Horse-of-a-lifetime Flooring Porter’s campaign towards the 2025 Grand National is over after he picked up an injury.
The dual Cheltenham Festival winner announced his candidacy for the £1 million race last month when he produced a breathtaking performance to win the Kerry National.
The nine-year-old originally cost his four owners just £4,300 in 2018 and his earnings on the track have soared past £750,000, helped by two victories in the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.
His trainer Gavin Cromwell was in the process of mapping out a campaign to get him to Aintree in April in the best possible shape to challenge for the world famous race.
But Cromwell announced through his William Hill blog that he was not going to be able to execute those plans.
“Unfortunately, it looks as though Flooring Porter will be out for the season,” he said.
“He’s picked up an injury and his return date suggests he’ll most likely miss the rest of this campaign.
“The timing of it means it’s unlikely he will be able to make it back for the big meetings in the spring, so it’s in the best interest of the horse to give him all the time he needs to recover.
“He’s been a real star for us so far so it’s really unfortunate that we won’t be able to see him again this term. He’s given connections some amazing days up until now and hopefully there will be many more of those to come.”
Cromwell also provided an update on upcoming targets for other members of his team from which he could have another contender for the Grand National in Limerick Lace.
He added: “Our star mare last season was Limerick Lace and she finished off her campaign with a valiant effort in the Grand National. She came out of the race, and the season as a whole, well and really earned her summer break.
"Her main target will be the John Durkan at Punchestown later this month, but she also holds an entry in the Betfair Chase at Haydock, although connections already have Corbetts Cross entered there.
“The Mares’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival will be her main target for the season, then with all being well she could potentially go to the Grand National again.
“Another we have entered in the John Durkan is Inothewayurthinkin, and he’s also another that will need a bit of rain before he gets a run.
“His end goals will all depend on how the season unfolds. His name has been thrown into the ring for the Gold Cup but it’s a big step up to go from your novice year to being up against the big boys.
"The John Durkan will likely be his first step and we’ll have a fair idea of what his level is after that. His jumping will need to sharpen up, so we’ll see how that progresses."