Boylesports Irish Grand National
 QuinnBet
Grade A Handicap,
Fairyhouse 17:00
€500,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus,
3m 5f, Class 1   
Monday 6th April 2026

There are moments in a staying chaser’s campaign when the compass needle begins to point firmly toward a single destination, and for Neil King’s Lookaway the direction of travel may yet be across the Irish Sea to Fairyhouse on Easter Monday.

The nine-year-old has rediscovered his rhythm with notable authority in recent weeks, his reappearance campaign evolving from promise into something far more emphatic. After almost a year off the track, he shaped encouragingly with a pair of third-place finishes, runs that suggested the engine remained intact but the race sharpness still required a little coaxing.

That sharpness arrived in spectacular fashion at Kempton in early January. Lookaway turned what might have been a competitive handicap chase into something approaching a procession, surging clear to win by 24 lengths and announcing himself once more as a horse capable of making a deep impression in the staying division.

Kempton proved fertile ground again when he returned to the Sunbury circuit last month to capture the Ladbrokes Trophy, confirming that the midwinter resurgence was no flash in the pan. For King, the performance sharpened the focus of the spring campaign, with the €500,000 BoyleSports Irish Grand National now under active consideration.

King said: “He’s really good (since Kempton), we decided to bypass Cheltenham though. I just felt we were in danger of running him back too soon by going there.

“He’ll actually have an entry now in the Irish Grand National on Easter Monday. He obviously goes well right-handed – he’s proved he likes Kempton for sure – and the prize-money is so good, so we thought that would be a nice idea for him.

“There’s also the bet365 Gold Cup and the three-mile handicap at Aintree on Grand National day, but first things first, we’ll look at the entries for the Irish National and go from there.”

Those alternatives remain firmly on the table. Sandown’s bet365 Gold Cup has long served as a natural spring target for progressive staying handicappers, while the three-mile handicap on Grand National day at Aintree offers its own blend of prestige and opportunity. But Fairyhouse, with its rich pot and testing three-mile-five-furlong examination, clearly holds a particular allure.

The Irish Grand National itself is already beginning to assume familiar shape. Willie Mullins, whose formidable squad tends to dominate the conversation at this stage of proceedings, is again expected to field a strong hand, with several of his progressive handicap chasers earmarked for the Easter feature. Gordon Elliott’s team is likewise likely to be well represented, with the Cullentra operation traditionally targeting the race with a mix of seasoned campaigners and emerging stayers.

Among the early talking horses are several second-season chasers who have been working their way through the ranks in Irish staying handicaps, while a handful of British-trained contenders are also expected to cross the water should the weights prove favourable.

Into that evolving picture steps Lookaway, a horse who has already demonstrated his liking for right-handed tracks and whose recent Kempton exploits hint at reserves of stamina still to be fully explored. Whether Fairyhouse ultimately becomes the chosen stage remains to be seen, but on current evidence he would arrive there as a contender very much on the upgrade.

BoyleSports

Boylesports Irish Grand National Chase
(Extended Handicap) (Grade A)
€500,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 3m 5f, Class 1
30 ran
Going: Soft to Heavy

POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1    Haiti Couleurs 8 10-13 Rebecca Curtis Sean Bowen 13/2
2 3¼ Any Second Now 13 10-11 T M Walsh Mark Walsh 17/2
3 6½ Quai De Bourbon 6 11-6 W P Mullins Paul Townend 11/2F
4 7½ Dunboyne 10 10-7 8ex Ian Patrick Donoghue Donagh Meyler 22/1
5 7 Johnnywho 8 11-4 Jonjo & A J O'Neill Mr Derek O'Connor 9/1
6 - Better Days Ahead 7 11-12 Gordon Elliott Mr R James 16/1
7 1½ Shecouldbeanything 8 10-13 Gordon Elliott Jordan Gainford 33/1
8 3¾ Another Choice 8 10-4 Matthew J Smith Sean O'Keeffe 50/1
9 4¾ Bushmans Pass 9 10-5 Oliver McKiernan Phillip Enright 33/1
10 3 Will Do 8 10-3 Gordon Elliott Harry Sexton 14/1
11 18 Noble Birth 8 10-4 Gavin Cromwell Daniel King 28/1
12 6½ Malina Girl 8 11-0 Gavin Cromwell Sean Flanagan 33/1
13 13 Search For Glory 8 11-1 Gordon Elliott Sam Ewing 28/1
14 ½ Mint Boy 7 10-9 Gavin Cromwell Kevin Sexton 33/1
15 6½ Favori De Champdou 10 11-1 Gordon Elliott Danny Gilligan 40/1
FELL Moonovercloon 8 10-5 Matthew J Smith Ben Harvey 100/1
PU Lord Lariat 10 10-10 Dermot A McLoughlin P J O'Hanlon 66/1
PU Final Orders 9 10-7 Gavin Cromwell Patrick M O'Brien 40/1
PU Desertmore House 10 11-0 Martin Brassil J J Slevin 80/1
PU Duffle Coat 8 11-2 Gordon Elliott Alex Harvey 50/1
PU Harry Des Ongrais 8 11-3 Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore 18/1
PU Daily Present 8 10-9 Paul Nolan Aidan Kelly 25/1
PU Stuzzikini 7 10-10 Gordon Elliott Gavin Brouder 66/1
PU Sa Majeste 7 10-12 W P Mullins Simon Torrens 16/1
PU Now Is The Hour 8 10-13 Gavin Cromwell Conor Stone-Walsh 10/1
PU Sequestered 7 11-1 Paul John Gilligan Jack G Gilligan 50/1
PU Bioluminescence 7 11-3 Gavin Cromwell Keith Donoghue 9/1
PU Kinturk Kalanisi 7 10-7 Thomas Gibney Darragh O'Keeffe 7/1
UR Panda Boy 9 11-0 Martin Brassil Ricky Doyle 28/1
UR Yeah Man 8 11-0 Gavin Cromwell Kieren Buckley 50/1
NR 21 Tullybeg 10 10-10 Gordon Elliott NON RUNNER
NR 29 Hasthing 8 10-4 Jonjo & A J O'Neill NON RUNNER

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