Ollie misses National run

Ollie Magern is lame and will not run in the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree on Saturday.

Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies discovered the problem this morning and scratched the 10-year-old from the marathon race. He was to have been ridden by Noel Fehily.

Although the injury is not serious, Ollie Magern is unlikely to run again this season.

“He’s lame. He has had those problems in the past but he had been much sounder this season. Now it’s happened just a few days before the National,” said Twiston-Davies.

“It’s not serious. He’ll be all right but I don’t think we’ll run him until next season now.”

The Naunton-based handler will still have three runners in the big race - Knowhere, Fundamentalist and Naunton Brook.

“All the others will run and Ardaghey will if he gets in. You never know, he might do now,” he added.

Ollie Magern was as big as 100-1 for the National.

The news means that Philson Run is now guaranteed a place in a maximum 40-strong field while Ardaghey is just two away from getting in.

Although the Paul Nicholls-trained Opera Mundi will be declared tomorrow, connections will see how the course rides on the first day of the meeting before making a final decision.

“I’m going up there early in the morning. My plan is to declare the horse. Because of the reserve system that is in place we are not going to inconvenience anybody and we can be absolutely certain we are in the race or out of the race for the right reasons,” said Barry Simpson, racing manager to owner Sir Robert Ogden.

“I’ll probably make the decision after racing tomorrow when I’ve had chance to see how the Grand National course is riding.

“The final decision will lay with Sir Robert. He’s travelling today and is coming back for the meeting, so I can’t speak with him until tomorrow.

“I’m not going to back myself into a corner by making a decision whether to declare him or not at that stage.

“With the reserve system in place it’s fair on everybody to say that my intention is to declare at this moment in time.”

All of Opera Mundi’s four career wins have come on soft or heavy ground.

The top 40 in the handicap following tomorrow morning’s 48-hour final declaration stage are guaranteed a run while the next four will be named as reserves.

A reserve will be able to take the place of a horse declared a non-runner by 9.30am on Friday.