'The Gold Cup looks like great form' - Sean Bowen happy with Noble Yeats' Aintree preparation

Noble Yeats and Sean Bowen land the M W Hickey Memorial Chase at Wexford

Noble Yeats: finished a staying-on fourth in the Gold Cup last FridayCredit: Patrick McCann

Sean Bowen was pleased with Noble Yeats' staying-on fourth in the Gold Cup last week and believes it can be considered a great piece of form as he prepares to ride the Randox Grand National defending champion at Aintree next month.

The Emmet Mullins-trained eight-year-old is no bigger than 9-1 to repeat last season's heroics despite a 19lb rise in the weights this time. He got outpaced in the Gold Cup last week, but kept on admirably up the straight to snatch fourth from Protektorat and was only a length and a quarter off third-placed Conflated at the line.

Bowen believes Noble Yeats showed enough to suggest he heads Aintree in rude health, and said: "It was a great run. He was a bit outclassed in the Gold Cup and was flat out, but he kept going well.

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James StevensWest Country correspondent

Published on 21 March 2023inGrand National festival

Last updated 18:59, 21 March 2023

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