Meath trainer Dermot McLoughlin is aiming to bridge a gap of 47 years back to Jim Dreaper, who was the last trainer to send out three winners in a row in the BoyleSports Irish Grand National, which takes place at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday.

Remarkably, there is a strong connection between the two trainers, as McLoughlin’s father Liam rode the Dreaper-trained Kerforo to win the race in 1962.

McLoughlin, whose base is less than five miles from the track, has sent out the last two winners of the race – the 150/1 shot Freewheelin Dylan and Lord Lariat at 40/1. The latter-mentioned was earmarked for the Aintree Grand National up until last week when McLoughlin decided to shelve that plan in favour of a bid for history in the Fairyhouse feature.

Luck

“We are going to have a try and we are going to need a lot of luck again this year,” McLoughlin told HRI this week

“Ground conditions are probably going to carry a stone more this time around, but he has filled out and definitely got stronger.

“This year has gone exactly how I wanted it to go, I wouldn’t run him on winter ground, we only gave ran him a hurdles race at Leopardstown a month ago, he came out of it well, so he will be going fresh anyway.”

Lord Lariat is a general 12/1 shot to give McLoughlin the hat-trick in what looks a typically wide open contest with a number of Cheltenham Festival horses likely to prove popular in the betting, not least National Hunt Chase winner and last year’s third Gaillard Du Mesnil, who is likely to represent Willie Mullins and Paul Townend.

The favourite is Thedevilscoachman, though Noel Meade stressed at a launch for the race last week that soft ground is a must for the JP McManus-owned gelding.