ARTHUR TO MISS AINTREE TUNE-UP

ONE FOR ARTHUR could be forced to go straight to Aintree for the Randox Health Grand National on April 6 without his planned prep race after becoming the highest profile victim of the restrictions imposed by the BHA for the return of racing after the six- day shut-down caused by equine flu.

The Lucinda Russell-trained 2017 National winner will not be allowed to run in the Haydock Grand National Trial on Saturday because he has not had an equine flu vaccination within the last six months.

The BHA will stage extra races, but Russell fears there will be no alternative prep-race. Her gelding, who was allocated 10st 10lb when the National weights were revealed yesterday, has unseated his jockey on his only two runs this season.

The stables of Tom George, Jonjo O’Neill and Nicky Henderson were also affected. The latter will not be able to run the exciting Santini in Saturday’s Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase at Ascot or Christmas Hurdle winner Verdana Blue in a Flat race at Kempton.

Russell said: ‘ There is a race at Kelso for Arthur at the end of March but we don’t know what the ground will be like by then and that is creeping very close to the National.

‘We may have to go straight there which is not ideal.’

Russell was prevented from making entries at Musselburgh today along with all trainers who had runners at Ayr last week when infected Donald McCain-trained Raise A Spark ran.

Across today’s four cards, 22 entries remained under review and at risk of forced withdrawal.

A BHA spokesman insisted the restrictions were unavoidable: ‘Put simply — without this we would not be racing. It could open the sport up to an unacceptable level of risk.’