Victory in the race went to 33-1 outsider Niche Market, who was followed home by a pair of 50-1 priced runners in the form of Church Island and A New Story.

While bookies were left celebrating after a race that saw the 8/1 favourite Rare Bob finish fourth, the owners of Wichita Lineman and Drumconvis were left mourning after their horses were killed at the 1st and 12th fence respectively.

The death of the two runners added a sombre tone to the day, however, 29 year old conditional jockey, Harry Skelton, was left celebrating his first big race win.

“I followed Ruby  for the first circuit because I figured he’d go the right places and my horse jumped from fence to fence,” Skelton told the Irish Times. “It’s been an unbelievable season for me and having my Dad here makes it a great day.”

Following the shock result at the Aintree Grand National, where 100-1 outsider Mon Mome beat several fancied entries with ease, punters are likely to be wary of how they bet on the Irish National.

There has been much speculation over whether or not Jim Dreaper’s Notre Pere will run in the Irish Grand National, not because the Welsh National winner is regarded as a serious contender, but because as the top weight entry his withdrawal will affect weights throughout the field.

However, whether or not ground conditions are to Dreaper’s liking on National day is unlikely to change the pecking order in the Irish Grand National betting markets, which are headed by William Hill Trophy winner Wichita Lineman at 9/1.

Punters have not been going overboard in their support for any of the horses in the field, with almost a third of the field priced in the 9/1 – 12/1 range.

How the race unfolds is likely to have much to do with ground conditions, and its likely that an entry with an affinity for faster ground will come out on top after the 3 mile plus trip around Fairyhouse.

Dreaper had always suggested that he wouldn’t risk his Welsh National winner over fast ground at Fairyhouse, and that Notre Pere’s participation in the Grand National was subject to the availability of softer ground.

With the promised rain having failed to materialise Dreaper has told At The Races that top weighted Notre Pere will probably be pulled out of the race, resulting in a shuffle on the weights table.

“I’m afraid it is looking pretty unlikely he’ll run at Fairyhouse, the forecast rain hasn’t come, it is good ground and the worrying thing is that it will be dry through to Monday which I would think will rule him out,” Dreaper said.

“He does go on nice ground but it’s just that he is more effective when there is plenty of cut. He’s only eight and I would hope the best is yet to come, so for that reason I don’t think we’ll take a chance.”

“He had a minor problem just before Cheltenham and ever since the day at Chepstow he has had a tiny piece of birch embedded in his stifle area and it just flared up a fortnight before the Gold Cup. He would have had very little chance on that ground anyway.”

McCoy rode Wichita Lineman to victory in the William Hill Chase at Cheltenham a month ago, a performance that saw his odds slashed in the Irish Grand National betting markets, where he is currently co-favourite alongside Emma Jane.

“Wichita Lineman had quite a hard race at Cheltenham but he has also had a pretty quiet season and the intention is to run on Monday,” said McManus’s racing manager, Frank Berry.  “The plan is for Tony to ride and something like yielding to soft ground would be ideal. We wouldn’t want it too quick.”

Meanwhile, Jim Dreaper has confirmed that top-weight Notre Pere is likely to run in the 2009 Irish Grand National, after initial concerns that he might drop out of the race if the ground at Fairyhouse proved to be too hard.

“As long as the ground is safe, that is all I care about and it looks favourable at the moment,” Dreaper said. “He ran last year and he was okay after it. I’ll have a look at the track on Thursday evening but I’m sure it will be fine. The forecast is favourable too so I think there is a real chance he will run.”

Mullins, who is yet to win the race his father Paddy won four times, will put a large group of ten runners through the Tuesday forfeit stage as he looks to up his odds of capturing the €250,000 first prize up for grabs in the Irish Grand National.

“We have 10 in at the moment but Snowy Morning won’t run and Taipans Way might be doubtful. We could keep him for a handicap at Punchestown,”Mullins told the Irish Times.

“But the others like Arbor Supreme, Emma Jane and Ballytrim are all types that need to go that trip. We will see closer to the time but they are all in there.”

Mullins entries include Leinster National winner Emma Jane, JP McManus owned Arbor Supreme, Home Wells, Pomme Tiepy and Ballytrim. Arbor Supreme, Emma Jane and Pomme Tiepy are all priced amongst the favourites for the 2009 Irish Grand National.

Dreaper is looking for soft, safe, ground ahead of the 2009 Irish Grand National and says that recent rain following a dry spell is likely to have softened the ground enough to make the trip suitable for his entry.

Should Notre Pere withdraw from the race, all the other runners in the field will be forced to shuffle up the weights table. Notre Pere is the first top-weighted racehorse in the history of the Irish Grand National not to have to carry a top weight of 12st 12 lbs.

“We’re still very much planning to run – all it has to be for him to run is safe, even though it is not completely ideal,” Dreaper told Setanta Sports.  “All we need is safe ground and, the way the forecast is, I’d say there is every chance that he’d run.”

Dreaper also indicated that he doesn’t fancy his horse’s chances of winning on a right-handed track, but believes that saving Notre Pere for the Punchestown Festival would be pointless due to the firm ground conditions expected for that meeting.

Notre Pere will carry 11st 12lbs at the race to be held at Fairyhouse in the 13th of April. This marks the first time in the history of the Irish Grand National that the top weighted runner will not carry 12st.

“If the horse is right on the day and conditions are right on the day, I would like to think that 2lb might make the difference,” Notre Pere’s trainer, Jim Dreaper, told the Press Association.

“He had a bit of a blip after the (Irish) Hennessy and I was hoping to have him ready for the Gold Cup, but he had a relatively minor setback.”

Dreaper ruled out pulling Notre Pere out of the Irish Grand National in favour of the Scottish National at Ayr. The trainer believes that the firm ground conditions at Ayr would be more detrimental to his horse’s prospects than top weight.

“As long as the ground is yielding at Fairyhouse he would run, in the absence of any other alternatives,” Dreaper concluded.

Amongst the entries is Grand National contender Butler’s Cabin, who won the Irish Grand National in 2007. Butler’s Cabin is one of 19 English raiders entered in Ireland’s most prestigious handicap.

Form English horses on the Irish Grand National card include Wichita Lineman, an impressive winner in the William Hill Trophy at Cheltenham in March.

Wichita Lineman is owned by JP McManus, who has already won the Irish Grand National twice.

“We’ll see what weight he gets and what the ground is like and everything and decide nearer the time,” Frank Berry, the racing manager for McManus, told the Press Association.

“He’s in good form and has come out of Cheltenham very well. He’s not had a lot of racing experience but he keeps improving.”

Ireland’s biggest hope in the Irish Grand National is Noel Meade’s Casey Jones, who bypassed a run at Aintree in the 2009 Grand National in favour of an outing at Fairyhouse. Casey Jones finished 5th in the Royal & Sunalliance Chase at Cheltenham.

“Casey Jones is OK and fine after Cheltenham, where he found the ground a bit tacky,” Meade said. “He is a good ground horse and the distance of the Irish Grand National and good ground would be ideal.

Meade, who won the Irish Grand National with Bunny Boiler in 2002, is hoping that firmer ground at that race will give Casey Jones an opportunity to improve on his subpar performance at the 2009 Cheltenham Festival.

Casey Jones competed in the RSA Chase at Cheltenham, but failed to place in the race despite a strong finish, coming home 5th behind race-winner Cooldine.

“He came home well, Paul (Carberry) said the ground was just too tacky for him and they just got away from him,” Meade was quoted as saying by the Press Association.

“He wants good ground and when he turned on to some good ground up this hill he got going all right but it was just too tacky for him. The Irish National is the plan for him now.” 

Casey Jones will be joined by Charlie Swan’s One Cool Cookie, who is set to travel to the Irish Grand National after winning the Guinness Chase on Tuesday.

“He’ll go now for the Irish Grand National,” Swan said after the race. “He is a grand horse and I wouldn’t mind having a few more like him.”

The race was a massive disappointment for Beef or Salmon, whom some had hoped would be retiring in style with a win at top weight. Instead of a fairytale finish, Beef or Salmon plodded home in last place, and his owners are now proposing a final, final race for the Irish veteran before he goes into retirement in the Spring.

The 2008 Grand National results also did not make for happy reading for English trainers. None of the English runners finished in the frame, with the Outlier and Flintoff being outpaced by their Irish counterparts in the final half of the race.

Meanwhile the brilliant Irish Grand National result for Hear the Echo is likely to signal a bid for entry in the 2009 Grand National at Aintree for the Irish Champion.

The 2008 Irish Grand National results are:

1. Hear the Echo
2. Royal County Star
3. Notre Pere
4. A New Story