Nina Carberry will ride the Willie Mullins trained Sir Des Champs in Saturdays Crabbie's Grand National after Ruby Walsh was ruled out of the race with hairline fracture to a wrist.
Walsh picked up the injury in a fall from Blood Cotil in the Topham Chase on Friday and stood himself down from his subsequent mount on Bellshill.
It completed a day of woe for Ireland’s champion jockey who, prior to Blood Cotil’s exit, had also taken a heavy fall on the odds on Vautour in the Mulling Chase.
Sir Des Champs had been the medium of heavy ante-post National support after he was Walsh’s pick from four Willie Mullins hopefuls for the big race.
It is the latest ill-timed injury at Liverpool for Walsh who in the past has twice missed out on riding in the National after taking falls prior to the race in the Aintree Hurdle on both Zarkandar and Celestial Halo.
Walsh will also miss out on teaming up with the brilliant Douvan on Aintree’s Grand National support card. The imperious winner of Cheltenham’s Arkle is forecast to be as short as 1-6 for the Doom Bar Maghull Novices Chase.
Douvan faces a handful of opponents including the other raiders, Alisier d’Irlande and The Game Changer, and represents another ‘banker’ for Willie Mullins’ hopes of beating Paul Nicholls to the British trainers title.
Another big hope for the Walsh-Mullins team will be Yorkhill in the EZ Mersey Novice Hurdle and the Neptune winner’s stable companion Bello Conti will also take his chance in the two and a half mile event.
Tramore tips: 1.50- Peace N'Milan 2.20- Sizing Alberta 2.55- Lake Field 3.30- Tennis Cap 4.05- Final Gift 4.35- King Blue 5.05- The Storyteller
