One of the highly favored horses in training will be absent from the £1m Grand National, diminishing the chances of a British victory. L’Homme Presse, trained by Venetia Williams, has an impressive track record with nine wins, eight of which were over fences, including a notable victory at the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase during the 2022 Cheltenham Festival.
Despite finishing fourth in last year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup, L’Homme Presse was gearing up for another shot at the title following a recent triumph in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham in January. However, a setback occurred during his final warm-up race at the Betfair Ascot Chase, leading to his withdrawal from the Gold Cup due to training issues. Williams informed the Racing Post that they had encountered a minor problem in the past two days, forcing them to skip Cheltenham and focus on Aintree instead.
As the second highest rated British contender in the Grand National lineup, behind stablemate Royale Pagaille, hopes were high for L’Homme Presse. Nevertheless, co-owner Andy Edwards announced that they had reluctantly decided to withdraw from the upcoming race due to time constraints.
Expressing disappointment, Andy Edwards, along with co-owners Pam Sharman, Ray Sharman, and Peter and Patricia Pink, confirmed that L’Homme Presse would not participate in the Grand National despite being in good health. The horse had demonstrated his prowess as a top staying chaser, securing a third-place finish in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
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