Irish invasion expected before dawn Aintree Racecourse´s stable manager Derek Thompson has set his alarm clock for 3.30 tomorrow (Wednesday) morning as he prepares to greet the Irish invasion for the three-day Martell Cognac Grand National meeting which starts on Thursday.Thompson, who gets used to a lack of sleep at this time of the year, said: 'Most of the Irish challengers are sailing overnight and will arrive at Aintree around 4am on Wednesday, and they include the teams of both Christy Roche and Willie Mullins.'However, though we are expecting the majority of the Irish runners for the Martell Cognac Grand National (Saturday, April 3) to be on that ferry, David´s Lad is not scheduled to arrive until Thursday morning.'
