Gavin Cromwell’s Gold Cup hero will not run at Aintree next month
Gavin Cromwell's Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Inothewayurthinkin will not contest the Randox Grand National at Aintree next month after being scratched from the world's most famous steeplechase this afternoon.
The improving seven-year-old chaser was one of the stories of the week when dethroning two-time Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs at Cheltenham last Friday, a performance which saw his Aintree Grand National odds slashed to as short as 5/2 in the aftermath.
However, alongside leading owner JP McManus, Cromwell has decided to skip the Grand National with the Punchestown Gold Cup three weeks later now a more likely option.
Speaking to the Racing Post, Cromwell said: "We've decided to take Inothewayurthinkin out of the Grand National. 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."
Inothewayurthinkin was one of eleven horses taken out at the latest scratching stages, with stablemate Limerick Lace, who also sports the McManus green and gold hooped silks, also removed.
The Real Whacker, Monty's Star and Gentlemansgame, who all finished behind Inothewayurthinkin in last week's Cheltenham Gold Cup, have also been taken out. Other notable absentees include the Gordon Elliott-trained Galvin and Henry De Bromhead's Envoi Allen.
The removal of Inothewayurthinkin has seen last year's Irish Grand National winner Intense Raffles jump to the head of the ante-post market at 6/1, while JP McManus still looks set to be strongly represented by the well-fancied duo Iroko and reigning champion I Am Maximus. Similar comments apply to Gavin Cromwell, who looks likely to field his Cheltenham cross-country first and third Stumptown and Vanillier.
