Quality favours Irish winner

RACING: BOOKMAKERS RECKON quantity allows the odds favour a home trained winner of Saturday's Aintree Grand National but quality will favour the Irish. Twenty of the 65 entries left to fight for a place in the final field of 40 are Irish-based and Paddy Power reckons it is 5 to 4 about one of them becoming the 23rd Irish-trained winner of the world's most famous steeplechase.

Notre Pere was the best known Irish possible to defect at yesterday’s forfeit stage but big guns such as The Midnight Club, Backstage and Oscar Time remain firmly in the Liverpool mix.

“We have the favourite, second favourite and third favourite so we’re optimistic of an Irish winner. We reckon about a dozen of them will get in but with England having three-quarters of the runners, it is 4 to 6 about an English winner,” said Paddy Power yesterday.

It is four years since Silver Birch became the sixth Irish-trained winner in nine renewals of the National but hopes are high that the gap can be bridged.

One jockey looking forward to his first National spin is Andrew Lynch, who will be on board Dessie Hughes’ Vic Venturi after Notre Pere’s defection due to likely ground conditions.

“Vic Venturi won the Becher Chase so he has a bit of course form and hopefully he’ll run well. He was a bit unlucky in the National last year,” Lynch said yesterday.

“Notre Pere gave me my first spin around the fences in this season’s Becher Chase. We had a few problems at Becher’s and he did well to finish fifth after the leaders went away. He ran on well. I can’t wait for Saturday,” added the four-time Cheltenham Festival winner.

Top amateur Nina Carberry finished seventh on Character Building last year and is hopeful of even better on the John Quinn-trained grey this weekend.

“I rode him last year when I didn’t really know him, but at least I know him a bit better this year and I’ve ridden him once since so I’m looking forward to the ride now. Last year we went very quick early on. He was fourth jumping the last but got a bit tired,” Carberry said yesterday.

“Hopefully this year I’ll be able to lie a bit closer and get into a rhythm. If he runs a race like last year I’ll be delighted. John Quinn said he is better prepared this year so that’s a big plus.”