Festival winner L’Homme Presse not ruled out of Aintree action

L’Homme Presse needs plenty to go his way if he is to line up in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree on Friday but hasn’t been ruled out of the race at this stage.

The Venetia Williams-trained seven-year-old produced one of the finest displays of jumping ever witnessed at Cheltenham when landing the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase in deep ground last month.

Co-owner Andy Edwards, who bought the horse from France, is not ruling out the possibility of dropping the spectacular jumper back in trip to tackle the two miles and one furlong Mildmay Novices’ Chase.

Edwards said: “We are leaving the door ajar, because he is very well. I saw him yesterday and he is very well in himself and if he goes anywhere, it will be Aintree next week.

“The door is ajar, it is not wide open. There will have to be a lot of ‘ifs’ that come into play for him to actually run.

“It has got to rain – we need plenty of liquid sunshine – and the entries would have to cut up a little bit, so we will have a look and take a view.

“The trouble is, the Mildmay is a very tight track and it is not a big, galloping track. It would not be perfectly ideal, so the ground would have to be very ideal for him to go there.

“He is very bright-eyed, he was standing very tall and proud, as he should be, so everything is good.

“It is funny how suddenly they know how good they are.”

Edwards will likely still have a runner in a Grade One contest at the Liverpool track next week, however.

He revealed: “Fingers crossed, Fautinette will be running in the Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle on Thursday.

“She ran three times in France for me last year as a four-year-old and she is with Venetia as well.

“The entry has gone in. It is her first time out since running last May and she is in a Grade One, so it will be very difficult for her. But she is very well and she deserves her chance.”