David Pipe says he is assessing Vieux Lion Rouge’s best options for a warm-up run ahead of a potential run in the Grand National.
The eight-year-old finished seventh in the 2016 edition of the world famous Grade Three Handicap and made a successful return to the Merseyside track to win December’s Becher Chase.
Connections are now eyeing a second shot at the National and with the Becher his only outing to date this season, Pipe is planning to give his charge one more run before April.
The Nicholashayne handler says he will decide on his charge’s destination once the weights are released, as he wants to give him every chance of gaining an entry.
Pipe said: “He will probably have one run before Aintree. I don’t think he will run before the weights come out. He will still be borderline to get into the race.
“He is rated 146 but in all these handicaps the bottom mark is going up, whether it is Cheltenham or Aintree.
“He seems to be finishing his races better of late as he has not always finished his races that well. He really saw it out well in the Becher. He is definitely getting stronger.
“He jumps them (Aintree fences) better than park fences. When we bought him as an unraced three-year-old I didn’t think he would be running in the Grand National, but these things happen, thank goodness.”
