Many Clouds to swerve Lexus

Many Clouds is to bypass the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown, trainer Oliver Sherwood has confirmed.

The 2015 Grand National winner produced a superb round of jumping to win the Becher Chase earlier this month and after his impressive win Sherwood had intimated that he would head to Leopardstown for the December 28 feature.

While the horse is in good condition, the trainer is concerned by the prospect of testing and has opted to keep him at home rather than send him to Ireland.

"There is nothing wrong with Many Clouds. If it was genuine decent ground we would have seriously thought about it but I don't want to leave the season behind in one race and the possibility of heavy ground has changed my mind," he explained.

"His trach washes were not 100 per cent. They were 99.9 per cent but when you are taking on the Irish boys in their back garden you need to be 100 per cent. He is not the best of travellers but that is not a reason why you wouldn't go."

Many Clouds will be prepared for the Randox Grand National but he has a number of options before Aintree.

"He will either go for the Peter Marsh at Haydock, Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham or Denman Chase at Newbury," Sherwood confirmed.

"He will probably take the same route as last season which is the Cotswold, then Kelso and then on to Aintree but you have got to have the other races as an insurance policy for the weather.

"The main aim is Aintree in April so we don't want to bottom him out now."

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