Irish Grand National

The ratings tell most of the story, so this will be short and sweet:

Rich Revival has won at Fairyhouse once from two starts at the venue and could easily outrun his odds of 33/1 to run a big race, back on better ground here today. He came into this race last season in flying form, having won all of his previous three starts but carrying a hefty weight as his penance, and was pulled up. His fate didn't change much for the start of this season, being pulled up again on both of his first two starts before showing a glimpse of hope that he may be back to his old ways with a good 3rd at Navan over hurdles. Although this run wasn't quite to the standard of his victories of last season, it was genuine improvement from his other outings this year and if said improvement continues he will be in with a real shot. He's due to carry 5lb less on his back than he was this time last year as a result of not being in as good form, and I think that he will like the ground today, on which he is fairly unexposed.

Sraid Padraig is the other who ticks all the boxes for me, with a good brave win here last November when beating Cause Of Causes (who is 14/1 today) on the line, followed by an 8th in the Byrne Group Plate at Cheltenham. He ran well at Cheltenham, making a couple of mistakes and recovering well to finish 8th, in a race where horses 3-9 could probably be covered by less than 3 lengths. Had he not had to recover from these mistakes jumping, he could have very easily finished 3rd, in which case I highly doubt he would come to Fairyhouse with odds of 25/1. Jumping mistakes also need to be noted though, as this could potentially be his downfall today.

Heaney 30/1 represents the yard of T J Taaffe, one that is about the size of a typically small Irish National-winning yard. Although an outsider chance today, he has shown real glimpses of decent form in the past and could run well for his connections. He has beaten a few of today's opposition in the past (including Rich Revival) and looks to be slightly underrated coming here today.

Folsom Blue 28/1 is another who represents real value - it's a sure thing that he will stay (with a 3m 4f win under his belt) and love the ground, and I see no reason why he shouldn't run a big race today. He picked up a place at his only previous start at Fairyhouse and could easily add to that today with conditions suiting. He is one who should be at his best in this race and under these conditions. He is quickly progressing over fences, with his last win to come 3rd at Limerick probably his best yet since he went chasing, and progression looks set to continue today.

Gallant Oscar 14/1 is the unlucky one, in that I was really considering backing him but in the name of value I think I'll give it a miss. He was 5th of 5 on the shortlist and so I would rather go with those who I think have higher chances at bigger prices.

1 - Rich Revival 33/1
2 - Sraid Padraig - 25/1
3 - Folsom Blue - 28/1
4 - Heaney - 30/1

If you wanted to vary stakes, I would put slightly less on Heaney and maybe more on the top two than Folsom Blue. It's all to your own discretion. As always, the very best of luck and don't bet more than you can afford to lose.