Mr Incredible may have failed in his late quest to run down Iwilldoit in the Wigley Group Classic Handicap Chase at Warwick, but his pilot Brian Hayes believes it sets the seven-year-old up perfectly for a tilt at the Randox Grand National on April 15.
Willie Mullins’ raider was just under three lengths adrift of the winner at the line, but having been ridden with patience in the early salvos, was rattling home at a fair pace under the Irishman, keeping on and reducing the deficit with every stride.
Mr Incredible is owned by Paul Byrne, who was the owner of last year’s Grand National winner Noble Yeats before selling the Emmet Mullins-trained eight-year-old to Robert Waley-Cohen prior to Aintree.
And he could have another contender for the world’s most famous steeplechase on his hands with the son of Westerner available at 33/1 with both Paddy Power and Betfair for the Merseyside marathon.
“It was a cracking run,” said Hayes.
“He really warmed up into it. He was a bit slow away and I took the time with him then as was the plan and I was pulling a roller coming down the hill.
“He finished really well. He just missed the second-last and got under the last a little bit, which slowed him down a little bit but the way he finished you would like to think he would be a good horse who will run well in the Grand National anyway.
“I would say the Grand National will be the number one target after that run.”
And the rider, who is a key cog in Mullins’ Closutton team, believes he would have passed the Sam Thomas-trained scorer if the race was run over an extra 50 yards.
When asked if he thought he would catch Iwilldoit, he responded: “I thought so, I was hoping the line wasn’t going to come any earlier and unfortunately it did, another 50 yards and he gets up."
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