Grand National news: Those punters who have plunged on Dun Doire for the Powers Whiskey Irish Grand National may yet end up looking to France for unlikely salvation after indications yesterday that Innox could take his chance in the Easter Monday highlight.
No French-trained horse has ever won Ireland's richest steeplechase prize but the JP McManus team will decide today if Innox, trained by Francois Doumen, will travel to Fairyhouse for the holiday feature.
"We are taking a look at the race and are leaning towards running Innox in it. He fell at the first at Aintree but there's not a bother on him since. We will probably decide on Thursday as travel arrangements will have to be made if he is to run," said McManus's racing manager Frank Berry yesterday. "He is also in the Betfred at the end of the month but the ground might have gone by then and he does like a dig in it."
If Innox is left in at tomorrow's final declaration it will be good news for Dun Doire supporters who otherwise could yet end up facing a nightmare scenario with the hot favourite having to carry topweight of 12st.
A total of 41 horses remained in the National at yesterday's forfeit stage and as expected both Beef Or Salmon and Hedgehunter were not among them. That leaves the Cheltenham Gold Cup third, Forget The Past, as the next topweight but his trainer Michael O'Brien will only decide if he starts after a vital piece of work tomorrow morning. "We will make a decision after he works but it's looking a bit iffy at this stage," he conceded yesterday. If Forget The Past doesn't run in the National we will wait for Punchestown."
With Our Ben far from a certain starter, and holding entries in Sunday's Powers Gold Cup as well as a novice chase on Monday, the only horse lying between Dun Doire and topweight is Innox. The French horse could make up a three-pronged McManus assault on the €250,000 race that the champion owner has only won once before with Bit Of A Skite in 1983. Far From Trouble is an intended starter and Berry described the Jonjo O'Neill trained Drombeag as "a possible runner."
The only other cross-channel entry left in the National is Supreme Developer, trained by Ferdy Murphy who won the race two years ago with Granit D'Estruval.
Noel Meade is triple-handed in the National, including No Half Session and the Topham faller Star Clipper. Paul Carberry has been having a bad run of falls in the last week but should be fit to ride one of them.
Willie Mullins also has Joueur D'Estruval and Homer Wells in the National, alongside Our Ben, but Dun Doire's trainer Tony Martin is still holding fire on Ruby Walsh's availability. "I'm in no hurry about a jockey. Paul (Carberry) looks like he will be claimed and I'm going to give Ruby all the time he needs. There is no panic until Friday," he said.
Dun Doire, whose winning streak of six in a row includes the William Hill at Cheltenham and the Thyestes at Gowran, is now a general 3 to 1 favourite after sustained ante-post support all week. Final declarations for the National will be on Friday but the nomination of jockeys has been delayed an extra hour to 1.00 in order to facilitate the make up the field.
Whatever about Forget The Past, Michael O'Brien still intends to try and secure a fourth victory at Fairyhouse with the 2004 Kerry National hero Banasan who ran an encouraging race on the Flat at the Curragh on Sunday.
"I think he will have a good chance if he stays the trip," the Naas trainer said. "He won the Kerry National on soft ground which we thought he didn't like and he surprised us. He is in very good form and it was a nice run at the Curragh."
Beef Or Salmon misses the National and will run instead in either the Racing Post in Ireland Hurdle over three miles or the Sherry Fitzgerald Hurdle over two and a half on Monday.
GRAND NATIONAL BETTING: (Boylespsorts): 3 Dun Doire, 9 Forget The Past, 12 Our Ben, 14 GVA Ireland, 16 Banasan, Innox, Point Barrow, No Half Session and Far From Trouble, 20 bar.
