Vic on course for Thyestes

Pat Martin has his sights firmly set on the Connolly's Red Mills Thyestes Chase with Agus A Vic at Gowran Park next Thursday.

Last seen finishing a fine fourth in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas, the 10-year-old is set to swerve Cheltenham in March and has the Irish National as a long-term target.

"He is on target for the Thyestes and will work tomorrow morning. If that goes OK, he will go to Gowran," said Martin, whose charge is 10-1 co-second favourite of three with Paddy Power.

"He is very good and has come out of the Paddy Power well. He seemed to lack a bit of a turn of foot when they quickened on the far side, but he stayed on in the straight and it was a pretty encouraging run.

"He goes on pretty much everything, although a bit of ease helps and he doesn't like gluey ground, but that probably applies to most horses.

"I would hope that he goes to the Thyestes with a good chance as I was delighted with his run in the Paddy Power, which is an ultra-competitive handicap.

"As I said, he stayed on well in the straight but all of these big handicap chases are competitive and I just hope he does run well.

"He will not be going to Cheltenham, but I am hoping that he runs in the Irish National which he was fifth in last year on his first time in a handicap."

A significant withdrawal following the latest forfeit stage was the well-backed Willie Mullins-trained Barker, an impressive scorer at Tramore at the start of the month.

His owner Eamonn Duignan said: "The horse is back to himself - at Punchestown in December 2009 he went down as an unseated rider but he had a small fracture of the pelvis.

"The horse was wrong all of last year and it didn't work out, we will put a line through that. At Tramore he got his confidence back, he really enjoyed it and looked good.

"He gets on very well with David Casey. I will leave it up to Willie as far as Cheltenham goes as he is the expert. On his day he is a very good horse."

Paddy Power quote the 10-year-old Barker as a 33-1 chance for the Ryanair in March while going 40-1 for the Gold Cup.

Thyestes Chase - Paddy Power bet: 5-1 Pomme Tiepy, 10-1 Agus A Vic, Alpha Ridge, The Midnight Club, 12-1 Hangover, Sam Adams, Siegemaster, Ten Fires, 14-1 Whinstone Boy, 16-1 Ballytrim, Miss Mitch, Rocco's Hall, Selection Box, Telenor, 20-1 Cane Brake, Smoking Aces, Stewart's House, 25-1 bar