'He goes there with a live chance' - Joseph O'Brien readies formidable team for Aintree and Fairyhouse

Home By The Lee, Banbridge, Nusret and Fakir D'Oudairies will spearhead a powerful team for trainer Joseph O'Brien at Aintree next week.

Fakir D'Oudairies will be bidding for a slice of history as he seeks to win the Grade 1 Marsh Chase for the third year in a row, eclipsing the likes of Viking Flagship, Moscow Flyer and Voy Por Ustedes, who all won it twice.

The JP McManus-owned eight-year-old has already secured Grade 2 honours at Thurles this season, but was last seen finishing a remote third behind Shishkin in the Ascot Chase in February.

O'Brien said: "Fakir D'Oudairies, Banbridge and Home By The Lee will all probably go to Aintree. Fakir D’Oudairies has been very good there in the last couple of years. It looks like it will be a strong race but he should go there with a live chance again.

"Banbridge is at his best on a sound surface and it was quite testing at Cheltenham so we decided not to run. He is in at Fairyhouse as well, but I think Aintree would be more likely to have better ground. 

"Home By The Lee made a very bad mistake in the Stayers' Hurdle and was probably lucky not to fall or pull a muscle, but he’s been fine since and will potentially go for the Liverpool Hurdle. Nusret will also go to Aintree."

Busselton: won the Kerry National for Joseph O'BrienCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

O'Brien is planning to send Busselton and Fire Attack to Fairyhouse for next Monday's €500,000 BoyleSports Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse. Busselton landed the Kerry National last September after a gallant runner-up effort in the Galway Blazers Handicap Chase.

O'Brien said: "We will probably run Fire Attack and Busselton in the Irish National. He made a bad mistake at Navan last time, which would be uncharacteristic of him. To be at his very best he would want yielding ground as opposed to soft or heavy. He has always been one to keep on finding plenty for pressure so I think he'll have a good chance of getting the trip. JJ Slevin is suspended so we haven’t decided yet who will ride him.

"Fire Attack has had a couple of falls, but he’s actually a perfectly good jumper – he has just made a few silly mistakes and has been a bit unlucky. He has been threatening to win a big race and I think he will when things fall his way."

High Definition is another candidate for Fairyhouse and his trainer feels there could be more to come from the son of Galileo over jumps after he failed to shine in the Supreme.

He said: "High Definition was just struggling on the ground at Cheltenham, he never really had an opportunity to get into a rhythm after jumping the first. We still think he's a Graded hurdler. JJ said when he jumped the first he knew he was finding it tough work."

BoyleSports Irish Grand National (Fairyhouse, Monday, April 10)

BoyleSports: 7 Thedevilscoachman, 10 Gaillard Du Mesnil, Lord Lariat, Stumptown, 12 Angels Dawn, Chemical Energy, Mahler Mission, Panda Boy, Tenzing, 14 bar.

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