National Time for Oscar The Irish Grand National will be Oscar Time's big target this season after his keynote victory for trainer Martin Lynch over Christmas. Easter Monday feels a long way away for Lynch's small team in County Westmeath, and the gelding's immediate plans are unconfirmed. But following a seven-length victory in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown on December 27, his trainer will have to aim high. Lynch said: "He has been pretty good since his last run and he has got lots of options. He has gone up 14lb in the weights - on the strength of it I was expecting him to go up 10lb. We have kept him ticking over, but I think he might be getting a bit bored now." The handler added: "The Irish National is his main aim, but I think he is most likely to run in a hurdle next, just to see how he is. Other than that, there is a handicap chase at Leopardstown in early February, but it's all up in the air at the moment. "We have been held up with the weather and although there is an increase in temperature now, the gallops have been frozen and we've not been able to do a lot with them."
