Racing News round-up Tony Martin said yesterday the Powers Gold Label Irish Grand National is the number one option for Davids Lad but stressed that the ante-post favourite is not yet a definite runner in Monday's big race.
The Co Meath trainer galloped some of his string at Fairyhouse yesterday in weather he described as being "like Tenerife".
Watering began at the track on Tuesday but with an official ground description of "good to firm", Martin is determined to keep his options open with the controversial former National winner.
"It is plenty quick enough, real summer ground, and unless there is a slight ease in it there would be a worry for any horse. Nobody wants it like the road," he said.
"The owners are keen to run in the National but there are other options there for him if the ground got firm or depending on how the race looks like turning out.
"I don't want to be leading people up a garden path. The National is his main option and we want to run. But he is also in the attheraces Gold Cup, there is a £30,000 race in Perth over an easy three miles and there are races at Punchestown for him if we decided to go there," Martin added.
However, there is little doubt that Fairyhouse, where Davids Lad secured his greatest success in the 2001 National, appears to be the favoured target especially after the six-week saga over whether the horse would be allowed run in the Aintree Grand National.
Martin dismissed any notion of it being a stressful period, instead describing the experience as "annoying". And hindsight has allowed him to look at it as a blessing in disguise. "It looked to me like they over-watered at Aintree. It looked like yielding ground and the way Monty's Pass won it would have taken the performance of a lifetime to beat him. I don't think there is a horse around that could have beaten Monty's Pass the way he was handicapped this year," he said.
Instead Davids Lad looks likely to try and become the only horse since Brown Lad (19775-76-78) to regain the Irish National crown - if conditions allow him run.
Martin also has Ross Moff and Falcon Du Coteau among the 39 entries left in the race. That total includes five horses from Britain and there has been no cross-channel winner of the race since Mudahim in 1997. They include Lord Jack from the Nicky Richards yard and River Bug from Jamie Poulton's.
Rince Ri is currently the top rated of the entries but he may be taken out of the race if the going gets too fast. If that happens, that would leave Davids Lad with 12st to carry and Flashing Steel in 1995 was the last to carry 12st to success.
Ante-post action yesterday centred on Takagi and Just In Debt who were cut to 10 to 1 with Paddy Power. Torduff Boy was also cut to 14 to 1 from 16 to 1.
A walk of the track at Punchestown has been organised for trainers and jockeys on Friday at 2.0 p.m, ahead of the upcoming festival.
Paddy Power Irish National betting: 6 Davids Lad, 8 Eskimo Jack and Hedgehunter, 10 Rathbawn Prince, Ross Moff, Winning Dream, Takagi and Just In Debt, 12 bar.
Paul Nicholls bettered his previous best of 136 winners in a season when Poliantas made virtually all the running under Ruby Walsh to land the handicap chase at Cheltenham yesterday, galloping 10 lengths clear of Fondmort with Upgrade a further nine lengths back in third spot.
Nicholls went on to land a treble at odds of 55 to 1 when Bal De Nuit and Indien Royal, also partnered by Walsh, added to the tally.
