Medical checks ordered on Grand National hero One For Arthur

One For Arthur is to have his back and hip area examined in case the Grand National winner of 2017 is suffering any kind of pain or discomfort that might have contributed to his defeat at Haydock on Saturday. The 10-year-old jumped slightly to his left at some fences and has now unseated his jockey in both races since making his comeback from injury this winter, leaving connections keen to see a better run from him before he returns to Aintree for this year’s National on 6 April.

“If he’d got a big jump at the fence where he unseated, he probably would have run on and got placed and we’d all be very happy,” said Lucinda Russell, his trainer, on Sunday. “My only slight niggle was the fact he was jumping left. We’ll definitely get that looked at.

“If there wasn’t a physical problem before the race, there might be one now. We’ll get the vets and the physios to check out his sacroiliac and see how that is, check out his back in his box and of course keep an eye on his front legs. From what we’ve seen this morning, they seem OK.”

READ MORE: Altior cruises to Clarence House Chase win at Ascot

READ MORE: Jockeys’ chief urges more drug testing

READ MORE: Ok Corral jumps to head of National Hunt Chase market

Russell was travelling to Sunday’s race meeting at Ayr with her partner, the former champion jockey Peter Scudamore, who is more sanguine about the horse’s jumping. “He jumped left at Aintree [in the Grand National] at a couple of fences and in the Becher Chase. So it’s always been there.”

Scudamore feels the horse will be fitter for taking part in Saturday’s Peter Marsh Chase, for all that it did not end ideally. “I watched him when he came in afterwards, he was on his toes, he was sweating up a bit. He needed to tighten up. We kept thinking how fit he was but he did need to tighten up.”

Russell and Scudamore will now consider two possible targets on One For Arthur’s route back to Liverpool. He could race at Kelso on Valentine’s Day next month or return to Haydock for the Grand National Trial two days later.

Whenever he next runs, punters will see two “U”s next to his name, representing the mistakes he has made so far this season. “From our point of view, I wish they weren’t there,” Scudamore said. “But the disaster would have been if he’d finished fourth and got a leg yesterday.

“It’s just trials and tribulations, isn’t it? Just another glorious chapter for the next book. I’m not saying we take it well. You’ve got to dust yourselves down and get on with it. We’re still in there fighting and, while we are, we’ve got a chance.”

One bookmaker evidently took a dim view of One For Arthur’s effort at Haydock, pushing him out to 40-1 for the Grand National while most firms offer 25-1.