Thomson has new plan for Grand National hope Mr Incredible

Sandy Thomson is to send Mr Incredible point-to-pointing in a bid to revive his Randox Grand National dream.

The talented but enigmatic chaser planted himself at the start and took no part in Wetherby’s Rowland Meyrick on his debut for Thomson on Boxing Day.

It’s the third time Mr Incredible has refused to race, having also downed tools for previous trainers Willie Mullins and Henry de Bromhead.

The quirky nine-year-old, who was runner-up in last season’s Midlands National under top weight, has jumped off successfully in each of the past two Grand Nationals before eventually unseating his rider.

Now Berwickshire-based Thomson is hoping a switch to the quieter surrounds of the local point-to-point circuit will light a spark in the 150-rated chaser, who he bought privately from Mullins and owner Paul Byrne last summer, and coax him back to the start line at Aintree on April 5.

Thomson said: “The aim is still to run Mr Incredible in the National. We’re just going via an alternative route to what we’d originally planned.

“With a mark of 150, he’d have top weight in pretty much whatever handicap we enter in.

“Going pointing will be something different for him. Hopefully he’ll enjoy the change, he’ll actually jump off and we can get him back in a better headspace for Aintree.”

Mr Incredible is quoted at between 40-1 and 125-1 by bookmakers for the Aintree showpiece.

Meanwhile, Intense Raffles is likely to be seen over hurdles at Navan next week, as connections continue to plot their course to the  Grand National.

Owned by the ‘double green’ team of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, he was an impressive winner of the Irish Grand National last year, with a tilt at the Merseyside showpiece – and the chance to add his name to the stellar list to complete the Fairyhouse/Aintree double – an obvious main objective for Thomas Gibney-trained seven-year-old this term.

With connections deciding to remain over timber until the weights for the big race are announced on February 11, he reappeared over the smaller obstacles at Navan in December, finishing in mid-division under Bryony Frost.

A best price of 16-1 for National glory behind defending champion I Am Maximus, Intense Raffles will again be seen hurdling for his next outing before a likely National tune-up at the scene of his finest hour in Fairyhouse’s Bobbyjo Chase on February 22.

Gibney said: “He’s getting on good, we’ll make an entry for him at Navan on January 18, it’ll just be your usual 0-140 handicap hurdle.

“Hopefully the road is still leading to Aintree, it’s a long road, but we’re still on it at the minute anyway.

“The plan would definitely be to go back over fences once the weights come out, more than likely it would be the Bobbyjo or something like that.”