A generally quiet week on the jumping front ended in high drama at Limerick last Sunday when Barry Geraghty was slapped with a colossal 30-day suspension for his ride on Noble Emperor in a handicap hurdle. The race itself went to Velocity Boy who was allowed free rein up front from the outset and the winner came home 11 lengths clear of the never dangerous Noble Emperor. Afterwards, the stewards sprang into action by holding running and riding enquiries into the efforts of all the runners apart from the winner.

None of the other riders interviewed were punished, although Robbie Colgan had left the track at this point, but Geraghty was hit with one of the biggest penalties handed down under Rule 212 in recent years.

Meanwhile, Noble Emperor’s trainer Tony Martin was slapped with a €3,000 fine and the horse was banned from racing for 60 days. The stewards on the day deemed that Geraghty was in breach of Rule 212, having failed to take all reasonable and permissible measures to give his mount the full opportunity to win or obtain his best possible placing.

Aintree Grand National

The eyes of the racing and wider sporting world will be fixed firmly on Liverpool this Saturday as jump racing’s most iconic prize, the Aintree Grand National, takes place.

In what looks a quality edition of the great race, a case could be made for a host of the runners and the final field of 40 will once again include a host of challengers from this side of the Irish Sea. Interestingly, Irish-trained horses aren’t all that well represented towards the head of the market and it is now nine years since the raiders last struck gold when Silver Birch propelled Gordon Elliott into the big time.

Of this year’s Irish contingent, there is a number that appeal as likely challengers. Fresh from an Irish National win that was as poignant as it was memorable, Mouse Morris saddles two intriguing challengers. Stable stalwart First Lieutenant didn’t make an impression in this race 12 months ago, but a couple of early mistakes didn’t help his cause. He has been in much better heart this season and retains the capacity to run a big race.

Morris also relies on Rule The World who has yet to win a race over fences. That doesn’t tell the full story though, as he was second in last year’s Irish National and has posted several other honourable efforts in defeat. He has the ability to run well, and decent ground will aid his cause substantially.

Elsewhere, Morning Assembly warrants a mention as he has shown much of his old sparkle since returning from injury earlier in the spring. A placed effort at Cheltenham last month was encouraging with regard to his prospects here.

Of those at much bigger prices, Home Farm could well outrun his current odds of 100/1. He has struggled to recapture the form that saw him finish third in an Irish National several seasons ago but two runs over hurdles this season have offered some encouragement and he looks to have been brought along quietly with this race in mind.

Easy winner

On the flat front, the ground for the Curragh’s second meeting of the year was as testing as it is likely to be all season, yet this didn’t prevent the well-touted US Army Ranger from making a winning debut in a 10-furlong maiden. For some time Aidan O’Brien’s Galileo colt has figured prominently in the betting for the Epsom Derby and he showed just why.

The conditions were a long way from ideal for this colt but he was still able to demonstrate considerable class to see off another very well-regarded sort in Aasheq. The Epsom Derby takes place in less than two months and US Army Ranger will only get one more chance to prove his credentials before then.

However, Ruler Of The World won this race on his debut in 2013 en route to scoring at Epsom. In what looks a very fluid Derby picture, US Army Ranger appeals as a leading player. Also at the Curragh, the Tommy Stack stalwart Onenightidreamed again excelled on the ground as he bounced back from a seventh in the Irish Lincoln to claim Group 3 Gladness Stakes.

Meanwhile, Zhukova looked a much-improved filly as she landed the Gladness Stakes for Dermot Weld. A half-sister to the €1m sale topper at the 2015 Goffs November Sale, this filly posted a career best by some distance to account for a field that included the Breeders Cup Turf heroine Found who should leave this form well behind in due course.