Irish Racing / Wayne Bailey / 13 April 2009 / Leave a comment

Pomme Tiepy, Wichita Lineman and Casey Jones have all attracted significant support, but if Garde Champetre runs to form, he'll be very hard to beat with Nina Carberry on board writes Wayne Bailey...

It's the most valuable race in the Irish National Hunt calendar, so as you'd expect, the Irish Grand National is as tricky as ever! The first thing to be aware of is that the 'alternative handicap' rule could come into play if topweight Notre Pere doesn't run. Trainer Jim Dreaper has stated that good ground won't suit, and may well pull the horse from the race at a late stage. If that happens, the weights will rise by 7lbs and the complexion of the race changes completely. Indeed, some punters will remember being stung by the rule when Tony Martin's Psycho was chinned on the line by Penny's Bill in the Pierse Hurdle at Leopardstown back in January, so proceed with caution. Therefore, my first piece of advice is to hold your fire, and don't place your bets until the final line-up is clear pre-race.

Similarly, connections of Wichita Lineman will also make a late decision based on the ground and should both horses defect, One Cool Cookie and Chelsea Harbour will be pushed up to the top of the weights.

Assuming the current list all run, Notre Pere is certainly worth attention. Indeed the Dreaper family know what it takes to win the Irish Grand National, with Jim winning on four occasions, while his father Tom took the prize home no less than ten times. The stats are against the eight-year-old based on weight carried, but stranger things have happened and the [21.0] currently available on Betfair seems about right.

The aforementioned Wichita Lineman is also a serious contender and Tony McCoy gave him a vintage ride at Cheltenham when winning the William Hill Trophy Handicap - but personally, I think the weight burden will be just too much, and even the great AP himself will find it very hard in the final stages of the race.

Another Cheltenham winner, Garde Champetre is the one that interests me the most. Enda Bolger's horses love a bit of rough and tumble and he's been immensely successful in hunter chases in recent years. Garde Champetre looks like an old fashioned slogger, but whether or not the ten-year-old can continue the hunting form over regulation fences will be revealed today. Like a good whiskey, this horse has just got better and better with age, and [16.0] seems like great value to me. Once again, Nina Carberry takes the reins and in my opinion, that's a massive plus. She may be one of the fairer sex, but don't underestimate this jockey on the big stage and she's already given this horse some great rides against some fierce opposition. I'm putting my faith in her once again, and backing Garde Champetre to win and place.

In the opener, Serpentaria will go off as long odds-on favourite, but is the closest thing I've seen to a banker in ages. Willie Mullins' mare is head and shoulders above her rivals here and I'd rate her at least seven or eight pounds clear under today's conditions. She's sure to play a part in a few doubles and trebles today.

Powerstation can take the Ladbrokes.com hurdle at 3.10. He's a tough sort that always gives you a run for your money and the word on the grapevine is that O'Connell is hugely impressed with the nine-year-old at home. Indeed, the horse has come on in leaps and bounds since moving to that trainer and his early price of just over [4.5] seems a little too high.

In the final race of the day, I'm once again putting my trust in Nina Carberry, and Freneys Well is overpriced in the early markets. Enda Bolger's nine-year-old has been hacking up on the point-to-point scene and that trainer can keep his crown as the king of the hunter chase.

Best of luck with your Easter Monday bets!

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