Auroras Encore given Boxing Day Wetherby target
Grand National hero Auroras Encore will make his return to action in the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase at Wetherby.
Last Updated: 12/12/13 1:24pm
The £40,000 William Hill-sponsored event is run over three miles, one furlong and is the highlight of Wetherby's two-day Yorkshire Winter Festival on Boxing Day, Thursday December 26.
Trained not far from the West Yorkshire venue by Sue Smith at Bingley, the 11-year-old has not been seen since pulling up in the Scottish Grand National at Ayr in April, just 14 days after his surprise success at Aintree.
Smith reports: "All being well, Auroras Encore will start off in the William Hill Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase.
"We had hoped to have him out earlier, but the ground went against us so we just left him be.
"He is in very good form at the moment though, but it will be his first run of the season and it's difficult to know what to expect."