Keith Donoghue’s William Hill blog: Irish Grand National meeting rides preview

William Hill ambassador Keith Donoghue previews his rides on Sunday and Monday of the Irish Grand National meeting, featuring Bioluminescence in the big one.

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Monday, Irish Grand National

The Easter Festival at Fairyhouse is always a special meeting to me as I only live about five minutes from the track. I grew up going to Fairyhouse and my granddad worked there. I’ve yet to win the Irish Grand National, but it would be massive to win it as it is my local track. I always like winning races around Fairyhouse, but if I could win the Irish Grand National (5pm) it really would be a dream come true.

I’d imagine there will be plenty of my family there and most people that live in the area will be there either Easter Sunday or Easter Monday as the meeting is a big thing around here. My first memory of the race is of Bobbyjo winning the race back in 1998 when I was five or something. As for my first ride in the race, that was for Charlie Swan, when he was training, aboard a horse called One Cool Cookie when I was 16.

This year I will be riding Bioluminescence in the race, who is one of seven Gavin Cromwell has in the race. It is great to be able to get a ride in the race aboard her for JP McManus. The more rain that falls the better her chance. She has had three races this year and has won one and been second in the other two. She is a great jumper and one you would really be looking forward to. She might lack the experience of running in a big field like this, but she is a good jumper, and we would be fairly hopeful of a big run as she has been very consistent. She should be streetwise for a race like this as she is a big strong mare that is a good jumper. I would be fairly confident she should get the trip given how she ran behind Dancing City in the Grade Three at Naas back in January.

Sunday, Fairyhouse

I’m going to be busy on Easter Sunday as I’ve six rides at Fairyhouse starting with Crescent Moon in the novice handicap hurdle (1.22pm). She won over course and distance a couple of weeks ago, but she got a good hike in the weights for that win. That was a strong race, and this is a much stronger race, but hopefully she will have a good chance. If you look at her better form that has come on better ground so if it gets too soft that could be a worry.

Next up for me is one of my old favourites Path D’Oroux, who is going back into novice handicap chase company for the Listed contest over an extended two miles (1.52pm). He is a second season novice chaser, so he has plenty of experience. We are putting blinkers on him just to hopefully help sharpen him up. There wasn’t much between him and Springt De La Mare, but I went for Path d’Oroux as I have a bit of a soft spot for him so hopefully he will get his day.

In the two-and-a-half-mile novice chase (3pm) I will be back on-board Antrim Coast, who is starting to come together. The more rain that falls would be a negative for him. It looks like a competitive little heat, but he could run into a place. I’d be happy enough with how he has been going. He did have some useful form over hurdles, but he missed a bit of time, and he probably hasn’t come back to quite the horse he was. He could be more one for the summer when he gets better ground.

My standout ride of the day is aboard Sixandahalf is in the Grade One Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle (4.10pm). Everything went right in the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and that was our Plan A to ride her as we did. We thought we had done everything right, but we just got caught late on. Maybe we rode her a little bit too far forward, but we thought we were doing the right thing going out there that day. It was a great run, but at the same time it was still disappointing to get beat on her. Both her and Only By Night in the Arkle were frustrating defeats at the Cheltenham Festival. We are going up to two and a half miles here and it looks like a very hot race. She is going to have to improve from her Cheltenham run, but hopefully she can. I think she will be in her comfort zone over this trip. I’m still very excited about her and her talent deserves a race like this.

Last up for me on Sunday is Money Heist in the two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle (4.45pm). He has been a little bit disappointing this year, but he will like the softer ground, and he is lower over hurdles than he is over fences. Coming back to this trip should suit him as I think three miles the last day just stretched him. I do think, at a big price, he could run a good race.