Haiti Couleurs primed for Irish National service

Cheltenham Festival hero goes in search of another big-race victory in the BoyleSports Irish Grand at on Easter Monday.

The eight-year-old was an emphatic winner of the National Hunt Chase at Prestbury Park last month, providing his trainer Rebecca Curtis with a fifth Festival success.

The Welsh handler has sent a team of six horses across the Irish Sea to run across the three days of Fairyhouse’s Easter Festival and is hopeful her stable star can become the first British-trained winner of the €500,000 since Jonjo O’Neill’s Shutthefrontdoor struck gold 11 years ago.

“He seems in really good form, healthy and well,” said Curtis.

“We’re very excited to be bringing him over to Ireland. I couldn’t be happier with the horse. It was great to win at Cheltenham and he came out of that really well.

“He had a nice easy couple of weeks after and he’s been back in full swing for the last month. So, it’s all systems go.”

Jonjo O’Neill has two Irish Grand National wins on his training CV, having also claimed top honours with Butler’s Cabin in 2007. Now in partnership with his son AJ, the trainer goes in search of the hat-trick with Johnnywho, was was narrowly denied a Cheltenham Festival win in the Kim Muir.

AJ O’Neill said: “He ran a lovely race at Cheltenham really and I suppose it seems the natural progression to go to . He’s in good form, we’re looking forward to seeing him back on track and hopefully he can go one better.

“It’s very competitive, but hopefully we’re good enough on the day. It’s a great race and it’s great to have a runner who has shown good form on the way up.”

The home challenge features many of the usual suspects in terms of trainers, with Willie Mullins, Gavin Cromwell and Gordon Elliott all saddling multiple runners, while Paul Nolan fields the horse who beat Johnnywho by a neck in the Kim Muir, Daily Present.

He said: “He’s in very good form, everything has has gone well with him and we’re hoping he’ll run a respectable race.

“He really stayed at Cheltenham, he’s definitely a stayer and he got a very good ride.

“We’re just hoping he can operate again, he’s gone up a good chunk in the weights but it’d be great if he could still be competitive.”

Willie Mullins has saddled two previous Irish Grand National winners in Burrows Saint (2019) and I Am Maximus and is this year represented by two novices in Quai De Bourbon and Sa Majeste.

Patrick Mullins, assistant to his father, said: “Quai De Bourbon has been unlucky in Cheltenham (unseated) and Aintree (brought down), but perhaps that will be the silver lining on two clouds as he comes into Fairyhouse without having had hard races.

“Obviously, his jumping will have to stand up, but I thought he jumped well in Aintree in the main.

“Sa Majeste gets in with a nice racing weight (10st 12lb). He ran very well in Cheltenham (third in Kim Muir) and nicer ground might bring more improvement in him.”