Commanche Court has been handed 12st for Sunday's Powers Gold Label Irish Grand National but that hasn't stopped bookmakers making him one of the 8 to 1 co-favourites to win the race for the second year in a row.
Brown Lad (1975-76) was the last horse to win back to back Grand Nationals but Commanche Court has paid the penalty with the handicapper for last year's successes in the Fairyhouse highlight and the Heineken Gold Cup.
The Ted Walsh-trained horse is scheduled to concede 10lb more to last season's runner up Foxchapel King this time around and the Mouse Morris runner shares co-favourtism with Paddy Power along with the JP McManus owned novice Shannon Gale.
Next in the weights is the ultra-versatile Micko's Dream but his trainer Willie Mullins is less than pleased with the rating given to the horse following his Grade 1 victory over two miles at Fairyhouse last week.
"I hope to run Knights Of Kerry and Peggy's Lad but I'm a bit disappointed with the weight Micko's Dream has got and I'll have to talk with the owners about running him. He has been running over longer distances for a long time and I thought the rating he had before he did what he did the last day was more realistic," Mullins said yesterday.
Instead Micko's Dream could take up the option of Friday's Dan Moore Handicap Chase over two miles for which his stable companion Florida Pearl is described as "just a possible."
A total of 28 entries, including Jessica Harrington's pair of Slaney Native and Ferbet Junior, remain in the Grand National which will be the centrepiece of a three-day meeting that is set to feature more than one star name.
The remarkable novice Sackville could face Limestone Lad in Saturday's Powers Gold Cup while the main supporting race on Sunday is set to host the unbeaten over flights Ned Kelly in the Powers Gold Label Novice Hurdle.
Paddy Power Bet: 8 Commanche Court, Foxchapel King, Shannon Gale: 9 Micko's Dream & Sheltering: 10 David's Lad: 12 Feathered Leader, Kings Valley: 14 Slaney Native: 16 Ferbet Junior, Northern Sound, Lyreen Wonder: 20 Bar
Europe's juvenile champion Minardi pleased his trainer Aidan O'Brien in a work-out yesterday but has still not been definitely committed to running in Saturday's Sagitta 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.
The Ballydoyle team have five of the 24 colts remaining in the mile classic but will wait until tonight before making up their minds as to which of the five will travel to Britain.
"All five worked well but there are a lot of factors to be considered and we have to discuss it out between ourselves," O'Brien said. "None of them are definite runners and it's possible Minardi won't run at Newmarket at all. There are a lot of factors to be considered."
One of those factors is likely to be the ground but there was encouraging news from Newmarket yesterday about improved going on the Rowley Mile.
"The ground has dried out. We've had 24 hours of dry weather and a good drying day with plenty of sunshine so I've changed the going report to good to soft," the Newmarket clerk of the course Michael Prosser said.
That should be encouraging news as regards the Heinz 57 and Middle Park Stakes winner Minardi who has yet to race beyond six furlongs but O'Brien can also pick from Kings County, Black Minnaloushe, Darwin and Mozart.
He is also playing his cards close to his chest over Sunday's 1,000 Guineas where four Ballydoyle fillies are included in 19 entries.
The former champion jockey Michael Kinane is scheduled to be at Tipperary this evening where a seven race card is on offer despite the five furlong races being abandoned over the next couple of days due to false patches on the sprint track.
Kinane is down to ride the Willie Mullins trained Squire James in the three-year-old handicap over nine furlongs. The booking appears significant but Squire James was a lowly fifth to Theatregoer at Listowel and looks to have a lot of improving to do.
Instead there could be some slight impact on the future classic outlook now that Henry Afrika is dropped in class. The Lynam runner has been sixth in this two starts this season to the Oaks possible Rayyana and the Ballydoyle Derby hope Pebble Island. The good apprentice Wayne Lordan takes a valuable 5lb off his back and Henry Afrika has got some form at least on very testing going.
Sunset Lodge was remounted to finish behind Alcapone in a Grade 1 at Fairyhouse last week and off a 133 mark looks good for the novice chase while Strontium can go one better than his second at Cork to Solar Quest in the Beginners Chase.
