Notre tackles National fences again Notre Pere is on course for another crack at Aintree's Grand National fences early next month in the Betfred Becher Handicap Chase, an event which has proved a key trial in the past for the National itself. The ten-year-old, a Grade 1 winner in his prime, came home fifth under top-weight in the three and a quarter-mile contest last year for his former handler Jim Dreaper despite nearly being brought down at Becher's Brook. He was transferred to Northern Irish trainer Barry Potts at the start of 2011 with a view to running in the John Smith's Grand National but missed the Aintree highlight due to the ground not being soft enough for his liking. Potts revealed: "The plan is for Notre Pere to run in the Betfred Becher Handicap Chase (December 3). He has done well over the summer and seems to be in good form at the moment. "He was jumping well in the race last year but a couple of horses jumped into him early on and he was brought to a standstill at Becher's Brook. With a clear round, I would be hopeful of a good run. "He has gone down a bit in the weights now but the ground is crucial to him as he really needs it to be soft or heavy. "He is a monster of a horse and I have always thought of him as a John Smith's Grand National contender. He would really need Red Marauder conditions to have a real chance. We will look to run him in the race again next year but the deeper the ground, the better for him. "We had planned to get a run into him beforehand but the ground hasn't been right. There's no substitute for having a race but hopefully we can give him a racecourse gallop at Navan and then school him over fences before heading to Aintree."
