Carberry confirmed for Ad Hoc

Paul Carberry has been booked to ride ante-post joint-favourite Ad Hoc in the Martell Grand National, it was confirmed today.

Carberry has been out of action since damaging tendons in his hand on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival, but he is set to resume riding at Fairyhouse on Sunday.

'We`d agreed that he would ride the horse subject to him being able to ride on Sunday and passing the doctor and coming through that,' said Barry Simpson, racing manager to owner Sir Robert Ogden.

'We spoke with Paul`s agent a week or so ago and asked if he would be available. We said we would give him the ride presuming he would be fit enough to ride.

'We`re not anticipating a problem. Paul tells me that his hand feels good, he has ridden out the last couple of days and that he`s in good shape.

'We fully intend that Paul will ride the horse.'

Carberry won the Aintree spectacular on Bobbyjo for his father Tommy in 1999 and has completed the course in four out of six attempts.

He has never ridden Ad Hoc before but he was retained jockey to Ogden for three years.

Simpson added: 'We are very fortunate to have a jockey of his ability available to ride Ad Hoc.

'He`s won the race before, he`s a highly talented horseman and rode for us under retainer for three years.

'There`s no question with that and moving back to Ireland he`s been riding extremely well. He`s a high class jockey and we`re thrilled that he`s going to be riding for us.'

Ad Hoc has proved himself to be a spring horse in the past, winning the Whitbread Gold Cup by 19 lengths at Sandown last April in the hands of reigning champion Ruby Walsh.

And Ad Hoc showed he was coming back to his best when third to Frenchman`s Creek, ridden by Carberry, in the William Hill National Hunt Handicap Chase at Cheltenham earlier this month.

Ogden is set to be triple-handed in the National with Marlborough (11st 7lb) and Kingsmark (11st 4lb) supplying classy back up to Ad Hoc (10st 10lb).

Mick Fitzgerald will partner Marlborough, who was fourth to Best Mate in the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup, but no jockey has been booked yet for Kingsmark.

'Mick Fitzgerald will obviously ride Marlborough but we haven`t firmed anything up for Kingsmark. Both are bang on target,' said Simpson.

'Kingsmark needs a bit of cut on the ground but he also needs a test of stamina. Although he might be taken off his legs in the early part of the race because of the ground he will be staying on. Therefore you couldn`t count him out of the permutations.

'All three horses are in very, very good form,' he added.

Ad Hoc shares favouritism with Martin Pipe`s Blowing Wind at 8-1 with William Hill, while Marlborough is 25-1 and Kingsmark 33s.