Following the success of Irish pointers in last week’s Cheltenham Foxhunters, our attentions are now turned to the equivalent race at the Aintree Grand National meeting. The Crabbie’s Fox Hunters’ Chase is a two miles, five furlongs race run over the Grand National fences for horses that have qualified by winning an open point-to-point and a hunters’ chase and are ridden by amateur jockeys. It is run on day one of the three-day meeting, which is next Thursday, 3 April. The race has received 31 entries, of which six are Irish trained. The quantity may lie with the British entries but Ireland certainly holds a strong hand with last season’s champion hunter chaser Mossey Joe as well as recent Fairyhouse hunter chase winner, Warne, who finished fourth, beaten just five lengths in last year’s renewal.

Mossey Joe was only recently offered for sale and leading National Hunt owner Barry Connell snapped him up for £160,000 with speculation that he would be heading to the Cheltenham Festival. He bypassed that in favour of Aintree, where he also holds an entry for the Grand National itself. On St Patrick’s Day he completed his prep race at Dromahane. Since being bought by Connell, he has moved to Enda Bolger’s yard and this was his debut for new connections. Donal Skehan, his regular pilot, retained the ride and was suitably pleased with the facile 10-length victory. Whichever engagement he chooses to fulfil at Aintree next week will be well worth watching.

Great crowds

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There were great crowds at the weekend’s point-to-points in Maralin, Co Down, on Saturday, Borris House in Carlow, and Rathmorrissey in Galway on Sunday. Both the four-year-old maiden at Maralin and at Rathmorrissey were won by Mahler horses: Mahler Lad trained by Colin Bowe and ridden by Barry O’Neil and Mahler And Me for Joseph Ryan, ridden by Mikey O’Connor.

It was the stallion’s first and second Irish point-to-point winners. His first crop of foals only turned four this year so he has only produced six runners to date, including these two. The result was a great boost for the Coolmore stallion who was the first son of Galileo to be retired solely for jumps duty – a few other of his progeny to take note of are: Ewings of Warren Ewing, Boris De Blae of Tom Keatings and Fromdusktilldawn, also for Joseph Ryan.