THE HERE AND NOW
Ted’s charge isn’t seen as best ahead of Irish National
CHELTENHAM Festival winners Any Second Now and Tiger Roll have been installed 10/1 joint-favourites for the Boylesports Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday.
Tiger Roll, now a four-time Festival winner, leads a 34-strong entry from Gordon Elliott’s yard. But his immediate target is the Randox Health Grand National at Aintree on April 6 (see page 38).
Elliott indicated that it might be possible for a few of his charges to fulfil both National engagements. But he suggested that Gold Cup ninth Shattered Love, Out
Sam and Dounikos – winner of the Grand National Trial at Punchestown – are likely to target Fairyhouse.
Elliott’s Irish Gold Cup third The Storyteller tops the weights, with 11-10 (a mark of 160), and a list of 110 entries, which include 19 British contenders, with David Pipe’s Ramses De Teillee (11-2) and the Philip Kirby-trained Blaklion (11-1) the highest-weighted of the contingent.
Ted Walsh (inset) – trainer of Any Second Now, raised 8lb for his Kim Muir win in Cheltenham– won the Fairyhouse showpiece with Commanche Court back in 2000.
Willie Mullins has 15 entries, topped by Killultagh Vic and Aintree-bound Bobbyjo winner Rathvinden, both on 11-9, while Noel Meade and Joseph O’brien have six entries each. Meade’s bunch include the progressive Tous Est Permis (11-7), which, along with the Mullins-trained C’est Jersey (10-4), was mentioned by IHRB Handicapper Andrew Shaw as a horse to note for the big race.
Post-cheltenham, the Handicapper gave both Champion Hurdle winner Espoir D’allen (up to 169) and Gold Cup victor Al Boum Photo (now 175) a 10lb hike in the ratings, while Tony Martin’s Anibale Fly – third last year and runner-up in the Gold Cup this time – is up 7lb to 170 Ballymore winner City Island went up 9lb, while Klassical Dream, so impressive in the Supreme Novices, received an 8lb rise and is rated 4lb superior to City Island.
An 8lb hike was the reward for handicap winners Sire Du Berlais (Pertemps) and Early Doors (Martin Pipe) while Joseph O’brien’s progressive four-year-old Band Of Outlaws, winner of the Boodles, has gone up 11lb to a mark of 145
But the biggest mover of the week was Henry de Bromhead’s A Plus Tard, Rachael Blackmore’s first Festival winner when bolting-up by 16 lengths in the Close Brothers Novice Handicap Chase.
The Cheveley Park Stud-owned six-year-old has gone up a massive 20lb to a mark of 160, which makes him Ireland’s top-rated novice chaser of the season, 1lb above dual Grade 1 winners Le Richebourg and Delta Work.