All of Skryne will be on the Raz for Aintree

One runner that will have loads of Meath support heading to Aintree next Saturday is the Gavin Cromwell-trained Raz De Maree which has plenty
of good form going into the big race and is owned by Skryne man Jimmy Swan.

On board Raz De Maree will be Ardcath jockey Ger Fox who will be bidding to add the big Aintree race to the Irish Grand National victory he famously landed 12 months ago with the Mouse Morris-trained Rogue Angel.

Raz has the credentials to make a serious bid for Aintree glory and last November was one of four Meath horses that featured at the business end in the Cork National.

Raz and Ger Fox won the race while Cromwell also had the fourth home in As De Pique with the Edward Cawley (Batterstown)-trained Forever Gold a half-length second and Noel Meade's Thomond in fifth.

That was the third year in-a-row that a Meath-trained horse won the big race at Mallow as Noel Meade's Tulsa Jack was successful in 2015 and Dermot McLoughlin's Vic's Canvas was best in 2014.

Vic's Canvas was an intended Aintree challenger, but will not run due to sustaining a minor knock earlier this week.

Raz De Maree also won the Cork National in 2012, but more recently finished second to Native River in the the Welsh National at Chepstow in December.

Raz De Maree flashed home, but could not find a way past Native River, with a diminishing length and three-quarters separating the pair.

A return to action this month saw Raz finish second in a Thurles handicap hurdle over a distance that wasn't the ideal trip, but was, nevertheless, a promising performance after more than two months without a run.

See next edition of Meath Chronicle for interviews with trainer and jockey and a focus on other Meath runners in the famous race that was won 50 years ago, also on 8th April, by Foinavon - a horse trained initially by Tom Dreaper and ridden to a first racecourse victory by Paddy Woods.