Lion roars to victory in Irish Grand National
Lion Na Bearnai provided trainer Tom Gibney and jockey Andrew Thornton with the biggest success of their careers in the Ladbrokes Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse this afternoon.
A surprise winner of the Ten Up Novice Chase at Navan, the 10-year-old showed stamina in abundance to see off Edward O'Grady's Out Now after the last fence.
Gibney trains only a handful of horses near the track and Thornton is a 3lb claimer, proving that the big races can still be won by the smaller yards.
The winner returned at 33-1 and won by four and a half lengths. Jonjo O'Neill's Alfie Sherrin ran another good race in third, with Paddy Pub fourth.
