Domaine De L'Isle set for National run after De Bromhead rules out Court Maid

Henry de Bromhead, who sent out the 1-2 in the Randox Grand National last year, will have only two runners in the race on Saturday after Court Maid was ruled out before the final declaration stage, with Domaine De L'Isle now set to make the cut for the race.

Minella Times will attempt to emulate Tiger Roll as a back-to-back winner and will be reunited at Aintree with Rachael Blackmore, while 2007-winning jockey Robbie Power will ride Poker Party.

Court Maid was number 23 on the list and generally a 50-1 chance with bookmakers. She was an eight-time winner for Tom Mullins, including the Porterstown Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse in 2020, and was set to make her first start for De Bromhead at Aintree having been bought by the Smurfit family.

De Bromhead told the Racing Post: "Unfortunately, Court Maid is not going to run. I just haven't been 100 per cent happy with her and she won't make it. Poker Party, who will be ridden by Robbie Power, will join Minella Times in the race."

On Tuesday, Gordon Elliott confirmed Death Duty would get a run in the National, with Battleoverdoyen instead running in the Topham and Court Maid's absence will allow the Sean Curran-trained Domaine De L'Isle to get into the Grand National.

In the event of one more withdrawal from the top 40, Eclair Surf will be added to the Grand National field ahead of Fortescue, it was confirmed on Wednesday.

The two horses were allotted the same weight in February and the factor that would normally be used to split them, their latest official rating, is no help as both horses have since been raised 4lb.

A random ballot is used to decide between horses in those circumstances and Weatherbys' communications director, Nick Craven, said it was conducted in February at the time the weights were set, in case it should be needed.

"Between the entries originally being published and the declaration stage, horses with the same weight may have ‘flip-flopped’ during that time," he said.

"In the cases of Eclair Surf and Fortescue, the ratings for both horses have changed in the last few months but they now have the same official rating again – currently 147. So the balloting sequence that resulted in Eclair Surf being above Fortescue still comes into play."

Emma Lavelle, trainer of Eclair Surf, said: "Who knows what will happen. We just have to keep our fingers crossed as to whether we're going to get a run. As much as I hope we get in, he's eight-years-old, so we do have time on our side.

"It just goes to show how unbelievably competitive the race is as off this sort of rating he's struggling to get in. That's how it should be for a race of this value, it should be uber competitive. It'd be great if we get in. If we don't then such is life."

Randox Grand National (Aintree, April 9)

Ladbrokes:7 Snow Leopardess, 8 Delta Work, Any Second Now, 10 Enjoy D'Allen, Escaria Ten, 12 Eclair Surf, 14 Fiddlerontheroof, Minella Times, 16 Burrows Saint, Longhouse Poet, Run Wild Fred, 20 bar

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