Horse racing - Judi Dench's As De Mee pulls out of Grand National

[April 04, 2018]    LONDON (Reuters) - As De Mee, an eight-year-old bay gelding co-owned by Oscar winning actress Judi Dench, has pulled out of next week's Grand National at Aintree due to a minor leg injury.

Actor Judi Dench poses during a red carpet for the movie "Victoria and Abdul" at the 74th Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Italy September 3, 2017. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

The 50-1 chance is trained by Paul Nicholls and has had seven wins in 31 races.

"I've been preparing As De Mee all season with the Grand National in mind," Nicholls told the betfair.com website on Wednesday. "Hopefully he might get there next year if he is back in full training by Christmas."

Dench, who shares ownership with Andy Stewart, bought her stake in the horse in 2014.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Alexander Smith)

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