Leading Grand National contender Iroko has his stamina to prove

Grand National: Will they stay the trip at Aintree?

By John Ingles

Horse Racing

Wed April 02, 2025 · 6M ago

John Ingles looks at the pedigrees of some of the leading Grand National contenders who have yet to prove themselves over long distances.

Now challenging for favouritism, Iroko will be racing over more than a mile further than he’s ever gone before in the Grand National. While all his wins have come at around two and a half miles, he has run well to be placed in all three of his starts at around three miles. Two of those placed efforts have come at the last couple of Grand National meetings when third in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle and, last year, when runner-up to subsequent Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase. While he travels strongly in his races, Iroko again stayed on well when second to Grey Dawning in the Premier Chase at Kelso last time.

The French non-thoroughbred Iroko is by Cokoriko who raced just four times as juvenile hurdler in France, winning twice at Auteuil, so never had his stamina tested to any great degree, and is a son of Robin des Champs who had a very similar career. Cokoriko’s best chaser, though, is fellow Grand National entry Coko Beach who has won over as far as three and a half miles, so isn’t short of stamina, but has finished no better than eighth in his three previous Grand National attempts.

Iroko’s dam Boscraie won twice over fences in France but did all her racing over jumps at around two and a quarter miles. Overall, then, Iroko’s pedigree isn’t that of an out-and-out stayer but some late evidence has come to light which provides a bit more encouragement. Last month, his stablemate and year-younger half-brother Jack’s Parrot ran well on his first try over an extreme distance when third in the Devon National at Exeter over more than 3m6f on heavy ground.

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The versatile Hewick is now the veteran of 42 races under Rules but the majority of those have races have been over not much further than three miles at most. He hasn’t been tried over a marathon trip since his last three starts in the 2021/22 season but he did well in two of those races, winning the Durham National at Sedgefield and the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown, both races at around 3m5f. In between, he was pulled up in the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter over a similar trip to Aintree but that was after being badly hampered by a loose horse and on ground softer than ideal for him.

Hewick has already ‘outstayed’ his pedigree, at least on his sire’s side, as he’s by the Lockinge winner Virtual who was himself a son of very smart sprinter Pivotal. As might be imagined, therefore, it’s the dam’s side of Hewick’s pedigree that’s responsible for his stamina. His dam Ballyburn Rose never raced but she’s from a very good family of staying chasers. Her grandam was a sister to Deep Bramble who was sent off at just 12/1 for the 1996 Grand National, ridden by Tony McCoy for Paul Nicholls, and might well have stayed on for third behind Rough Quest but for breaking down going to two out.

From the same family, Seven Towers never contested a Grand National but certainly had the stamina for one as he showed when running up a hat-trick over four miles-plus in the Borders National, Eider and Midlands National in 1997, beating the subsequent Aintree winner Lord Gyllene at Uttoxeter.

'Doesn’t have a deep well of stamina to draw on'

Perceval Legallois goes to Aintree on the back of a couple of wins over three miles at Leopardstown in the Paddy Power Chase and a listed handicap over hurdles at the Dublin Racing Festival. He stayed on well both times but distances in excess of three miles, let alone four, are unknown territory for him. Perceval Legallois is a son of Ballingarry who was very smart on the Flat, winning the Canadian International and finishing third in both the Irish Derby and Irish St Leger.

Based in France, Ballingarry’s other leading chasers in Britain and Ireland are Diego du Charmil and Fugitif but neither of those are staying types. Perceval Legallois is a half-brother to Wavelength who gained his only win over jumps in a three-mile chase at Hexham, showing fair form. Their dam Mrs Percival never ran, while grandam May Hills Legacy was just a modest Flat handicapper, successful at up to a mile and a quarter. Stranger things have happened, perhaps, but it would seem Perceval Legallois doesn’t have a deep well of stamina to draw on.

Novice chaser Hyland has had just six runs over fences this season, winning twice over three miles at Cheltenham and finishing runner-up at Kempton over the same trip in the Kauto Star Novices’ and the Ladbrokes Trophy Handicap Chase. Another bred in France, he’s by the remarkable Turgeon who at the age of 33 was the world’s oldest active sire at the time of his death in 2019. The top-class Exotic Dancer, placed in both of Kauto Star’s Gold Cups, would be Turgeon’s best chaser but thorough stayers don’t seem to be his speciality, and he’s only been represented by a couple of outsiders in the National in the past.

Hyland’s full brother Easyrun won over fences over two and a quarter miles in France, while his dam Medine was also successful chaser there, at up to twenty-one furlongs. There’s no shortage of winning jumpers in Hyland’s wider family but no obvious clues that he’s crying out for an extreme distance.

‘Too fluent a traveller to prove fully effective at the marathon trip on his first try’ was Timeform’s verdict on Meetingofthewaters’ 2024 Grand National effort when he wound up seventh after his effort flattened out after the last having taken a wide route. By the unraced Court Cave, Meetingofthewaters is a half-brother to a winning pointer out of Maisy Daisy who gained her only win in a bumper. Whether Meetingofthewaters will see his race out better twelve months on remains to be seen, but his family does at least feature a couple of thorough stayers, albeit rather distantly. Keepatem was runner-up in the Borders National at Kelso, while Dakyns Boy filled the same position in the Eider, though failed to figure when an outsider in both his Grand National attempts.

Kandoo Kid wins the Coral Gold Cup

Kandoo Kid was having only his second start at three miles-plus when running a career best to win the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury last November and gives the impression he’ll stay beyond three and a quarter miles. Paul Nicholls had already enjoyed success from Kandoo Kid’s French sire Kapgarde, responsible for his dual King George winner Clan des Obeaux, and Kapgarde has produced a Gold Cup winner too in A Plus Tard.

Another of Nicholls’ top chasers figures on the dam’s side of Kandoo Kid’s pedigree as his dam, Scarlett du Mesnil, a winner over hurdles in France at three, is a half-sister to Champion Chase winner Politologue. Much more of an endorsement for Kandoo Kid’s stamina, though, is his own year-younger half-sister Starlet du Mesnil, a smart chaser in France who was third in the 2023 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris over 3m6f. There’s also a dual winner of the top French chase, Docteur de Ballon, much further back in the family.

Finally, one who has yet to race over much further than three miles and only gained his first win over fences two starts ago but has bags of stamina on his dam’s side is Three Card Brag. He has the highest Timeform jumps rating of any by his sire Jet Away, a smart middle-distance performer for Sir Henry Cecil and Khalid Abdulla for much of his career. His dam Belon Breeze slipped up in a Naas bumper on her only racecourse appearance but is also the dam of a couple of good chasers who stayed long distances.

The smart Idle Talk finished fourth in the Scottish National as a novice and went on to run in the Grand National three times, unseating on the first occasion and failing to last home in his two other tries when taking to the fences much better, while his useful brother Belon Gale won the four-mile Northumberland National at Hexham. That was in heavy ground, resulting in a slower time than it takes to win most Grand Nationals!

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