Intense Raffles Odds and Grand National Form 2025

Intense Raffles won three of his nine races in France but seemed to take a huge step forward when transferred into the care of Tom Gibney in County Meath, Ireland. Gibney was in charge of the gelding's novice chase career and this son of Martaline took to that discipline like a duck to water winning his first two novice chases. The trainer then selected a very bold route of sending this inexperienced horse into white-hot company in the Irish Grand National. Despite this being Intense Raffles' first run in a handicap and the first time he had raced in a big field, he acquitted himself admirably becoming only the third six-year-old to win Ireland's top handicap chase.

Owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede nominated the Aintree Grand National as the horse's target for 2025 and it is noticeable that the gelding had been kept to hurdles this season prior to the publication of the Grand National weights.

The handicapper eventually settled on a mark of 151 for Intense Raffles but given his improving profile and lack of experience it's highly likely he can be competitive at Aintree of this revised mark.

Traditionally, seven-year-olds have had a poor record in the Grand National but Noble Yeats broke the bad run of horses that age when winning in 2022 and with the changing nature of the race, being less experienced has become less of an issue. 

Intense Raffles has already indicated that he is ahead of the handicapper by finishing second in the renowned Grand National trial, the Grade Three Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse. The Irish handicapper has set his new mark at 156 so he will be five pind ahead of his handicap mark at Aintree. He must have an outstanding chance of achieving an Irish and English National double.