Drying ground set to scupper Notre bid

Jim Dreaper has all but ruled top-weight Notre Pere out of Monday’s Powers Whiskey Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse.

Winner of the Welsh National at Chepstow earlier in the season, he arguably produced a career-best in the Irish Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup when beaten only five lengths by Neptune Collonges.

Dreaper had to skip Cheltenham with the eight-year-old as he was not quite 100% and fast ground looks like forcing him to miss the Easter weekend showpiece.

“He had a minor problem just before Cheltenham and ever since the day at Chepstow he has had a tiny piece of birch embedded in his stifle area and it just flared up a fortnight before the Gold Cup,” said Dreaper.

“He would have had very little chance on that ground anyway.

“I’m afraid it is looking pretty unlikely he’ll run at Fairyhouse, the forecast rain hasn’t come, it is good ground and the worrying thing is that it will be dry through to Monday which I would think will rule him out.

“He does go on nice ground but it’s just that he is more effective when there is plenty of cut.

“He’s only eight and I would hope the best is yet to come, so for that reason I don’t think we’ll take a chance.

“It is amazing the number of horses you go through before you come up with a proper horse so there is no need for us to take a chance with him,” he told At The Races.