Rasher To Tackle National Ballybough Rasher will represent Howard Johnson in next Saturday´s John Smith´s Grand National at Aintree. The County Durham handler ruled out stable star Grey Abbey after he failed to satisfy in a schooling session over Aintree-style fences earlier in the week but Ballybough Rasher impressed Johnson in the same piece of work. Alan Dempsey will ride the 10-year-old who was last seen in action when pulled up in the William Hill Trophy Chase at Cheltenham. Johnson told the Racing Post: 'Ballybough Rasher is a good horse on the track. Alan Dempsey schooled him with Grey Abbey and he jumped beautifully. 'You can put him to sleep for three miles but you couldn´t do that with Grey Abbey. If he gets a clear run over the first few fences he could go well. He likes good ground and he stays. 'We ran him over hurdles to take the fizz out of him and he was running a big race when he nearly got brought down at Cheltenham - and Graham Lee tells me he thinks there´s a big race in him.' ? PA Sport
