Welsh National hero Iwilldoit unlikely to run again this term

Welsh Grand National winner Iwilldoit, who provided Sam Thomas with the biggest win of his burgeoning training career, is unlikely to run again this season.

The nine-year-old gained his third victory in four chase starts when beating Highland Hunter in the extended three-and-three-quarter-mile Grade Three marathon at Chepstow over Christmas.

Owned by Diamond Racing, Iwilldoit relished the testing conditions in a race where just five of the 20 starters finished.

However, the nine-length success under Stan Sheppard came at a price, as his exertions took their toll.

Thomas said: “He is OK, but it is probably looking like he won’t run again this season.

“He was very sore after the race – there was nothing seriously wrong, it was just as far as we were concerned it was mission accomplished.

“That was his main target and it could well be that we bring him back and target him for the Welsh National next season, because those are his conditions.

“We will get him back in early and potentially have a prep run over hurdles and, while we still have to have a chat with the owners, it looks likely we won’t be seeing him on the track again this season.

“He is absolutely fine, but we feel that by the time we get him back, his ground will be done.”

Thomas, who hit the heights as a jockey with his fruitful association with Denman, has been in great form of late and secured a big Saturday double at Ascot last weekend, with Good Risk At All and Skytasic.

Of the latter, he said: “He has taken it well. He is absolutely fine. He is the sort of horse that needed a run for experience as much as anything else. We have decided that we will be steering towards Aintree rather than Cheltenham now.”