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Owner/trainer Robert Waley-Cohen is hoping to get some match practice into Long Run ahead of the £1-million Crabbie's Grand National at Aintree on Saturday, April 9.
The 11-year-old has not run since coming ninth in the 2014 Grand Steeple-Chase De Paris at Auteuil, France, when trained by Nicky Henderson. He enjoyed a distinguished career for the Lambourn handler, winning two King George VI Chases and the 2011 Cheltenham Gold Cup in which he beat Denman and Kauto Star.
Long Run tackled the Aintree spectacular under 11st 9lb in 2014 and was running a good race until falling at the ninth fence. He has been allotted 10st 8lb this time around.
Waley-Cohen, who trains on the Warwickshire/Oxfordshire border, commented: "Long Run is cantering away and seems in great form. We want to get one run into him before Aintree as you can't really expect to go for a race like that having not run for two years.
"I have got a couple of hunter chases pencilled in and I would hope he will have a nice experience and come back all fired up for the National. It is going to be tight timewise but it is certainly not out of the question.
"It is quite hard to evaluate the weight he has been given but I thought the handicapper showed very good judgement. It may prove to be generous or it may to be harsh but until he runs again it is hard to tell.
"I thought he was going brilliantly two years ago before he fell. We have done a lot of work with his jumping and if we can get him there in good order, I think he would take to it and run well."
Waley-Cohen, who is Chairman of Cheltenham Racecourse, trains a few horses as a permit holder. His son and amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen has enjoyed six victories over the famous Grand National fences, including three successes in the Crabbie's Fox Hunters' Chase on Katarino (2005 & 2006) and Warne (2014). He has also registered two wins in the Crabbie's Topham Chase aboard Liberthine (2006) and Rajdhani Express (2015). The closest he has come to winning the Crabbie's Grand National in six rides was in 2011 when he was runner-up on Oscar Time, owned by his father and trained in Ireland by Martin Lynch. The same horse went on to land the Betfred Becher Chase over the course in 2014.
Long Run is a 40/1 chance with Betfred, official betting partner of the Crabbie's Grand National Festival.
The world's greatest chase, which takes place over 30 fences and four miles, two furlongs and 74 yards, has new off time of 5.15pm.
