Gordon Elliott hoping Fairyhouse return can 'bring out the best in Smoking Gun'

Wednesday: 1.45 FairyhouseFairyhouse Easter Festival 16th - 18th April Rated Chase | 3m | 5yo+ | RTV

This is a good rated chase in its own right but it promises to throw up a few clues for the Irish Grand National in the spring.

Dermot McLoughlin, who won last year's Irish National with Freewheelin Dylan, has a strong contender for the repeat bid in Lord Lariat.

If he can be forgiven a below-par effort over hurdles last time, Lord Lariat would appear the one to beat back over fences, which would go some way in cementing his National claims.

He is joined by stablemate Opposites Attract, another capable staying handicap chaser, who needs to bounce back from a couple of disappointments.

The Dabbler, trained by Liam Cusack, may be wrong at the weights but there's no way a mark of 127 is the ceiling of his ability and if he can run well here that would bode well for the Irish National.

Topweight Off You Go is obviously respected for Charles Byrnes while Gordon Elliott's Smoking Gun may show more back at the scene of his Porterstown triumph.

What they say

Paul Nolan, trainer of Discorama
We have a few options. If we’re worried about not getting into the Aintree Grand National we could also go to Cheltenham. He has a very good record at Cheltenham, has been placed at three festivals there, so that’s an option. We’d like to get him back to Aintree, though. With regards to this race, he’s fit and well but this is not a bad little race.

Jessica Harrington, trainer of Discordantly
We’ve got to try and get him back on track after he fell in the Welsh National. It's taken him a while to get over that but hopefully, in a slightly smaller field and with Robbie [Power] back on him, he can run well.

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Smoking Gun and Defi Bleu
Smoking Gun never got into it in the Thyestes, but he was very good here in the Porterstown, so hopefully a return to Fairyhouse might bring out the best in him. Defi Bleu never seemed comfortable in the Tim Duggan at Limerick. Maybe it was the ground that day as it was very heavy at Limerick, so we’re hoping for an improved display here.

Dermot McLoughlin, trainer of Lord Lariat and Opposites Attract
Opposites Attract flipped his pallet when disappointing at Cheltenham and rubbed a fence at Leopardstown before being pulled the last day. Lord Lariat is being aimed at the Irish National and it'll be interesting to see how he gets on. Opposites Attract will go to Cheltenham for the National Hunt Chase if he runs a respectable race here.

Liam Cusack, trainer of The Dabbler
He ran a lovely race behind Smoking Gun in the Porterstown. He’s out of the handicap here, but it’s just so hard to get races over this trip. He’s in very good form and we’re hoping he runs well. I’d love to run him in an Irish National, but he will need to go up a few pounds for that. If he was placed in this, that could be an option. Given he acted so well around the track and the trip in the Porterstown, we felt that the Irish National was the race for him, especially given the place money on offer. Hopefully, it works out.

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