Iwilldoit set to miss Ascot and Grand National as clock ticks down to eligibility deadline

This year’s Randox Grand National has been ruled out for Iwilldoit even if he secures late qualification for the race by running at Ascot on Saturday.

Connections of Iwilldoit have lamented the qualifying criteria for the National, with last month’s Classic Chase winner needing one more run over fences before the end of the weekend to have contested the required six chases in order to compete at Aintree.

Iwilldoit was unable to run at Newbury last weekend due to the good going and the same scenario is predicted to unfold this week despite his entry in the LK Bennett Swinley Handicap Chase.

The going at Ascot is described as good with watering taking place and minimal rain forecast before the weekend. 

Iwilldoit’s trainer Sam Thomas said: “We stuck him in at the weekend in case there was rain, but it’s very doubtful he’ll run as the ground has gone.

“He won’t be running in the Grand National this year anyway. It’ll be more for next season.”

The founder of the syndicate that owns Iwilldoit called last week for a review of the qualifying criteria horses have to pass to be eligible for the National.

Chris Morgan, who runs Diamond Racing, pointed to Iwilldoit’s record of four wins from five starts over fences, including the Welsh Grand National, Classic Chase and Welsh Grand National Trial, as evidence that he would be a suitable horse for the Aintree contest.

“He’s run in five chases and won four of them and it seems strange that he has to run in another one to qualify. Possibly they should look at the type of chases a horse wins, whether it’s a Graded or Class 2 race,” he said. “At the same time, you can understand why there is that mark as the Grand National is so testing on a horse.”

The absence of Iwilldoit will further weaken the British challenge for its most famous race. Only 31 of the 85 horses entered for this year’s National are trained in Britain and four of the top five in the betting are in Irish yards.

Those include last year’s winner Noble Yeats, whose success for trainer Emmet Mullins made it five wins for Ireland in the last six editions.

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