A Wave Of The Sea Grand National Wins
A Wave Of The Sea has never won the Grand National.
Their best finish to date was in 2023 where they came 9th. They were ridden by Shane Fitzgerald and trained by Joseph Patrick O’Brien.
Trained in Ireland by Patrick O’Brien, A Wave Of The Sea would make his Grand National debut in 2023, completing the course and finishing 9th out of 17 runners that finished. The horse has proven himself to be a real all-rounder over the years, running on the flat, over hurdles and over fences, across a variety of distances.
Foaled in 2016, the horse made a splash early in his career, winning a Grade One juvenile race as a four-year-old at Leopardstown. The horse appeared to stay well on his Grand National debut in 2023, but surprisingly, it was his first run over a distance of more than three miles, so going into the race, there were doubts about whether he would get the trip or not.
Full Results
| Year | Result | Prize Money | Handicap | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 9 | £10,000 | 10-6 | Shane Fitzgerald | Joseph Patrick O’Brien |
A Wave Of The Sea’s Early Years
A Wave Of The Sea began his racing career in Ireland, but on the flat rather than in national hunt races. He was third at Dundalk in May 2019 on debut but went better on his second start, winning a maiden at Sligo and then a handicap at Down Royal, both in the same month.
He would continue to run on the flat that summer but failed to win again before being sent to run in a three-year-old hurdle race at Listowel, where he would finish second on his first run over jumps. That was followed up with two wins before stepping up in grade, finishing second in a Grade Three, third in a Grade Two and then landing a win in a Grade One race. That was the Grade One Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown in February 2020.
The horse would end his season with a trip to the Cheltenham Festival, finishing midfield in the Grade One Triumph Hurdle.
After hurdling and a run back on the flat, chasing would come next for the horse, where he would come fourth on debut but then win his second start in impressive fashion by 11 lengths. He would go up in grade after that run and continued to run well, something that would lead the horse to the second big race win of his career.
A Wave Of The Sea’s Big Race Wins
During his juvenile days, A Wave Of The Sea landed the Grade One Spring Juvenile Hurdle, the biggest victory of his career so far. With plenty of experience on the flat before going hurdling, he was tailor-made for juvenile hurdling and took full advantage.
His second big race win would come in February 2021, over fences, when he landed the Matheson Handicap Chase, a big handicap ran at Leopardstown. A year later, and his third big race win would take him to the same race again, where he would win it for a second time in two years, this time off a 9lb higher handicap mark, showing the improvement in him.
Further good efforts would come in top races, and they would ultimately lead the horse to the 2023 Grand National, where he completed the course but failed to get involved in the finish.