ENORMOUS Cheltenham Festival winner Topofthegame has returned to training – and is a 50-1 chance to win the Grand National.
Paul Nicholls confirmed his 2019 RSA winner was back at it when he posted a photo of the ten-year-old on Wednesday.
The 13-time champion trainer uploaded a snap of the star apparently schooling and wrote: "Topofthegame first ridden."
William Hill immediately offered odds on the Chris Giles and Paul Barber-owned hero.
They made him 50-1 to win the King George on Boxing Day and 50-1 to win April's Grand National.
While they priced him up a 66-1 shot to return to the scene of his greatest triumph and capture next March's Gold Cup.
Topofthegame has been out of action since April 5 2019 when he finished runner-up to Lostintranslation in the Betway Mildmay Novices' Chase at Aintree.
Prior to that the brute – who stands a whopping 17.2 hands – beat Santini under Harry Cobden in the RSA.
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That win broke a sequence of three second-place finishes which extended back to Cheltenham the previous year when he was runner-up to Bleu Berry in the Coral Cup.
Topofthegame ran 11 times in all, winning three races and picking up more than £240,000 in earnings for connections.
Prior to his Cheltenham success, the horse's last victory before that was in the Grade 3 Betfred Heroes Handicap Hurdle in February 2018.
Punters were delighted to see Topofthegame – who has been sidelined since picking up a leg injury – back in action.
One said: "Would make my year to see him back in action so can only imagine the buzz down there to have him back and being ridden.
"Pray that he stays sound and can show he's still a star."
Another wrote: "Good luck – be ace to see him again on the track."
One fan said: "Really hope to see this lad on the racecourse again. Proper horse."
While one comment read: "Amazing to see."
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