RACING:TOM TAAFFE hopes to write another chapter in his own Ladbrokes Irish Grand National story when Ninetieth Minute lines up in the Fairyhouse Easter Monday highlight next week.

It is 25 years since Taaffe rode Brittany Boy to Irish National success and he now hopes to do the same as a trainer, a double that even his legendary father Pat couldn’t pull off.

The man whose record six Irish National victories as a jockey included Arkle in 1964 never managed to train the big-race winner at Fairyhouse.

The National famously contains more than its fair share of famous family successes over the years and despite having raced only four times to date over fences, Ninetieth Minute is rated a general 12/1 shot to pull off another one.

The former Coral Cup winner won at the Ratoath track by 18 lengths on his previous start and will be ridden by big-race specialist Andrew Lynch.

“Having ridden an Irish National winner, I’d love to train one. The National is one of the pinnacles of Irish racing. Anyone would like it on their CV and it’s the obvious place for this horse to go.

“Ideally you’d like a horse to have a little more experience going into a race like this but novices have a particularly good record in the National and he has jumped well around there more than once,” Taaffe said yesterday.

Ninetieth Minute could be the first leg of a remarkable double for the Straffan trainer as he also intends to saddle Treacle in the following Saturday’s Aintree Grand National.

Andrew Lynch will also team up with the former Munster National winner who put up a fine effort when third to Quel Esprit in February’s Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown.

“Everything is good with him. Ideally for both Treacle and Ninetieth Minute, I’d like good jumping ground. Certainly not heavy at either Fairyhouse or Aintree,” said Taaffe, who also has Smoking Aces in both. “He won’t get into Fairyhouse. But there’s an outside chance he could get in at Aintree if the numbers fall away. If they do, he’ll run.”

Treacle is as low as 14/1 in ante-post betting for Aintree.

JP McManus continues to dominate the top of the Irish National betting with Groody Hill currently an 8/1 market leader for the €250,000 feature. McManus has a long list of other possibles for Fairyhouse that also include the Kim Muir winner Alfie Sherrin, who is to travel from Jonjo O’Neill’s yard.

O’Neill supplied McManus’s last winner of the big race, Butler’s Cabin, in 2007.

Fairyhouse’s Easter festival begins on Sunday with the €90,000 Powers Gold Cup topping the Day One bill.

There are 16 possibles for the Grade One event including the Leopardstown Arkle winner Flemenstar, who represents colourful Dublin trainer Peter Casey.

Champion trainer Willie Mullins has four entrants headed by RSA third Call The Police while Rathlin looks to be leading the Gigginstown assault.