Intense Raffles Has What It Takes to Win Grand National

Ever since he won the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse last April, the 2025 Grand National has been the plan for Intense Raffles. The Irish horse ticks all the right boxes ahead of the world’s most famous steeplechase in Liverpool.

Thomas Gibney’s runner did not feature at the Cheltenham Festival this season, so he will head to Aintree fresh, and ready to continue Ireland’s excellent record in the 4m2f contest.

Talented Grey Horse Now Tops the Betting

Intense Raffles is now the 5/1 favourite in the bet on Grand National ante-post market for 2025. He will not need to face Cheltenham Gold Cup hero, Inothewayurthinkin, as Gavin Cromwell’s chase was removed from the race at the latest entry stage.

The 2024 Irish Grand National winner sits just ahead of the defending champion, I Am Maximus, who is not far behind in the bet on horse racing market, at 7/1. Intense Raffles will be getting 16lb in weight from I Am Maximus, and that is going to prove to be a big advantage, particularly at the back end of the race.

Gibney’s runner has a lot of experience over fences for his age. He has appeared nine times over the bigger obstacles, while he has yet to fall in his career. His last outing came in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse where his connections were delighted to see him finish a close second behind Nick Rockett in the Grade Three contest.

The seven-year-old has been running over hurdles earlier in the season which has protected his chase mark. He has proven himself over the staying distances, and he is versatile on all ground types, so there should be no issues with the conditions on the day of the race this year.

Vanillier Worth Another Shot on Third Attempt

Another horse that heads across the Irish Sea with a lively chance of winning the 177th renewal of the Grand National is Vanillier. Unlike many of his rivals, he has been around the Grand National Course before. Cromwell’s chaser was second behind Corach Rambler in 2023. He also ran well in the race in 2024, finishing 14th.

Vanillier is now back down to a mark which ensures he will carry the same weight as he did in the race two years ago. He finished the race strongly, and if there were an extra couple of furlongs, he may have gone one place better that day.

There was a lot to like about Vanillier’s third-place finish in the Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. The 10-year-old led his rivals in the early stages, but an error from ride, Sean Flanagan, cost him any chance of victory. The jockey almost took the wrong course which meant he threw away his advantage. To Vanillier’s credit, he made up a lot of ground and ran on to finish in the placings.

A maximum field of 34 runners will be declared for the 2025 Grand National on Thursday, 3rd of April, with the race scheduled to take place 48 hours later.