WHEN Noble Yeats crossed the line in front to add his name to the roll of honour for the world’s most famous horse race, he became the fourth former Irish pointer to prevail in the last six editions of the Grand National.

His path to Merseyside had begun under three years earlier when his first foray into competitive action had seen him narrowly denied in a Ballindenisk four-year-old for Donie Hassett and his son Brian.

The Co Clare handler watched last Saturday’s big race in a local pub having earlier attended the funeral of a first cousin, and while his former charge may well have been sent off as a largely unconsidered 50/1 shot, he had always held the son of Yeats in high regard.

“It was very exciting as we always knew he was a good, staying horse,” Hassett admitted. “The day that we ran him in his point-to-point in Ballindenisk, it is a real tough track and John Costello said to me after the race that he galloped up the hill so well that they couldn’t pull him up.

“Normally when they come to the end of three miles around Ballindenisk they are struggling to get the line. That’s what sold him actually, he was really flying at the end.

“A horse had fallen in front of him and he lost about eight lengths and the winner got away on him. The winner was stopping and our lad was flying at the death.”

Relentless

Emmet Mullins admitted as much in the aftermath of Saturday’s success in Aintree when describing the ‘relentless’ way that he had galloped to the line at Ballindenisk as having attracted him to the then four-year-old, acquiring him for £75,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham December sale, 12 days after his intital effort.

That had been a notable result for the Hassetts and local farmer Gary Kelly, in whose colours he carried at the Cork venue, having been well bought just 16 months earlier.

“I bought him at the August sales for €6,500. I liked his walk when I bought him. When he walked every muscle in his body moved, but he was a desperate horse to trot at the sale. He had a grand head and ear on him but the most important thing that I liked about him was his walk. I’d say we were lucky that he didn’t trot well because if he had, he would have cost a lot more and we wouldn’t have been able to get him.

“Gordon Elliott was actually the underbidder on him in the sale at Cheltenham and he was asking me over there what had he cost me.

“When I told him I got him for €6,500 I think he thought I was telling him lies, he couldn’t believe it.

“The phone hadn’t been hopping or anything after he ran but I knew we were going to sell him when he went over to the sales because we had a low reserve on him because he hadn’t cost much and it was a great result.”

Crown jewel

The Grand National victory of Noble Yeats is the second crown jewel of the jumps calendar that one of his former pointers has gone on to claim, following in the footsteps of the 2000 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Looks Like Trouble. Like Noble Yeats, he too finished second for Hassett in his one and only point-to-point in a confined maiden at Carrigtwohill in 1997.

“Brian rode him in the point-to-point and they jumped the last five lengths clear but when he landed he skated along the ground. He picked himself up off the ground but he was caught on the run-in.

“We had him was sold within five days of the run privately and he went straight to Noel Chance. He looked very impressive and came out and won a Royal & Sun Alliance Chase at Cheltenham and then the Gold Cup one year after the other. We sold a few horses after Looks Like Trouble so hopefully we will sell a few more now.”

Esteem

In Twinjets the Quin handler may already have another to fly the flag for his stable in the years to come and he does not shy away from the high esteem that he holds the Jet Away gelding who had come home alone to win his point at Dromahane in December. He has described him as ‘one of the best horses to have left the yard in a long time,’ a view which has already been franked by a 12-length bumper success for Milton Harris at the beginning of the month.