Gordon Elliott finally won an Irish Grand National on Monday in circumstances that could hardly have been more dramatic, his General Principle getting up to beat Isleofhopendreams, trained by Elliott’s title rival, Willie Mullins, by just a head. He wasn’t one of our leading fancies.”Indeed, Elliott recalled a recent, doleful conversation with Eddie O’Leary, who manages the racing interests of his brother, Michael, owner of General Principle. “To be honest, I wanted to run everything I had,” said Elliott, whose 13 runners in this race was unprecedented for any stable in any major horse race, anywhere in the world. Mullins, meanwhile, is still waiting for his first Irish National win, having fielded 34 runners over the years. Bellshill still holds an entry in the Grand National itself a week on Saturday but it is hard to believe Mullins will want to send him there 12 days after he finished so tired.

Source: The Guardian April 02, 2018 19:26 UTC