Donn McClean with five memorable Grand Nationals for Irish fans

Papillon – 2000

Irish-trained horses simply didn’t win the Aintree Grand National in the 1980s and 1990s. Bobbyjo’s win in 1999 was brilliant, the Tommy-and-Paul-Carberry father-and-son team, and the first Irish-trained winner since the same Tommy Carberry had ridden L’Escargot to victory for Dan Moore in 1975. And then, remarkably, another father-and-son team come along the following year and win it again.

Ruby Walsh had never ridden in the Grand National before. He had been to Aintree all right, he had ridden Freelander to finish fourth in the Aintree bumper in 1998 and he had ridden Minister For Fun to finish fourth in the Fox Hunters’ the same year, but he had never ridden in the National itself. Actually, when Paul Carberry was riding Bobbyjo to victory in 1999, Ruby Walsh was looking in on television from the weigh room at Wexford.

But there was a connection to Bobbyjo, because Papillon had run Tommy Carberry’s horse to a half a length in the Irish Grand National in 1998.

Papillon warmed up for the 2000 Grand National with a fine run to finish third in a handicap hurdle at Leopardstown the previous month. Primed for the race by trainer Ted Walsh, he and his 20-year-old rider were quickly into a good position and the perfect rhythm.

Never far off the pace, Mrs Betty Moran’s horse quickly took to the track and took to the fences. Not that there weren’t hairy moments, mind you, like when Torduff Express fell just in front of him at the second last fence on the first circuit, and when Mely Moss and Norman Williamson jumped past him at the same fence on the final circuit and into the lead. But Ruby Walsh hadn’t really gone for his horse at that point. Papillon was back level with Mely Moss by the time they jumped the last, and he stayed on strongly from there to get home by just over a length.

Hedgehunter – 2005

Hedgehunter was just too young and too keen on his first Grand National attempt. He had won the Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park on his last run before the 2004 National and, despite the fact that he was racing off a mark of 141 at Aintree two months later, 12lb higher than his Thyestes-winning mark, he went into the race a quietly-fancied 11/1 shot.

It appeared that he loved the place too. In the front rank from flagfall, and in front on his own from Valentine’s first time, Willie Mullins’ horse jumped from fence to fence for David Casey, but ultimately, he was a tired horse when he fell at the last.

His campaign the following season was geared towards one express goal. He ran in five races in the early part of the season, all hurdle races. Then, after the Grand Natioanl weights had been framed, he raced over fences for the first time that season, at Fairyhouse in February, and he won the Bobbyjo Chase.

They sent him off the 7/1 favourite for the 2005 Grand National and, racing off a mark of 144, just 3lb higher than his 2004 mark, a nine-year-old then, a stronger horse, a more mature horse, he could have been called as the most likely winner from a long way out.

Ruby Walsh wore the green Trevor Hemmings cap that David Casey had worn the previous year, but there was no question that Hedgehunter was anything other than the owner’s number one hope. The rider had his horse quickly into his racing rhythm, towards the inside and just better than mid-division, and it was all very smooth really, as smooth as a Grand National can be. He was far enough behind the luckless Clan Royal when that rival was carried out at Becher’s second time in order to be able to avoid him, and he found himself in front after that incident, probably a fair bit earlier than ideal.

It didn’t really matter though. He continued to travel and jump as well for his motionless rider in front as he had in behind and, four lengths in front on landing over the last, he picked up at the Elbow and won by 14. A second Grand National for Ruby Walsh, but a first for trainer Willie Mullins, and a first for owner Trevor Hemmings, for whom Aintree has always been special.

Silver Birch – 2007

There were not too many people – relative to now – who knew who Gordon Elliott was back in 2007. He hadn’t trained a Gold Cup winner back then, he hadn’t trained a Cheltenham Festival winner, he hadn’t had a Punchestown winner or a Leopardstown winner or a Fairyhouse winner. Actually, he hadn’t trained a winner in Ireland.

Arresting had won three times in Britain the previous summer, twice at Perth, once at Newton Abbot.

Silver Birch hadn’t won for a while either. The 2004 Welsh National winner when he was with Paul Nicholls, he had had his issues, he was off the track for over a year after he won at Chepstow, and he hadn’t managed to get close to his Welsh National level of form in four subsequent runs for Nicholls.

He did run well on his first run under Rules for Elliott, however, in the cross-country chase at Cheltenham’s December meeting, and he built on that in subsequent runs over Punchestown’s banks and over Punchestown’s hurdles, before putting up a big effort to finish second behind Heads Onthe Ground in the cross-country chase at the 2007 Cheltenham Festival.

Even so, he was allowed go off at 33/1 at Aintree. With Jason Maguire claimed for Idle Talk, Robbie Power came in for the ride on Silver Birch, and he gave him a superb ride, a horseman’s ride, settled just behind the leaders from early, towards the inside, and travelling and jumping.

There were a few incidents on the way around. He got in a little tight to Becher’s first time, and Royal Auclair fell in front of him at Valentine’s and could have taken him with him, and Longshanks jumped to his right across him for a couple of fences as they raced down the side of the track. He nodded at Becher’s second time too, and then had to avoid Bewley’s Berry and Paddy Brennan, and a loose horse came across him at the fifth last.

After surviving all that, he and Slim Pickings broke away from the small leading group on the run to the second last fence. He hit the front on the run to the last and, when his rival got in tight to the obstacle, he raced into a three-length lead. He led to the Elbow and kept on dourly to hold off the fast-finishing Mckelvey, a first Grand National for Robbie Power and a first too for the just-turned-29-year-old Gordon Elliott, the youngest trainer ever to win the great race.

Rule The World – 2016

Rule The World in 2016 was special for lots of reasons. It was a first Grand National for owners Gigginstown House Stud for starters, and it was a first for young rider David Mullins, still two months short of his 20th birthday, but it was also a first for trainer Mouse Morris, more than 30 years after he had had his first runner in the race as a trainer.

And the victory was laced with emotion. Some 10 months before the 2016 Aintree Grand National, Mouse had tragically lost his son Christopher to carbon monoxide poisoning. And 12 days beforehand, the trainer had won the Irish Grand National with Rogue Angel.

Rule The World was a 33/1 shot for the 2016 Aintree Grand National, he had never won over fences before, and David Mullins had never ridden in the Grand National before but, watching the race, you never would have known any of that. Horse and rider were quickly into their racing rhythm, in the front rank and towards the outside.

The Sulamani gelding made a fairly bad mistake at the fourth last fence, which could have put him out of the race, but he was quickly back on the bridle and hunting up the leaders. He moved in behind The Last Samuri and Vics Canvas on the run to the final fence, came to the outside on the run to the Elbow and stayed on gamely through the final 150 yards to go on and win by six lengths.

Tiger Roll – 2019

And Tiger Roll of course. You couldn’t have a list like this without including Tiger Roll.

The Gigginstown House horse’s second victory didn’t have the dramatic finish that his first had, but it was his second that set him apart, that built the bridge to the 1970s: the first horse since Red Rum to win two Grand Nationals.

There was the weight of expectation that went with his bid for a follow-up Grand National victory, which generally goes with household-name status. Celebrity appearances and mainstream coverage brings with it a pressure and an expectation that, if you can live up to it, sends you stratospheric. And Tiger Roll did.

He had to be better than he had been in 2018 too, in theory anyway, because he was 9lb higher in the handicap than he was then, when he only got home by a head. But Gordon Elliott had him primed again – a 22-length victory in the cross-country chase at Cheltenham the previous month told you so – and Davy Russell rode him again with the kid gloves that he owns and lends to nobody.

You could pick him out early on, the small one in the middle, head barely high enough to enable him see over the first fence, rider wearing the maroon cap with the white star, number one in a sea of Gigginstown multicolour.

It could have all gone awry at the first fence when Vintage Clouds fell in front of him and took Up For Review with him, not Tiger Roll. And there was a slight mistake at Foinavon first time, and slight stumbles at the fifth last and fourth last. But your heart was never really in your mouth.

Tiger Roll travelled better than any of his rivals around the home turn. He drew alongside Magic Of Light at the second last fence and matched strides with her until they got to the last. Then he eased his way clear and, booted out by Davy Russell from the Elbow, kept on willingly and gamely all the way to the line to record a famous victory.