LEADING Randox Health Grand National contender Auvergnat will be taken out of the Aintree spectacular at the next forfeit stage, trainer Enda Bolger has announced.
The JP McManus-owned nine-year-old was last seen winning the valuable Paddy Power Handicap Chase off a mark of 131 at Leopardstown on December 27th, after which he went up 12lb officially in Ireland to a figure of 143.
However, his weight of 10st 8lb in the National equates to a rating of 152.
Bolger told Press Association Sport: “We want to let ante-post punters know that Auvergnat will be taken out of the Grand National at the next available stage.
“I find it puzzling how wrongly handicapped he is compared to the other Irish horses.”
Auvergnat had been a general 33/1 chance for Aintree on April 6th.
He is set to run next in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
British Horseracing Authority handicapper Martin Greenwood had said at Tuesday’s unveiling of the Aintree weights: “I found Auvergnat of Enda Bolger’s hard to weigh up.
“He has a lot of cross-country form and he was the hardest one I had to deal with.”