Reigning Grand National champion Nick Rockett will not compete in Saturday’s race at Aintree, having been declared a non-runner on Thursday morning.
The nine-year-old, owned by Bradford-based Stewart Andrews, delivered an emotional victory for the father-and-son team of Willie and Patrick Mullins 12 months ago, narrowly beating stablemate I Am Maximus, who is now favourite for this year’s event.
Nick Rockett had only raced once since his triumph, at Down Royal last month.
A last-minute jockey change saw last year’s winning rider switch allegiance to Grangeclare West, with Tom Bellamy receiving a surprise call-up to ride the champion.
However, Bellamy’s brief Grand National dream ended within 24 hours, as Nick Rockett was ruled out of the race after being reported to be coughing.
Consequently, Gordon Elliott’s Pied Piper, the first reserve, will now enter the race.
Nick Rockett’s absence could improve I Am Maximus’s chances even further ahead of his bid to make history on Saturday. The 2024 winner is aiming to emulate the iconic Red Rum this weekend.
No horse since Ginger McCain’s Aintree legend has won the world’s most famous steeplechase, lost the title and then regained it.
Red Rum won in 1973 and 1974 and was second in 1975 and 1976 before bringing the house down with a third victory in 1977.
However, I Am Maximus is unlikely to have things all his own way.
The Rebecca Curtis-trained Haiti Couleurs is another aiming for a slice of history as no horse has won the Welsh and Irish Nationals as well as the Aintree version, while Banbridge, Gerri Colombe, Firefox, Monty’s Star and Oscars Brother enhance Ireland’s traditionally strong hand. The latter is trained by Connor King and will be ridden by his brother, Daniel.
If there are any more non-runners before Saturday’s race, the deadline for reserves to make the final field is 1pm on Friday.
