'He's still not right' - Jonjo O'Neill in race to get Monbeg Genius fit for Grand National

Leading Grand National candidate Monbeg Genius was ruled out of his second target in three weeks on Thursday and faces a race against time to make Aintree.

The Coral Gold Cup third was favourite for the Welsh Grand National last month only to be pulled out at the five-day confirmation stage. Nor was he declared for Saturday's £100,000 Wigley Group Classic Chase at Warwick, for which he had been 4-1 favourite with Coral.

"He doesn't run on Saturday," trainer Jonjo O'Neill said. "He's still not right, he's not recovered. He'll be all right but I don't know when he'll be able to run. He hasn't done any work, so he'll not be running for a little while, I'd say."

Monbeg Genius finished third behind Corach Rambler in the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham last March and is 14-1 co-favourite for the National alongside that horse and Gaillard Du Mesnil with Paddy Power.

"He still could be a Grand National horse, that's a few months away," O'Neill said. "It's still in the back of our minds but he needs to come right first. There's no point running if they're not right.

"He'll have to run before then and he needs to win one to get into the race, the field has come down now. But if we can't go there, he could go for the Scottish National or the Midlands. He's a horse for those races, fingers crossed."

Randox Grand National (Aintree, April 13)

Paddy Power: 14 Corach Rambler, Gaillard Du Mesnil, Monbeg Genius, 16 Mahler Mission, 20 bar

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