Val Dancer: Welsh Grand National winner ruled out of Midlands National

After all the drama of a sold-out final day at Cheltenham, Uttoxeter takes centre stage on Saturday for the 54th running of the Midlands Grand National.

Several Midlands-trained horses are well fancied among the 17 contenders.

But Shropshire’s Val Dancer, trained by Mel Rowley at Morville, was a late withdrawal.

The Rowleys had been looking to add to his memorable Welsh Grand National success in the fog at Chepstow in late December, after which he also ran well in the Grand National Trial at Haydock Park in February. But there were doubts about the ground drying up – and the horse was pulled out, having ‘not eaten up’.

The favourite looks like being Knockanore, trained by Ryan Potter at Ross-on-Wye on the Herefordshire/Wales border.

Also expected to run well over the 25-fence 4m 2f course is another Herefordshire horse, Tanganyika, trained by Venetia Williams.

Another former Grand National winning trainer Lucinda Russell sends Apple Away down from Scotland.

The Midlands’ top trainer Dan Skelton – still clear in this year’s trainers championship – has Galia Des Liteaux, ridden by younger brother Harry.

Ireland’s Gordon Elliott, who had to wait until the final race of the meeting for his first Cheltenham Festival winner this year, has two entries – the well-backed Fortunedefortunata and outsider Where It All Began.

Last year’s winner, the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Beauport, is entered for this year’s Grand National at Aintree in three weeks’ time on 5 April.