I Am Maximus made a victorious return to Fairyhouse to secure Grade One glory in the Bar One Racing Drinmore Novice Chase.

The seven-year-old won the Irish Grand National at the track back in April, defying his novice status to claim a length success in the Easter highlight for trainer Willie Mullins.

Having his first start since then – and his last in novice company – I Am Maximus travelled well into the race for Jody McGarvey, having been happy to let 5-4 favourite Letsbeclearaboutit cut out much of the early running.

The BoyleSports Irish Grand National hero returns to land the Grade 1 @BarOneRacing Drinmore Novice Chase!

I Am Maximus wins our highlight over fences today for Willie Mullins, Jody McGarvey and J P McManus 👏 pic.twitter.com/o7S0g0TnsL

— FairyhouseRacecourse (@Fairyhouse) December 3, 2023

Found A Fifty was also to the fore and it looked between the three of them coming down to the final two obstacles, with Letsbeclearaboutit the first to crack.

A slow jump at the last hardly helped Found A Fifty’s cause and, dropping back to two and a half miles – nine furlongs less than the Irish National distance – I Am Maximus (11-1) had more than enough stamina to assert again on the run-in and win by two and a half lengths.

Coral make I Am Maximus the 16-1 joint favourite for next year’s Randox Grand National, while Betfair go 12-1 about his chance in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over the Christmas period.

Mullins said: “That’s a nice bonus on his last day as a novice.

“He’s a total character, as you could see from his early days racing. Paul (Townend) gave him a great ride in the Irish National and Jody gets on well with him and gave him a super ride there.

“He looks a class horse now rather than a handicapper, so maybe we’ll have to make different plans for him now.

“We were hoping he’d have a chance over the trip and the fact that it was his last day as a novice to give him the opportunity. He’s clearly improved from last year and obviously shows a liking for Fairyhouse.

“He has a funny action when you look at him head on and I’d imagine softer ground is to his liking.

“I thought he was beaten turning for home and to produce what he did up the straight was very good.

“This year, we were maybe looking at going for the English National and whether we change and go for Grade One races now, I’m not sure. We’ll have to have a word with Frank (Berry, racing manager) and JP (McManus, owner) and see what they want to do.”

Mullins also fielded multiple Grade One-winning hurdler Sharjah, who had been victorious in two chase starts, but he could finish only fourth under Townend.

The trainer added: “I didn’t speak to Paul yet, but for me Sharjah clearly didn’t like the ground and you could see that from his head action.”

McGarvey was thrilled to claim top-level success after a testing campaign in the 2022-23 season.

He told RTE: “It’s nice to have rides on these good horses on the big days, let alone a horse with a chance. When they put it in and they actually win, it’s a great feeling.

“I knew he’d stay well. He has his own idea about things and his jumping can be a bit tricky at times, but on the whole, he jumped well today.

“Last year, I spent most of the year on the sidelines with a few niggly injuries and a couple of surgeries. Thankfully, I got everything straightened out.

“When you come back after being away for such a long time, it’s hard to get yourself going.

“Thankfully, riding for the people that I am, in Mr McManus and Frank Berry, has been huge. They are giving me the chances to get on these horses and I’ll be forever grateful to them.”