Spanish Harlem

The first came at Punchestown in June 2025, where jockey Sean Cleary-Farrell kept things simple, gave the horse daylight, and let him gallop. Assistant trainer David Casey noted afterwards that better ground and longer distances seemed to suit Spanish Harlem — a useful piece of information that the team tucked away. The second win, four months later at Listowel in September, was the Kerry National, one of Ireland's most celebrated staying chases. That is a serious race, and Spanish Harlem won it. The key change? The team had fitted cheekpieces — blinker-style equipment that narrows a horse's field of vision and tends to sharpen focus — and suddenly the jumping clicked. Willie Mullins described it plainly: the horse simply hadn't been firing before, but the cheekpieces brought him on.

Since that Kerry National win, Spanish Harlem has gone five races without winning, and his record in top-level races reads 0 from 4. But the team's ambitions have not shrunk. Mullins has spoken openly about the Randox Grand National at Aintree — the most famous horse race in the world — as a genuine target. The Kerry National is traditionally seen as a stepping stone for Grand National types: long, jumping-heavy, run at a good pace. Spanish Harlem ticked every box that day. Mullins has also mentioned the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury, one of Britain's top staying chases, as a possible route there.

The Mullins yard is the most powerful operation in Irish racing, having sent out 230 winners already this season alone. When that yard identifies a horse as a potential Grand National contender and starts mapping out a route, it is worth paying attention. Spanish Harlem raced just yesterday and remains in active training. Whatever comes next, a horse that took 19 attempts to win, then landed the Kerry National at his 20th, is exactly the kind of underdog story the Grand National was made for.