Vics Canvass to compete at home

Co Meath-based trainer Dermot McLoughlin has elected to stay local with his star stayer Vics Canvass who will take his chance in this Saturday's €190,000 Paddy Power Chase.

McLoughlin had been pondering a tilt at the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on the same day but has ruled out a trip across the Irish Sea in favour of going to Leopardstown.

"The weights look like they will go up in the Welsh National with our horse getting 10.10 or 10.12 so we decided to stay at home. It's lucky enough too as I see Paul Nicholls has ruled out Unioiniste.

“So we’ll go to Leopardstown where he’ll have a nice weight and there’s prizemoney down to eighth. We just hope the topweight (Alderwood) stays in. The ground there is yielding to soft at the moment and we wouldn’t like it to get much softer,” the Ratoath trainer said.

The Ted Walsh-trained Foxrock is currently a clear favourite for Saturday’s big handicap prize at Leopardstown while Vics Canvass is a general 16-1 shot.