Pineau De Re sticking to hurdles before National defence

Pineau De Re will not run over fences again before he defends his crown in the Crabbie’s Grand National next April.

Dr Richard Newland’s 11-year-old was a 25-1 winner of the world’s most famous steeplechase at Aintree last spring and his entire campaign is unsurprisingly being geared around a return to Merseyside.

The veteran finished tailed off on his seasonal reappearance over hurdles at Cheltenham last month, but Newland is confident his charge will bounce back in due course.