‘Bitter disappointment’ as huge British hope and ‘fantastic’ Grade 1 superstar is ruled out of £1million Grand National
A LEADING British hope in the Grand National and ‘fantastic’ Grade 1 superstar has been ruled out of the £1million race.
There was ‘bitter disappointment’ as Venetia Williams’ awesome chaser L’Homme Presse was pulled.
He was forced to miss the Gold Cup with a small setback picked up on his previous run at Ascot.
And connections have run out of time to get him ready for the world’s most famous race, to be run on Saturday week.
Andy Edwards, who owns the ten-year-old alongside Pam Sharman, Ray Sharman and Peter and Patricia Pink, said: “Sadly L’Homme Presse will not run in the Grand National.
“He is sound and fine, but we just ran out of time. We are bitterly disappointed not to be running next weekend.”
L’Homme Presse was a brilliant winner of the Grade 2 Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham in January.
It was all about the Gold Cup – a race he finished fourth in in 2024 – after that but his season went awry on his next run at Ascot.
Sent off 11-4 for the Grade 1 Ascot Chase under Charlie Deutsch, L’Homme Presse made a bad mistake at the fourth and was pulled up after just the seventh fence of the 2m5f contest – less than halfway round.
That was just his third race of the season and it looks like it could be his last, with the jumps entering its closing few weeks before the Flat takes over.
L’Homme Presse’s exit means the Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero-trained Iroko will lead the British challenge.
The JP McManus-owned seven-year-old is as short as 6-1 joint-fav with some firms, alongside former Irish Grand National winner Intense Raffles.
After him you have to go down to Paul Nicholls’ Coral Gold Cup winner Kandoo Kid, who is a best-price 20-1.
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