Nick Rockett not certain to make Cheltenham – and needs to run before Aintree

Grand National hero Nick Rockett has endured an interrupted preparation for his seasonal debut and may not be fit to take up his Cheltenham Gold Cup entry.

He provided connections with an unforgettable day when winning the Aintree marathon last April for the father and son team of Willie and Patrick Mullins, with the victory made even more poignant as the horse is named after a late friend of owner Stewart Andrew.

The nine-year-old has not been seen since and while he holds entries for both the Gold Cup and the National, it will be a race against the clock to ready him for Cheltenham as a string of minor setbacks have marred his training this season.

“I want to run him in the Gold Cup, but I’m not sure Nick’s the way I want him at the moment,” said Mullins.

“I don’t want to rush him, but if I can get him there then I will. He’s not even qualified for the National yet this year. I’ll do whatever I can.”

Grand National eligibility requirements require horses to have run at least once over fences during the current season, meaning if the Cheltenham Festival is out of the equation then another qualifying run will have to be undertaken.

Mullins said “The owner would love to run at Cheltenham and I would too, but whether I have him ready is another matter.

“As soon as I can get him on the racetrack, I will, but things just aren’t going well now.

“He rode out this (Wednesday) morning and was fine, but I need him to go out every day and he’s just had little niggles.

“At the moment it looks like Aintree, he’s just not been right this year.”