Spectators at Fairyhouse were treated to one of the great Irish Grand Nationals this afternoon.
Having made all from the get go, the Mouse Morris-trained Rogue Angel came under pressure at the final fence from a determined Ruby Walsh aboard Bless The Wings.
The challenger, trained by Gold Cup-winner Gordon Elliott landed alongside Rogue Angel over the last and looked to have the momentum, but Rogue Angel dug incredibly deep to fend off the hard-charging Walsh in a photo finish.
Ballyadam Approach stayed on for third.
Result of #IrishGrandNational:
1 Rogue Angel 16/1
2 Bless The Wings 12/1
3 Ballyadam Approach 33/1
4 Folsom Blue 20/1
5 Bearly Legal 40/1— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) March 28, 2016
Rogue Angel had heavily supported in the betting markets, starting the day at 33/1 before going off at less than half that price.
FWIW, the SportsJOE shekels are with Ruby, with an each-way tickle for Rogue Angel, in from 33 to 20/1 #IrishGrandNational
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) March 28, 2016
“I’ve only ever ridden this horse twice in my career,” delighted jockey Ger Fox said. “At the Kerry National he got up and won by a nose and he did it again.
“He was headed, but what he does is he battles hard and he just kept finding and finding. I knew once Ruby hit me a thump going by the line.
“Mouse has done a great job with him, he just loves being out in front. Nothing came near me, I got an easy ride.”
The local jockey added: “I’m originally from only 15 minutes down from here, and to win an Irish National is unbelievable.”
What a finish in the Irish National as Rogue Angel makes all with a fantastic front-running effort https://t.co/cCWXRijmZZ
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) March 28, 2016
Here’s just how close the finish was…
