Velvet Elvis

Trainer Tom Gibney had his first Grand National runner in 204 with Lion Na Bearnai and had to wait nine years until his next in the race when he would be represented by Velvet Elvis. Despite running as a seven-year-old, the horse had a few good runs under his belt, showing he was capable of running in the race, but on the day, things didn’t go to plan. After losing ground, the horse was pulled up at the 17th fence to exit the race.

Foaled in 2016, the horse hit the ground running, winning on debut, and twice over hurdles before going novice chasing and really starting to make a name for himself.

Full Results

Velvet Elvis’ Early Years

In February 2020, Velvet Elvis hit the track in an Irish point-to-point race and made an immediate impression on the amateur scene as he won his debut race by 20 lengths. He went under rules the following season, failing to win either of his two national hunt flat races, but did fare better over hurdles when going over longer distances.

Second on his hurdling debut, he went better on both his second and third starts, winning at both Cork and Thurles.

Chasing would come the following season, and he did take a little time to warm up to that, winning on his fourth start, in a good novice handicap chase at Navan. He then began to move up the ranks and showed his appetite for a big handicap chase by finishing sixth in the 2022 Irish Grand National as a six-year-old novice.

Velvet Elvis’ Big Race Wins

We are yet to see Velvet Elvis win a big race, but alongside the sixth-placed effort in the Irish Grand National, he’s also run well in other contests.

Perhaps his best so far was a second-place finish in the Grade Two Webster Cup Chase, the race he ran in as a warm-up for the 2023 Grand National.