Grand Jesture and Gallant Oscar joint favourites for Irish Grand National

Grand Jesture and Gallant Oscar, second and third respectively behind The Druids Nephew at Cheltenham last week, have been installed as 10-1 joint-favourites with the sponsors for the €275,000 BoyleSports Irish Grand National after the weights were announced for the Fairyhouse feature on April 6th.

Henry De Bromhead’s Grand Jesture, who has been given 10st 5lb, finished a length and a half in front of the Tony Martin-trained Gallant Oscar (9st 10lb) in the Ultima Business Solutions Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last week.

De Bromhead also has Bishops Road (9st 6lb) while Tony Martin has five other possibles in Ireland's richest jumps race, including No Secrets (9st 7lb) and Buddy Bolero (10st 1lb).

The Irish National has eluded champion trainer Willie Mullins so far and he aims to put the record straight with a pair of entries in Perfect Gentleman (10st 1lb) and Dogora (9st 10lb).

Gordon Elliott would also like to add his name to the roll of honour and has five hopefuls headed by top-weight Don Cossack (11st 10lb), who looked unlucky when third in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham.

Cause Of Causes (10st 7lb), winner of the four-mile National Hunt Chase at last week’s Festival, and Roi Du Mee (11st), successful at Down Royal on Tuesday are also in Elliott’s team.

Jim Dreaper, whose last of four triumphs came in 1978, has three entries, topped by Saturday's Midlands Grand National winner Goonyella (10st 2lb).

The Philip Hobbs-trained Skybet Chase victor If In Doubt (10st 12lb) and David Pipe’s The Package (10st 8lb), winner of the Kim Muir Challenge Cup at Cheltenham, also feature among the entries.