HUGE Grand National favourite Inothewayurthinkin is OUT of this year’s £1million Aintree race.
The 3-1 Gavin Cromwell-trained superstar will not run with the contest coming just three weeks after his awesome Gold Cup triumph.
ReutersGold Cup hero Inothewayurthinkin is out of the Grand National despite being 3-1 fav[/caption]
ReutersTrainer Gavin Cromwell, left, and owner JP McManus, centre, decided to pull the huge fav from the world’s most famous race[/caption]
Inothewayurthinkin was being lined up for a shot at history, with Golden Miller the only horse ever to complete the Gold Cup-Grand National double in 1934.
But his removal from the race at today’s scratching stage paves the way for Inothewayurthinkin to run at the Punchestown Festival at the end of next month instead, in their feature Gold Cup.
Punters have seen tens of thousands go up in flames with the news the horse will not run.
They had been piling into the champion seven-year-old even before he won the sport’s most prestigious race last Friday.
Owner JP McManus previously attempted the audacious double in 2012 when he ran Synchronised at Aintree a few weeks after landing the Gold Cup.
But that horse suffered a fatal injury during the National – and perhaps that was a factor in the billionaire racing supremo’s decision-making this time.
On official ratings Inothewayurthinkin would be a stone ‘well-in’ at Aintree – meaning he is 14lbs better now than when the weights were released.
And the way he powered through the line over 3m2f at Cheltenham – up the hill which finishes so many brave horses – suggested 4m2f at Aintree would pose no problem.
But instead now the defence of his Gold Cup crown looks the No1 aim for racing’s newest star – who sent a poor vet flying moments after his big win with a hellacious kick.
Cromwell told the Racing Post: “We’ve decided to take Inothewayurthinkin out of the Grand National.
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“He’s only seven and we’ve worked so hard on his jumping this season that we feel it just might be a backward step to run him at Aintree.
“We’re absolutely delighted to win a Gold Cup and it might be asking a bit much of him to try to win a Grand National as well at the age of seven.
“He came out of the Gold Cup in great shape and he has the option of running in the Punchestown Gold Cup at the end of April.
“We’ll see how he is over the next few weeks before making a decision on that, but he won’t be running in the Grand National anyway.
“We feel it’s the best thing to do by the horse. As I said, we’re delighted to win a Gold Cup. It’s a day we’ll never forget.”
McManus, who won the race last year with I Am Maximus, still has a stranglehold on the National.
He has second-fav Iroko, third-fav I Am Maximus and the Cromwell-trained handicap specialist Perceval Legallois.
While Willie Mullins has already highlighted JP’s Meetingofthewaters as the one his eye was drawn too when the weights were released.
Last year’s Irish Grand National winner Intense Raffles is the 6-1 favourite.
He will attempt to take the same route to victory as I Am Maximus, having already won last season’s Irish Grand National.
Grand National odds via Paddy Power
6-1 Intense Raffles
7 Iroko
8 I Am Maximus
10 Stumptown
12 Vanillier
14 Perceval Legallois
16 Nick Rockett
20 Kandoo Kid, Meetingofthewaters
25 Hewick, Hyland
28 Grangeclare West
33 Minella Cocooner, Monty’s Star, Three Card Brag, Yeah Man
40 Beauport, Bravemansgame, Broadway Boy, Monbeg Genius, Mr Vango
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