Intense Raffles

Intense Raffles is a grey gelding, and turning up as a grey in the Grand National will always attract interest from the public, even if the form book gives him no chance at all. That’ll mean this horse is talked about whenever he runs.

Originally trained in Ireland by Patrice Quinton, he moved across to Ireland, where Tom Gibney would take over his training.

From the moment he made his debut in Ireland, he grabbed the attention of punters, going to Fairyhouse for his first run and winning in a really commanding style. It seemed like the further he went, the better he was, and also, the tougher the jumping test, the better he looked.

Of course, these are two traits that are perfect for a race like the Grand National, but it was a very disappointing debut run for Intense Raffles. He made a few mistakes over the fences early on, took a knock at the 3rd, and was at the back of the field for most of the race before being pulled up half way through.

Full Results

2024 Irish Grand National Winner

The Irish Grand National is often seen as a stepping stone towards the Aintree Grand National. It’s not a race that is quite as high in quality or in the demands it brings, both in terms of distance and jumping. But it’s a great place for horses to showcase their talent and then move on to Aintree, and that’s exactly what Intense Raffles did in 2024. Well fancied and sent off as the 13/2 second favourite, despite being the youngest horse in the race this particular year, JJ Slevin was able to get his mount over the line in first place. He looked the part, his grey colours making him stand out in the field. Travelling well in the front part of the field, he stayed strongly and showed the right attitude to fend off his challengers in the closing stages to grab the win. It wasn’t perfect, as the horse made a few jumping errors, but that’s part of still being young, winning this at six, and with more experience under his belt, which he now has, the test of Aintree shouldn’t be a problem. After winning the 2024 Irish Grand National, the following season was all about being prepared to run at Aintree. His first two runs of the season came over hurdles, with Gibney looking to protect his handicap mark over fences and not leave his runner carrying too much weight at Aintree. After the Grand National weights were revealed, Intense Raffles was given a spin over fences, going to Fairyhouse to run in the Bobbyjo Chase, a race that many Irish runners often use as a stepping stone to the Grand National due to its position in the calendar. Run in February, it gives plenty of time for recovery, but it also comes after the weights are published for the Grand National, so any good performance can happen without harming ratings. He would finish second in the race, a rock-solid effort where he finished less than a length behind a runner rated far superior to him, and Intense Raffles had 3lb more weight to carry. For the 2025 Grand National, it was the ideal prep run.