What horse is Paul Townend riding in the 2025 Irish Grand National?
Townend has enjoyed another brilliant season as the number one stable jockey to Willie Mullins. Along with winning a host of races at the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals, he is operating at a 42% strike rate in Ireland since the start of the year.
The Cork rider notched up another Grade 1 when partnering Aurora Vega to win the Irish EBF Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle on Sunday.
And now the 34-year-old will bid to win the Irish Grand National for a second time when he partners the Michael O'Leary-owned Quai De Bourbon.
Townend won his first Irish Grand National on I Am Maximus in 2023, and his ride this year has a similar profile to that horse.
Quai De Bourbon has only had four runs over fences and has not completed two of those starts. Last time out, he was brought down at the 14th fence of a Grade 1 novice chase at the Aintree Festival.
Before that run, the gelding unseated Patrick Mullins at the fourth last fence of the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
This son of Ivanhowe certainly needs to brush up on his jumping, but his backers will be hoping that the handicappers have not gotten to the bottom of him yet.
At the time of writing, Quai De Bourbon is a 15/2 shot to provide Townend with another big-race winner.
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