Grand National 2022: School Boy Hours Profile

Noel Meade's School Boy Hours will line up in the 2022 Randox Grand National at Aintree on April 9 and we profile the Irish raider here...
School Boy Hours
Age: 9
Trainer: Noel Meade
Chase Runs: 11
Chase Wins: 1
Notable Race Wins: 2021 Paddy Power Chase
Handed the unenviable task of dealing with Minella Indo in a Grade 1 novice hurdle back at the Punchestown Festival in 2019, where he was pulled up, School Boy Hours has always shaped like he would be a classier performer over fences, and while he has only notched up one win in his 11 chase starts, that victory was a notable one.
Having finished sixth at the Punchestown Festival last season in a competitive handicap chase, School Boy Hours made his reappearance in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown in December, where he lined up off a mark of 133, and he duly did the business as he beat Ben Dundee by half-a-length.
Showing a real zest to perform in a fiercely competitive handicap chase, School Boy Hours was then sent to the Cheltenham Festival to run in the Kim Muir Handicap Chase, a race he was sent off favourite for. However, he failed to build on that Leopardstown victory and was eventually pulled up, so he will head to Aintree looking to bounce back to form.
Rated 9lbs higher than that Leopardstown win, Noel Meade's charge will line up off 142 on Saturday, but he has shown he can excel in these sort of events, so he can't be completely discounted for the shrewd owner JP McManus, who is bidding to win the National again.