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Iroko team have unique insight into what Aintree success requires
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Fri 28 Mar 2025
Josh Guerriero could have the unique achievement of tasting success over the Grand National fences as a jockey and joint-trainer should the well-fancied Iroko prevail at Aintree.
Guerriero and training partner Oliver Greenall have one of Britain’s main hopes for the world’s most famous steeplechase on April 5. The pair are on a high, too, after the success of Jagwar at the Cheltenham Festival, where Iroko himself struck in 2023.
Irish racing has dominated both Flat and National Hunt racing over the last 18 months, but the Cheshire-based pair have a real contender in the seven-year-old bay, who runs in the famous green and gold silks of JP McManus, just like Jagwar.
Josh Guerriero (right) has high hopes for Iroko (PA)
And Guerriero could have the key to success after winning over the same fences as a fledgling amateur jockey in the 2008 Fox Hunters’, when he steered Christy Beamish to a nine-length triumph over Katarino and future National hero Sam Waley-Cohen.
“It was a bit of a blur anyway, the day,” Guerriero said when recalling his victory.
“I remember being quite nervous. As always as a jockey, you’re nervous as you are walking out, but once you are on the horse’s back, you can chill out and the nerves seem to disappear.
“I remember him jumping brilliantly throughout and then just elation, but I don’t remember much afterwards, as it was just a blur. I was so young – I was only 18 – I probably didn’t take it in as much as I should’ve done.
“I think the difference between that and training will be massive. When you are riding, you get off the horse and that’s it, you just hand it back and that’s you done for the day.
“Whereas in training, months of prep go in and you’re dealing with the owners, the staff and the horse, and the race. And then you are dealing with it all again afterwards, so there’s a lot more thought, time and effort goes into it than just riding.”
Josh Guerriero aboard Christy Beamish in the 2008 Fox Hunters’ Chase (Gareth Copley/PA)
Iroko – who could well be favourite when the tapes go up – had a final tune-up before his trip to Liverpool with a battling second-placed finish behind the smart Grey Dawning in the Premier Chase at Kelso at the beginning of March.
It has so far been a campaign of near-misses for Iroko, which has included a half-length second at Haydock on his seasonal reappearance in November, a fall at the first at Ascot in December before a creditable fourth at Cheltenham a month later.
Guerriero is confident the gelding – who will have Jagwar’s pilot Jonjo O’Neill jr in the saddle – could break through in the biggest race of his career after “his best performance on paper” at Kelso.
“He’s come out of it very well, he seems fresh and well,” the Stockton Hall handler said. “I think it was actually good that he didn’t get in too much of a battle with Grey Dawning and it was probably the perfect prep run.
“It was probably his best performance on paper – Grey Dawning is a very good horse – and he’s obviously enjoyed it and he’s gone a fair gallop.
“It was a quick time, so we were delighted, he looked good and he’s come back fresh and well.”
Speaking about his preparation for the Aintree showpiece, Guerriero added: “It’s been fairly smooth, obviously we had a bit of a mishap with him at Ascot – he got knocked over by one of the other horses – but since then it’s been pretty straightforward.
Aidan Kelly rode Iroko to win the Martin Pipe in 2023 (David Davies for The Jockey Club)
“We’ve been trying to run him in races where we feel he would gain the best experience in, over slightly too short a trip and competitive handicaps, which is what he needed.
“He hadn’t had many runs over fences, so we’ve given him the best experience we could and since Ascot, it’s been pretty smooth running.
“The prep’s not really any different, it’s still just a normal horse race, just with the fences slightly different.
“We basically just school them over a similar type of fence the week before or two weeks before and make sure they aren’t going to go there and get surprised at the different fences, but bar that, it’s very similar prep to any other race.
“I suppose (there is more pressure), but you have got to carry on as normal and try not to think about anything like that, because we aren’t going to do anything different.
“We just have to get him there and make sure that he gets there injury-free and healthy, which is our main focus. It adds a little bit of pressure, but we’ve got to keep going as we are.”
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