Red Marauder is to give Cheltenham a miss and will now go straight for the Martell Grand National next month.
Owned and trained under permit by Norman Mason, Red Marauder lost his unbeaten record over fences last time out in the Racing Post Chase at Kempton.
He finished sixth, beaten 47 lengths by the winner Gloria Victis. Stable jockey and assistant trainer Richard Guest said today: "Aintree has always been the main target for him and we want him 100 per cent on National day."
Red Marauder would have been a fancied contender for the William Hill National Hunt Handicap Chase at the Festival.
"He has come out of that last race all right and he is bright and in good form. With hindsight I don't suppose the Kempton race wasn't a bad National trial. It was his first really competitive race over fences and I don't think he was absolutely firing on the day," Guest went on.
"We will enter him in other races in case the ground is not right at Aintree but that is definitely the one we want to go for."
