Russell confirms Myretown not taking up Grand National engagement

There will be no Randox Grand National tilt for Myretown this season, as his team return to the drawing board after a disappointing defence of his Ultima crown at the Cheltenham Festival.

This season has not been a straightforward one for the chaser trained by Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore, having fallen in the Coral Gold Cup on his return to action when favourite.

He was subsequently fourth in the Peter Marsh Chase but pulled up in the Grand National Trial back at Haydock before his Cheltenham run where he had to settle for a finishing position in mid-division.

“I maybe haven’t placed him totally well this season,” explained Russell.

“He didn’t stay at Haydock and I think that took quite a lot out of him and meant he wasn’t at the top of his game when he went to Cheltenham.

“We’ll see how he is and he’s back in training, so he could run again this season. But Cheltenham wasn’t him and is one to put a line through, he just never got to the front and was never travelling like he can do through his races. We just have to rebuild again.

“He’s not going to go to the National, but he might still go to Aintree or somewhere else. We just have to see as we might have overdone it a little bit.”

King Of Answers did run his race at Cheltenham, however, when second in the National Hunt Chase.

She said: “I was absolutely delighted with him and he took a little bit of warming up to his jumping but once he did he jumped really efficiently and really well.

“He was outpaced to start with and stayed on really nicely. He didn’t quite get to the winner but I’m absolutely delighted and he’s owned by a lovely syndicate – for them to have a placed horse at the Cheltenham Festival is super.

“He ran above expectations and it was very pleasing.

“I’m unsure what we do next. I would say he could be a horse for the Scottish National and that is definitely his sort of race, just whether that is this season or next I’m not sure.

“He’s a stayer so we have to be careful we don’t take too much energy out of them, but he’s definitely an exciting horse long-term.”