Timbera is ruled out of National

Bookmakers have been spared a multi-million pound payout on the Martell Grand National after it was announced today that the leading Irish contender Timbera will miss the race.

Last year's Irish National winner had been backed from 33-1 down to 8-1 favourite for Saturday's £600,000 showpiece since the weights were published last month.

Jim Culloty had been booked to take the ride, but alarm bells started ringing loud and clear this morning when the Dessie Hughes-trained gelding started to drift alarmingly on betting exchanges like Betfair.

Some layers were prepared to offer massive prices about the 10-year-old as rumours about his well-being began to circulate, but the gelding was withdrawn from Betfair's market after Hughes announced that he was unfit to make the trip to Aintree late this morning.

"We thought he was a bit quiet yesterday, so we scoped him this morning and the results came up dirty," he said.

"It seems he has a lung infection, which means he won't be running now."

Ladbrokes spokesman, Balthazar Fabricius, said: "Timbera was a loser for £150,000 in our ante-post book, but Joss Naylor would cost us at least £500,000."