IROKO : GRAND NATIONAL FAVOURITE WILL NOT BE GOING TO KELSO ON SATURDAY.
Randox Grand National favourite Iroko will not take the same route he did to Aintree last season after he was not declared to run in Saturday’s bet365 Premier Chase (1.40) at Kelso.
The Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerreiro-trained eight-year-old is the 6-1 favourite to win the National, having finished fourth in it when sent off the 13-2 favourite last year. He warmed up for Aintree when runner-up in the Premier Chase 12 months ago.
However, he will not have the same preparation this time after he was not among the final field of four for the 2m7½f contest.
Owned by JP McManus, Iroko has run twice this season, finishing runner-up to subsequent King George VI Chase winner The Jukebox Man at Haydock before landing a graduation chase at Ascot in December for his first win in over two years.
Iroko does hold an entry in the Ultima Handicap Chase (3.20) at next month’s Cheltenham Festival, which he is 10-1 for. He is a previous winner at jump racing’s showpiece meeting, having landed the 2023 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.
Just four horses have been declared for the Premier Chase, with Protektorat set to be the red-hot favourite for Dan Skelton.
Another significant absentee on the Kelso card was I Started A Joke. Trained by Charles Byrnes, he had been the favourite for the bet365 Morebattle Hurdle (2.55).
You've got to accentuate the positive.
Eliminate the negative.
Latch on to the affirmative.
Don't mess with mister in between.