2026 Fairyhouse Irish National Meeting Tips – DS
2026 Fairyhouse Irish National Meeting Preview
It’s the biggest day of the year at Fairyhouse and it’s a superb card. Dave Stevos is looking to add to his Good Friday winner, his 2026 Fairyhouse Irish National preview is below.
2.40 – O’Driscoll’s Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 2)
Not the most appealing of races from a betting perspective with Willie Mullins supplying half of the ten-runner field. The one that looks a shade overpriced is the Ted Walsh trained filly, Adrienne.
A daughter of Kodi Bear, she probably wasn’t bred to be a hurdler but she failed to win on the Flat and her sole success so far has been in a 3yo maiden hurdle over this C&D back in November. It admittedly wasn’t the strongest of races but she did it nicely and scored by over 4l.
Since that win, she’s been highly tried. She ran respectably against the boys when third in the Grade 3 juvenile hurdle here in November, finding just Narciso Has and Mange Tout too good. At Leopardstown over Xmas she ran a lovely race again, staying on to take an 11l second behind Narciso Has.
Early Error
An early mistake proved costly when she ran poorly in a listed handicap at the DRF and I’m not sure the race was run to suit her in a listed hurdle at Naas which was won by Majolique, with Michonne in second. They went an absolute crawl and it turned into a sprint at the finish, not ideal for a horse that likes to be produced late from off the pace.
The return to this venue is a plus and if Darragh O’Keefe rides Adrienne a bit more patiently, she may be able to reverse the form with Michonne and get a lot closer to Majolique. At odds of 22/1 Adrienne is the each way selection, hopefully there’s a decent pace on and she stays on late to nick at least a place.
2026 Fairyhouse Irish National Meeting Tip: Adrienne e/w @ 22/1 NAP
3.15 – Fairyhouse Steel Handicap Hurdle (0-140)
I previewed this race for the Racing Post spotlights and put up Grann’s Boy. He won at the meeting last year, he had a lovely prep on the Flat to blow away any cobwebs and Harry Rogers is a trainer I have huge respect for.
Obviously, I think he’ll go close and I expected him to be a few points shorter than 12/1. The King of Fairyhouse Eddie Cawley runs two here and given that we had a fair sup of rain over the weekend courtesy of the best named storm of the season, I’m going take a chance on the mud loving Catch The Beast.
O’Keefe Up
He’ll be ridden by Sean O’Keefe so he won’t lack for assistance from the saddle. He ran a cracker on his penultimate start at Naas, running on for a 1.25l second over 2m on heavy ground. It was similar ground when he gained his sole win at Punchestown in 2023 off a mark off 105 and while he’s 13lb higher now, he’s only 2lb higher than when running so well at Naas.
Last time out he stepped back up to 2m3f at Naas and while he didn’t finish strongly, I’d imagine that was a run designed to get him ready for this race, at his trainer’s local track. Another drop of rain over the next day or so would do no harm and on his run in the 2m4f Brown Lad at Naas, the last time he wore a tongue tie, he looks well worth a go over this sort of trip.
At odds of 16/1, Catch The Beast is the each way selection.
2026 Fairyhouse Irish National Meeting Tip: Catch The Beast e/w @ 16/1 (5 places)
3.50 – Rathbarry & Glenview Hurdle (Grade 2)
I put Glen Kiln up as a horse to follow earlier this season and he hasn’t disappointed. He has placed in a Grade 1 (a bad place admittedly but they all count!) and he was an apt winner of the Limestone Lad Grade 3 hurdle at Naas last time out.
Glen Kiln absolutely hosed up in a 2m6f handicap at this meeting last year and I really hope he goes well again but his odds of 15/2 are just a tad too short for the blog. Instead, I am going to back a mare that is almost always overlooked by the bookies and who almost always outruns her odds.
Onto The Radar
Grainne A Chroi came onto my radar when I was doing the spots for her hurdling debut at Tramore. I remember looking at her bumper form and looking at her pedigree and I think I tissued her at 14/1 or 12/1, around third or fourth in the market. When the bookies chalked up the race, she was as big as 250s!
She ended up going off at 40s and running a lovely race, staying on from the back to take a comfortable third. On her next run over timber, she sluiced up in a Clonmel maiden hurdle and then we backed her when she stepped up to listed level at Navan when she of course ran moderately and only finished fourth.
Black Type
However, she has since proved herself to be a black type mare, finishing second behind Familiar Dreams in a Grade 3 at Limerick (backed from 100s into 28s) and then last time out at Punchestown she landed a first Grade 3 win at 16/1, beating World Of Fortunes, who has since advertised the form by winning easily at Kelso.
Marie Harding’s charge has now finished in the first three in four of her five starts over timber, winning twice. This is admittedly the toughest test she has faced to date but even so, I’m not sure she deserves to be 40/1 and I do think she’s better than a 129 mare. John Shinnick will drop her out early, hopefully she comes home strong and picks up some more black type (and more importantly for us, place money).
2026 Fairyhouse Irish National Meeting Tip: Grainne A Chroi e/w @ 40/1
5.00 – Irish Grand National Handicap Chase (Grade 3)
I was all over Folly Master for this year’s Irish National but Tom Dreaper’s charge didn’t get in as second reserve. It must be so frustrating for his connections to see Elliott with six runners and Mullins with seven but alas, that is Irish racing for you these days.
The one I’ll take a chance on instead is Weveallbeencaught. This is another horse I put up as one to follow this season and he ran a blinder to stay on for second behind a stablemate in the Munster National back in October.
We backed him for the Paddy Power at Leopardstown, when he disappointed, and again in the Kim Muir, where he ran a more than respectable race to finish a 10.5l seventh, less than 5l behind Monbeg Genius in third and a neck in front of Waterford Whispers, to whom he was conceding 3lb.
Swing In Weights
With Patrick O’Brien taking off 5lb, he’s actually getting weight from Waterford Whispers here and he’s effectively 11lb better off with Monbeg Genius too. He’s effectively 2lb lower than when running so well in the Munster National and while I did have reservations about whether he’s effective going right-handed, that Limerick run proved he is.
As regards the ground, he wouldn’t mind if it did dry out a bit by the time of the race but he does handle soft, although if it turned heavy it would be a worry. However, the weatherman says it’s to be mostly dry and fairly windy, so the ground should be fine. At odds of 40/1, Weveallbeencaught is the each way selection.
