The 2013 Grand National hero Auroras Encore is set to make his seasonal reappearance in the £40,000 William Hill Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase over three miles and a furlong, the highlight of Wetherby's two-day William Hill Yorkshire Winter Festival on Boxing Day, Thursday, December 26.
Trained not far from Wetherby at Bingley by Sue Smith, the 11-year-old has not been seen out since pulling up in the Scottish Grand National at Ayr on April 20, just 14 days after his thrilling nine-length success at Aintree where he was the shock 66/1 scorer.
Smith reported: "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."
The William Hill Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase boasts a tremendous roll of honour, featuring the subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup winners Forgive 'N Forget (1984) and The Thinker (1986). The last two renewals have gone to horses from the yard of Malton handler Malcolm Jefferson, with According To Pete winning in 2011 and Cape Tribulation triumphant 12 months ago.
A six-race programme at Wetherby on Boxing Day gets underway at 12.45pm and runs through to 3.25pm, with all races sponsored for the first time by William Hill.
The same sponsor also backs all six races on Friday, December 27 when the highlight is the £20,000 William Hill Castleford Handicap Chase over two miles.
Jennie Prest, William Hill Racing Sponsorship Manager, said: "We are delighted to be working with Wetherby racecourse for the first time and our sponsorship of the William Hill Yorkshire Winter Festival complements our sponsorship at Kempton over the same two days, giving us terrific presence in both the north and south of the country.
"The meeting is an immensely popular fixture in the calendar and always draws an enthusiastic racing crowd, so we are very much looking forward to both days."
Gates open at 10.00am on both days of the William Hill Yorkshire Winter Festival, with complimentary mince pies and mulled wine on offer for the early arrivals. Tickets can be purchased online at www.wetherbyracing.co.uk. There is free entry for accompanied children aged 17 and under.
Eight-time course winner and local favourite Mister McGoldrick will be in attendance on Boxing Day as part of a display from New Beginnings, the Yorkshire-based enterprise that provides a safe, secure and supportive environment for retired racehorses.
The William Hill Yorkshire Winter Festival at Wetherby forms part of the wider Go Racing In Yorkshire Winter Festival, which continues at Catterick on Saturday, December 28 and Doncaster on Sunday, December 29. This four-day jumping extravaganza takes place for the first time in 2013 and follows on from the Go Racing In Yorkshire Summer Festival which has been held very successfully for the past six years.
A racecard competition with the prize of a two-night stay in the Crown Hotel at Bawtry will run over the course of the Go Racing In Yorkshire Winter Festival, while the most successful trainer and jockey over the four days will each win an overnight stay at the Raithwaite Estate, the luxury country retreat situated close to Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast.
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