Irish Grand National Betting Tips

CLICK HERE FOR 2009 GRAND NATIONAL NEWS AND TIPS Although there are a whole host of meetings taking place in England on Bank Holiday Monday - seven to be precise - the biggest race of the day takes place at Fairyhouse in Ireland, the Powers Whiskey Irish Grand National. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE BET WITH BETFAIR! This is a thoroughly fascinating renewal and the UK raiding party looks strong, with English-based trainers responsible for the front two in the market, Juveigneur and Distant Thunder, representing Nicky Henderson and Noel Chance respectively. Juveigneur and Distant Thunder were separated by barely a nostril when both were nailed on the line by the late thrust of Joes Edge in the William Hill Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival last month, arguably the most exciting finish at that meeting. Distant Thunder is 1lb better off on this occasion and I reckon he'll finish in front of Juveigneur this time. The nine-year-old had been off the course for over four months prior to that contest, so he'll likely be a fitter horse on Monday. However, I am of the opinion that Cane Brake, a 12/1 shot with Blue Square, will beat them both. Tom Taaffe is scheduled to walk the track to make sure the going's not too quick beforehand, but hopefully the watering of the course carried out by officials will ensure that there's enough juice in the ground for the selection. Admittedly, winning a race of this nature under the burden of 12 stone is no easy feat. But the eight-year-old is highly progressive and the way he was staying on when a never-nearer fifth, beaten about 11 lengths, in the Cheltenham Gold Cup behind Kauto Star, strongly suggested that he'll relish this marathon trip. Formerly a very smart novice - he actually beat last year's Grand National winner, and winner of this in 2005, Numbersixvalverde, in October 2004 - Cane Brake spent most of last season in the wilderness, struggling to find his form, and was pulled up in thee starts and virtually tailed off on two other occasions. During the current campaign, however, the son of Sadler's Wells has really got his act together, and is seemingly better than ever. Indeed, his effort in the Gold Cup was an improvement on anything he had achieved previously, so there's good ground on which to anticipate further improvement. A New Story, Homer Wells, King John's Castle and Whyso Mayo are all respected members of the home contingent, while Gazza's Girl bring high quality novice form to the table, and has to come into the equation, albeit she would prefer plenty of give underfoot. The English raiding party could also include the Donald McCain-trained Cloudy Lane, winner of the Kim Muir at the Cheltenham Festival, the first and second in the long distance amateur riders' event, Butler's Cabin and Character Building, and Nine de Sivole, who hails from Ferdy Murphy's stable, successful in this with Granit d'Estruval in 2004. Verdict - 1pt Cane Brake @ 12/1 (Blue Square)