Forecast always positive for Fahy family's beloved Mister Fogpatches

Mister Fogpatches, the consistent grey who has garnered a bit of a following, could provide more sunny spells for owner-breeder Joe Fahy and his trainer-cousin Pat when he appears in Monday's BoyleSports Irish Grand National.

His name, which feels as if it should have jumped out of the script of a children’s book or long-forgotten cartoon, is actually derived from more of a gloomy sensation.

"We have weather forecasts on in the morning on the radio in Ireland and every time I heard it, it always said, 'There will be mist or fog patches around the country today'," Joe Fahy explains.