Scealai Aonair 3rd at Cork, Gordon Elliott wins Grand National with Tiger Roll

Another very successful weekend for Cullentra and finally something for the GERC to shout about. New horse Scealai Aonair claimed third in a close finish of a 1m 2f flat race on heavy ground. I wondered if we had any mudlarks in the club as Bettatogether and Colonel Maximus have both struggled this winter and Fairy Flute has only run on all weather while Shirleys Gold Well found the going tough at Down Royal a few weeks back. Scealai Aonair is a flat racing horse who, I think it was mentioned, will possibly go over hurdles at some point too. She was trained by Dermot Weld who didn't have any success with her. She also appears to have been owned by The President of Ireland while she was there. She's Gordon Elliott Racing owned and trained now and we're delighted she's finally broken our duck for 2018. I watched the race after I knew the result but she was very impressive. Gary Halpin was on board and reported afterwards that she handled the ground really well and ran right up to the line like "a real genuine little horse". She was mid division most of the way round and when Gary pointed her down a gap along the rail as she hit the final straight, she had a turn of pace that momentarily had her in the lead with 2 other horses, Lace Bonnet and Our Anniversary. It looked like Lace Bonnet would win it but a 4th horse, Song of the Sky, came from a mile back to win by nearly 3 lengths. Scealai Aonair kept on to take 3rd and was only a length behind 2nd. So at last we're off the mark with some prize money that will hopefully help Gordon Elliott claim the top Trainer award this year although the €1092 won here is dwarfed by £500,000 won by Tiger Roll at Aintree the day before.

It was one of the most exciting Grand Nationals in years with Willie Mullins Pleasant Company leading for most of the second circuit. With 3 to jump there were about 6 horses in a with a chance but after 2 out it was between Pleasant Company with David Mullins on board and Davy Russell on Tiger Roll. After the last it looked like there would only be one winner as Tiger Roll strode 10 lengths into the lead around the elbow but the finish line still looked a long way away and looked further away still when Pleasant Company rallied as Tiger Roll struggled to see it through. They both passed the line together but it always looked like Tiger Roll had won it by a nose and so it proved. A first National winner for Davy Russell and a second each for Michael O'Leary and Gordon Elliott, who won the National with Silver Birch in 2007 before he'd even won a race in Ireland. There were plenty of stories in the hours and days after but two that stick out are Michael O'Leary talking about how when Gordon started he would take "crappy horses" to Perth and Ayr in horse boxes towed by cars and built his career winning races over there and also how he'd trained Tiger Roll to win 2m Cheltenham Triumph hurdle and then transform him into a Cheltenham cross country winner and now winner of the biggest steeplechase in the world, the 4 and a quarter mile Grand National. Fantastic training performance and another amazing day in an amazing season for Gordon Elliott and his team.