle Fang is worth chancing e/w for small money.

2025 Fairyhouse Irish Grand National meeting tip: Eagle Fang e/w @ 28/1

4.20 – Fairyhouse Chase (Grade 2)

I was half tempted by Journey With Me but he just hasn’t shown enough this season. None of the outsiders make much appeal and this is a race I am going to swerve. No bet.

2025 Fairyhouse Irish Grand National meeting tip: No bet

5.00 – Irish Grand National Handicap Chase (Grade 3)

Rebecca Curtis’ Welsh raider Haiti Couleurs is the current favourite for this year’s Irish National. He won the NH Chase at Cheltenham over this trip in commanding fashion but that was on good to soft ground. He has won on soft but whether he’s as effective on that type of ground remains to be seen. The son of Dragon Dancer has never run in a chase going right handed either so the jury is out on whether he’ll win this.

Our old friend Lord Lariat is back to try and retain his crown off just 1lb higher. However, he’s only raced five times since that famous win in 2022 and he hasn’t looked the same horse in two runs since returning from a mammoth layoff. Red McLoughlin can never be discounted in this race but I am going to chance a horse whose best days may still be ahead of him.

It is surprising that Gordon Elliott has only won this race once given the ammunition he has at his disposal. He has seven confirmed runners this year as well as one reserve and I am going to take a chance on Sam Ewing’s mount, Search For Glory.

Light Campaign

This horse has had a pretty light campaign, running just five times. He started the season brightly, hosing up in a 22.5f novice chase at Galway. He then ran a blinder in a Grade 2 novice at Punchestown over 3m on soft, beaten a short head by the now 154 rated Stellar Story, the runner up in this year’s Brown Advisory at Cheltenham.

Another excellent effort followed over an inadequate 2m3f in a Limerick Grade 1 where he finished 4l behind Impaire Et Passe and just 0.5l behind Jordans, now rated 150 after a Grade 1 second at Aintree. The common denominator for those three efforts is that they came on right handed tracks. He has failed to hit the frame the last twice in handicaps at Leopardstown and Cheltenham but they are left handed courses.

Overall, Search For Glory has career form figures of 3P73707 going left handed. On right handed tracks his form figures read 131141123 and that includes a bumper win at Fairyhouse, his only run at this venue. He’s 2/2 going right handed on heavy ground and on his graded form earlier in the season, he could be chucked in off 143. At odds of 33/1, Search For Glory is the e/w selection.

2025 Fairyhouse Irish Grand National meeting tip: Search For Glory e/w @ 33/1 (6 places) NAP

-DaveStevos