'We're putting all our eggs in one basket and going for the Grand National'

Peter Fahey will prioritise a tilt at the Randox Grand National for The Big Dog after his stable star's fine effort to finish third in the Coral Welsh National at Chepstow.

The ten-year-old has been in impressive form this season, landing the Munster National and the Troytown Chase in the space of five weeks during the autumn.

Fahey is hopeful there could be more to come from the son of Mahler, who was beaten just over six lengths off top weight when ridden by Aidan Coleman at Chepstow, where a bad mistake two-out impeded his momentum.

He is now as low as 20-1 for the Grand National and Fahey is working back from April 15 as he considers plans.

"We will decide closer to it whether we are going to give The Big Dog a run or not beforehand, but we are going to put all our eggs in one basket and have a crack at Aintree with him. That's our main target," he said on Monday.

Peter Fahey: 'We were thrilled with his run over there'Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Of his effort in defeat behind The Two Amigos in the Welsh National, Fahey added: "We were thrilled with his run over there. He was giving away plenty of weight to the winner and we sat up plenty close and followed him the whole way.

"The mistake at the second last definitely cost him. He might have been feeling the pinch at the time, but he ran a great race."

Fahey also has a smart novice chaser in Visionarian, who split Saint Roi and Fil Dor in the Grade 1 Racing Post App Novice Chase at Leopardstown on St Stephen's Day. Fahey confirmed the eight-year-old would get an entry in the Goffs Irish Arkle Novice Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival.

"He will improve a good bit as we go into the spring and better ground will suit him an awful lot," he said.

Another horse the trainer felt would improve on spring ground is The Big Doyen, a dual bumper winner last season whose maiden hurdle form received a boost on Sunday when Hunters Yarn won at Naas.

He had Willie Mullins's charge back in third when passing the post in front in a Punchestown maiden hurdle on November 29, although he lost the race in the stewards' room after being deemed to have impeded the short-head runner-up Nucky Johnson in the closing stages.

"We will find a maiden hurdle with him in the next week or ten days and make a plan," Fahey said.

"He is a horse that will appreciate nicer ground and his jumping seems to be very quick. He could be one for those really nice two-mile handicaps as the season goes on."

Randox Grand National (Aintree, April 15)

bet365: 10 Noble Yeats, 16 Longhouse Poet, Hewick, 20 Any Second Now, Corach Rambler, Delta Work, Ashtown Lad, Remastered, 25 The Big Dog, Gericault Roque, The Big Breakaway, Lifetime Ambition, Stattler, Le Milos, 33 bar

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