Tag Archive for: Scottish Grand National

Monday Musings: What Went Wrong?

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What went wrong, Willie? Okay, so you got the 1-2-7 in the Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr, but what happened to the 3-5, especially when you had an extra runner compared to the five in the Randox Grand National at Aintree the previous weekend, writes Tony Stafford.

“I can tell you”, he might say. “One got carried out and the other two, including last year’s winner, MacDermott, pulled up”. Sadly, it was later reported that McDermott had to be put down due to an injury sustained in the race.

It left the Irishman trailing Dan Skelton by £1,581 in the race for the 2024-25 UK trainers’ title. The winner, Captain Cody, is by flat-race stayer Arctic Cosmos, out of the mare Fromthecloudsabove and that was a fair description of how Harry Cobden delivered him from right out the back to foil Klarc Kent, so not quite the Superman, with a flying finish at the end of four miles, if you don’t mind. Cobden must wish he got a few more rides for the Irishman.

Willie has sent 124 individual horses to the UK this season and 27 of them have won 31 races. With place money he has earned £3,102,994 at 19%. Dan Skelton has run exactly twice as many, 248 for 163 wins at very close to the same strike rate (18%) for £3,104,425 after a treble at Ayr on Friday.

Last year, in what now looks sure to be a similar outcome between the two powerhouses, Mullins dominated Sandown’s final day leaving him with £3,326,135 for the season. Skelton, for all his herculean efforts, was marooned (rather unfair to use that word in the circumstances) on £2,983,657 for 121 victories. He’s already exceeded those figures and has 25 entered for Cheltenham’s meeting this week which has £120k in win money on offer, and Thursday is even more potentially lucrative with almost £160k in winner’s cash to be divvied up.

Mullins has 16 in at Cheltenham and in a final day onslaught has 17 in the early-closing races at Sandown on Saturday week compared with Dan’s four. Tough? Like scaling Everest without oxygen!

The rise of the Skelton yard has been remarkable. Minutely master-minded by Nick Skelton, father of Dan and jockey Harry, it can only continue to thrive. Harry is a former champion jockey and winner of the recent half a million pot for big-race points. Nick is an Olympic Gold medal winner from London 2012 but a top international show jumper for decades before that.

Their Warwickshire base has had all the attention paid to it in the manner of a Ballydoyle. Dan will win the title at some stage if not this time round, as Mullins is pushing 70. Then again, with son Patrick or even Ruby Walsh or David Casey to take over, you wouldn’t expect too much loss of effectiveness from Closutton any time soon.

It’s also fair to consider what Willie does at home, when he’s not scaring the daylights out of our best, like Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls, the Skelton boys’ original mentor. Clever fella that Nick Skelton! Mullins has run 287 horses back home this season. Of those, 137 between them have clocked up 181 victories and £4,162,000 in total prizes. He might be good but the numbers help!

I hope Dan manages to move a few thousand clear over the two days at Cheltenham, which will become more than just a side show to this week’s Craven meeting at Newmarket when fast ground will have conditions more like August on the Rowley Mile. <They obviously don’t use that course between June and August, but you know what I mean.>

I couldn’t resist my first few words, as they hark back to probably the two least reasonable examples of “what went wrong” ever used in relation to horse racing.

In April 1985, a horse we’d bought, from Charles O’Brien if memory serves, was heavily backed by its new owner. The more than capable 7lb claimer Simon Whitworth rode a terrific race and Cool Enough won in a photo in a big field Thirsk seller. Wilf Storey was the trainer. In those days daily racing wasn’t televised, so despite picking up a ton of cash, the hard-to-please owner – you’ve guessed it – asked: “What went wrong”, as in “I thought you said it was a certainty”. Cool Enough went on to win seven times in a long career for Lynda and Jack Ramsden.

Then after that, Wilf (I can’t really reveal his part, though totally legal, in it) and the late David Wintle helped engineer one of the best stunts of modern racing history – if I say so myself! - when Topsoil, trained by Wintle having been previously in the care of Barry Hills and Rod Simpson, won a selling hurdle at Haydock.

We’d identified the only danger being a horse of John Jenkins’ and so it proved, Topsoil winning by I think one and a half lengths with 25 lengths back to the third. The owner had a nice win bet and cleaned up with the forecast. Again, no pictures to see; once more the reaction after he collected: “What went wrong?”

It’s hard to believe it was as long ago as July 2017 that Dave died aged 77 and it’s sad that it means he never knew about the significant part in a slice of racing history that his daughter Becky and husband Steve Hillen played in the life of one of the more remarkable horses of present days.

The racing industry is quick to forget where praise is due. When the Hillens’ filly Via Sistina was sold to Australian interests at the end of her 5yo career from the George Boughey stable, nobody seemed to remember it was the retired Joseph Tuite who had sent her on the path to greatness, patiently handling the five grand yearling buy.

True, Boughey quickly brought her into Group race company and her final run, second as a five-year-old to Derby runner-up King Of Steel in the Champion Stakes at Ascot in October 2023, was a great achievement.

Sold by the Hillens for an eye-watering 2.7million guineas at the 2023 December sales, she went into the care of Chris Waller in Australia. She won a Group 1 race almost immediately in her new home before running a well-beaten 2nd in last year’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick racecourse in Sydney.

On Saturday, she put that blemish to rights, winning this year’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes by more than a length from the William Haggas globetrotter Dubai Honour in a finish of seven-year-olds. In between, from August in the latest Australian season, she has won another six races, so seven in a single campaign, all at Group 1 level, emulating one of the achievements of Winx for that great mare’s trainer. In all, eight from 11 runs is her Australian tally.

The race was worth £1.46 million to the winner and £420k to the runner-up. That should help with jockey Tom Marquand’s travel expenses to ride the runner-up. New Zealand-born cash cow James McDonald held the reins on the winner as usual.

Via Sistina’s total earnings have passed £6.6 million and she has such an easy disposition according to her trainer that she could keep on notching up those seven-figure prizes for a while to come. Imagine if Joe Tuite had cranked her up as a two-year-old when she wasn’t ready. Indeed, how many potentially great horses go the wrong way for impatience either from owners or indeed trainers?

This week at Newmarket, the Craven Breeze-up Sale will offer the most desirable pedigrees of all the sales of two-year-olds in training to be had, with the arguable exception of Arqana’s similar auction next month. The biggest prices at Newmarket will be paid for sprint types that record fast times over two furlongs in the middle/conclusion of their breezes, but as the editor pointed out to me when we met last week, various other considerations have been added to the agents’ and trainers’ wish lists. I can’t wait to see the returns.

We saw some nice performances in the Newbury Classic trials, notably appropriately named 33/1 Dubai Duty Free Fred Darling Stakes winner Duty First. Archie Watson’s Showcasing filly slaughtered a decent field and Archie’s owners will presumably re-invest their share of the £48k winnings to supplement her to the 1,000 Guineas.

The Watership Down Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes was almost as clear-cut. Sir Michael Stoute may have retired but Jonquil, in his care for Juddmonte last season, made an instant hit for Andrew Balding – he of the 282 horses, up from 236 last year. This nice colt beat the equally admirable Rashabar from Brian Meehan fair and square, but both will have plenty to say as the season stretches on.

- TS

Mullins sends six in search of Scottish National prize

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Willie Mullins has declared six in Saturday’s Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr as he continues his charge to retain the trainers’ championship.

Last year’s winner Macdermott, ante-post favourite Chosen Witness, Olympic Man, Captain Cody, Spanish Harlem and Klarc Kent will all chase the first prize of over £110,000.

With Paul Townend an absentee and Danny Mullins maintaining his partnership with Macdermott, Aintree hero Patrick Mullins rides Olympic Man, Sean O’Keeffe is on Chosen Witness, Harry Cobden is on Captain Cody, Brian Hayes on Spanish Harlem and Jonathan Burke on Klarc Kent.

The weights are headed by a former Mullins inmate, Mr Incredible, who was somewhat controversially prevented from running at Aintree last week given he has failed to finish his last five races.

Ben Pauling’s Henry’s Friend, the Sam Thomas-trained Our Power, Nicky Richards’ Famous Bridge and Surrey Quest, beaten a nose by Macdermott 12 months ago, are others towards the head of the weights.

Surrey Quest is owned by Surrey Racing, whose Clive Hadingham said: “We had someone walk the course for us this morning and surprisingly the ground has quite a bit of moisture in it which I’m amazed at, so Ayr have done a really good job with the course and there are no ground concerns at all.

“We’ve been planning this really for the whole season. It was always going to be this or the Grand National and whichever race we went for, it was the same training regime. We were always aiming for a big race in the spring.

“Unseating in the Mandarin (at Newbury in December) meant we were then unlikely to get in at Aintree and we have sort of since been all systems go for Ayr. It’s a competitive field and some good horses are in it, but there’s a few not been declared we thought might be and we’re going to give it a good go. ”

Mullins pulled a minor surprise in the Coral Scottish Champion Hurdle by not declaring either Absurde or Kargese.

Instead he runs Ethical Diamond, Bunting, Batman Girac and Karafon, while his title rival Dan Skelton is represented by Valgrand.

Kihavah, Dysart Enos, Under Control and Ooh Betty are among a field of 12.

Western Diego is the Mullins pick in the Scotty Brand Handicap Chase against Skelton’s Asta La Pasta and Etalon, while Loughglynn is the chosen Mullins runner in the CPMS Novices’ Champion Handicap Chase.

Mullins also runs two in the Stagecoach We’Ve Got You Novices’ Handicap Hurdle, plus Chart Topper in the Tennent’s Lager Novices’ Hurdle and Dysart Dolomite in the bumper.

Mullins looks set to launch major Ayr raid again

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Last year’s winner Macdermott is one of 11 possible runners for Willie Mullins in the Coral Scottish Grand National as he goes all out in defence of the trainers’ championship.

The current holder looked to face a stiff task before Aintree’s three-day meeting but he went on to land five Grade One wins, a Grade Two and the Topham alongside his incredible feat of providing five of the first seven home in the Grand National, meaning he took home the lion’s share of £1million in that race alone.

All of a sudden, Dan Skelton’s lead is down to just over £120,000 and Mullins is now taking dead aim at Ayr.

Mullins’ Chosen Witness has been put in as the 8-1 ante-post favourite by the sponsors, while the likes of High Class Hero, Captain Cody, Olympic Man and O’Moore Park could form part of his team in a race for which 33 remain in contention, with a maximum field of 30 allowed.

Skelton has three potential runners in Sail Away, Theformismighty and Snipe – and all are big prices.

Other entries of note include the Lucinda Russell pair of Apple Away and Whistle Stop Tour, Ben Pauling’s Henry’s Friend and Joe Tizzard’s Rock My Way.

Skelton has just one of the 18 left in the Coral Scottish Champion Hurdle in Valgrand, while Mullins has seven, including the last two winners of Cheltenham’s County Hurdle in Kargese and Absurde.

Nicky Henderson has entered Joyeuse and Under Control, Dysart Enos has been left in by Fergal O’Brien and the in-form Paul Nicholls could run Kabral Du Mathan.

On the back of seeing how many entries he has made and the intent with which he seems determined to keep the title, Coral have cut Mullins to 1-4 to retain his crown from 4-7.

“We already knew Willie Mullins intended to send a strong team to Ayr this Saturday, but the numerical strength of his raiding party has seen his title odds slashed, while his runners also dominate the betting for both the Scottish Grand National and the Scottish Champion Hurdle,” said Coral’s David Stevens.

“Dan Skelton won’t be waving the white flag though, and he has plenty of his own runners over the two-day meeting, although he is now out to 5-2 to win a first championship.”

Scottish National a ‘dream’ aim for Whistle Stop Tour

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Connections are determined to enjoy the journey with Whistle Stop Tour, with Lucinda Russell’s progressive staying chaser igniting Scottish Grand National dreams for his team.

Owned by Kenny Alexander and his friends Paddy Bryceland and Sean Tracey, Ayr’s spring feature would be a “dream” end to the campaign if the seven-year-old remains on his current trajectory.

He has won four of his nine career starts and is now rated 137 after supplementing a clear-cut win at Kelso with an Ayr victory early in the new year.

He could now try his hand in deeper waters, with some of the season’s remaining staying contests likely to come onto the radar.

“He’s a nice, fun horse for Kenny and a couple of his mates, and they will have a good bit of fun with him as he goes up through the grades,” said Alexander’s racing manager Peter Molony.

“Judging by the three lads involved, they are all Scots, so I think the Scottish Grand National will be the dream.

“He’s up to 137 now and we’ll have to have a chat with Lucinda and Scu (Peter Scudamore, Russell’s partner and assistant) and see where we head next, but the boys like their big days out and he’ll be aiming for some of the better days I would imagine.”

Macdermott secures big Scottish National success for Mullins

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Macdermott struck a potentially decisive blow for Willie Mullins in the jumps trainers’ championship race by securing a thrilling success in the Coral Scottish Grand National.

The unexposed novice – an 18-1 chance having been ante-post favourite at one stage – edged out Surrey Quest in a memorable late battle to become the first six-year-old to claim this prize since Earth Summit 30 years ago.

Mullins suffered a double setback early on, as Mr Incredible pulled himself up before the first fence and then We’llhavewan fell at that obstacle, but he still had more ammunition, four in fact – and that proved enough.

Sara Bradstock’s Mr Vango was the gamble of the race, being backed into favourite near the off, and he settled down as the front-runner under Ben Jones, with Whistleinthedark and Klarc Kent keeping him company.

The eight-year-old Mr Vango was still in front heading out for the final circuit, but he was passed on the turn for home, as Macdermott and Surrey Quest kicked on.

The advantage swung one way and then the other during a ding-dong battle between that pair up the run-in, but it was Macdermott who just got the nod when it mattered most, with only a nose separating them.

Git Maker stayed on for third, while Mullins picked up more valuable prize-money via fourth-placed Klarc Kent at 50-1.

Mullins admitted he feared the worst as the front two crossed the line, saying: “I thought we were beaten, but then one of my owners opened up the betting on his app and we were favourite and the second horse was 14-1. The odds changed a bit in their favour, but then the result came out.”

Scottish Grand National 2024 – Ayr Racecourse – Saturday 20th April
Macdermott (front left) edges out Surrey Quest (Robert Perry/PA).

Earth Summit famously went on to claim Grand National glory at Aintree and Mullins believes Macdermott could follow in his footsteps.

He told Racing TV: “To me, the way he jumped was spectacular, I’d have no problem aiming him for Aintree next year or for the Irish National, we’ll see but we’ll be aiming for all those chases.

“He’s got age on his side, so it’s fantastic. He just got experience every day he went out; we started him off at two miles and just kept running him for experience, because he hasn’t got runs under his belt and last year it took me all season to get him fit enough.

“He’s a big, lazy fella and he just takes so much training. And he’s so laid back, but now he’s getting the hang of it and if we can get him in this sort of form, it’ll be straight to those kind of staying chases for him to run in.”

Reflecting on a dramatic race, Mullins – still riding high after Aintree glory with I Am Maximus a week ago – said: “We had one go before the first and one fall at the first, then we had two up the front and two out the back, so I said ‘well we’ve both ends of the race covered’.

Celebration time for Danny Mullins
Celebration time for Danny Mullins (Robert Perry/PA)

“The two up front finished first and fourth and Spanish Harlem came on to be sixth, so he ran a great race and there’s going to be a good race in him too.

“The sun’s out, it’s a fantastic crowd and it’s just turned out to be an amazing day.”

The winning jockey, who is the trainer’s nephew, told ITV Racing: “An unexposed Willie Mullins novice in a staying handicap chase is what you want to be on.

“He has his jumping issues and we ended up on the deck one day in Limerick, but even the fall that day has taught him how to be efficient.

“He made a few mistakes out there today, but I got a fantastic jump at the fourth- and third-last and he was good and tough when I needed him at the back of the last.”

Snowden has Scottish National ambitions for Git Maker

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Jamie Snowden is eyeing a shot at the Coral Scottish Grand National with Git Maker after his gallant second at the Cheltenham Festival.

The eight-year-old has proven a stout stayer since upped to three miles and was tasked with the challenge of the Kim Muir at Prestbury Park, where he was partnered by top amateur Will Biddick.

He led three out, but had no answer in the home straight once passed by Gavin Cromwell’s Inothewayurthinkin who proved his class by carrying top-weight to a wide-margin victory.

However, Snowden is taking plenty of positives from the performance – especially how far the front two pulled clear of the remaining finishers – and feels his charge could now be ready for a challenge such as the Ayr marathon on April 20.

“I think he bumped into a graded horse in a handicap,” said Snowden.

“The two of them were 20 lengths clear of the third horse as well, so it was a fair performance. You hope the handicapper doesn’t crucify him for it, but he could now be a nice one for the Scottish National maybe.

Trainer Jamie Snowden feels Git Maker is ready for marathon contests
Trainer Jamie Snowden feels Git Maker is ready for marathon contests (David Davies/PA)

“He’s won six of his 11 starts and knows how to win, he’s a tough and hardy sort who stays well. He’s probably ready for a test like that (Scottish National), but we’ll let him get over the Kim Muir, it was a fairly hard race and we’ll have to see how he is and go from there.

“But I suppose the Scottish Grand National could be something to look forward to now.”

Man appears in court after Derby protest

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A man has appeared in court charged with causing public nuisance after running on to the track at the Betfred Derby.

Ben Newman, 32, appeared at Guildford Magistrates’ Court, where he pleaded not guilty to causing public nuisance, on Monday.

It comes after he was filmed jumping the fence and sprinting on to the course at Epsom as the race – which was won by the Aidan O’Brien-trained Auguste Rodin – began on Saturday.

He was chased by police as the crowd jeered before officers tackled him and pulled him away.

The protester was removed from the track at Epsom
The protester was removed from the track at Epsom (Mike Egerton/PA)

The protest happened after the Jockey Club, which owns Epsom, was granted an injunction banning the Animal Rising group from intervening in the event.

Newman, from Homerton High Street, Hackney, east London, was one of 31 people arrested on Saturday, including 12 on the racecourse grounds.

Newman was remanded into custody until July 6, when he is due to appear at Guildford Crown Court.

Animal Rising activists are apprehended by police officers as they attempted to invade the track at Ayr
Animal Rising activists are apprehended by police officers as they attempted to invade the track at Ayr (Jane Barlow/PA)

In a separate hearing, 19 protesters accused of trying to stop the Scottish Grand National are to stand trial in September.

It is alleged they entered the track at Ayr when a race meeting was in progress equipped with glue, piping and other implements designed to enable people to secure themselves to jumps, fences or railings on April 22 this year.

They were among 24 people from the group charged by police after disruption on the day of the race.

The 19 who appeared at court on Monday were charged with committing a breach of the peace by conducting themselves in a disorderly manner and forming part of a disorderly crowd to overcome security and enter the race track.

Protesters attempted to disrupt the Scottish Grand National
Protesters attempted to disrupt the Scottish Grand National (Jane Barlow/PA)

They also face a second charge of trespassing at Ayr racecourse and it is alleged they did “overcome security, enter the race track and attempt to prevent a horse race from taking place”.

Miranda Courtney, 38, from Leeds; Rose Paterson, 33, from London; Katrielle Chan, 21, from Glasgow; Joseph Moss, 20, from Sale; Tatum Paul, 20 from Manchester; Alexander Dunnet, 23, from London; Thomas Foy, 24, from Ripley; Osian Dixon, 25, from Machynlleth in Wales and Sarah Foy, 23, from Alfreton, appeared at Ayr Sheriff Court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Nathan McGovern, 24, from London; Benjamin Stevenson, 23, from London; Zuki Paul, 23, from Reading; Imogen Robertson, 22, from Stirling; Alex Hamill, 55, from Bath; Robert Houston, 44, from London; Joshua Parkinson, 27, from Leeds; Joshua Lane, 26, from Alfreton; Calum Marshall, 25, from Edinburgh, and Claire Smith, 25, from Leeds, also appeared and denied all charges against them.

Warrants were issued for four people who did not attend and another court date will be set for one who has Covid and could not appear.

Kitty’s Light won the Scottish National at Ayr
Kitty’s Light won the Scottish National at Ayr (Jane Barlow/PA)

Sheriff Shirley Foran granted bail to the 19 people who appeared at court on condition that they stay away from horse and dog racing venues north of the border.

She told them: “The special bail condition is that you will not enter or attempt to enter any horse or dog racing venue in Scotland.”

There will be further court hearings in August and their trials will start on various dates in early September.

The Scottish Grand National was not delayed on April 22 and started at 3.38pm, with Kitty’s Light taking the prize.

Lucinda Russell sights set on more National glory

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Lucinda Russell and Peter Scudamore will attempt to write another chapter in their incredible journey when they bid for a second Grand National in a week at Ayr on Saturday.

Having scored with One For Arthur in 2017, Corach Rambler gave trainer Russell and assistant and partner Scudamore a second success in the English version when justifying favouritism at Aintree last weekend.

Now the Arlary-based team look to Mighty Thunder and Your Own Story to add a few more lines into their remarkable story by securing a second Coral Scottish Grand National success in three years.

Mighty Thunder gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about when taking the four-mile event in 2021, but has not won in 10 subsequent outings and will start as one of the outsiders.

Your Own Story, however, ticks plenty of boxes, with four runner-up efforts and a victory at Wetherby – over a furlong shorter than he will face this time – in seven starts over fences.

Scudamore said: “Mighty Thunder is getting back to himself now – it has taken a while, but the ground will suit him.

“Your Own Story has the right profile to win the race – he’ll stay and has been running consistently well, and he’s a novice. That’s what wins the races.

“He was a bit unfortunate at Haydock last time (when beaten half a length). The trip (an extended three and a half miles) was too short for him and in another 100 yards, he probably would have won.”

Kitty’s Light will bid to go one better than last year at Ayr
Kitty’s Light will bid to go one better than last year at Ayr (Steven Paston/PA)

Last year, Christian Williams saddled a remarkable one-two in the Scottish National with the subsequently retired Win My Wings beating stablemate Kitty’s Light.

Kitty’s Light showed his well-being when taking the Eider at Newcastle in February, despite jumping without much fluency at times, and he will be joined by stablemate Cap Du Nord, who was beaten a length in the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster before landing the valuable Swinley Handicap at Ascot.

Though well held in the Coral Trophy Handicap at Kempton on his last run, his Glamorgan-based handler feels he had excuses.

Williams said: “We’re looking forward to it after winning the race last year. The plan is to go back and win it again with Kitty’s – if his jumping holds up.

“If he jumped like he did at Newcastle, then he won’t be winning anything. We just have to hope that was the very soft ground that day.

“Hopefully he will stand up like last year and have a similar run to last year, and he should run well. The faster the ground, the better for him.

“Cap Du Nord only won a hundred-grand chase the time before at Ascot! We ran him back a bit quick at Kempton.

“We can never crack that Sky Bet Chase with him – he always runs well in it, but it always seems to be a prep for his next run – and it’s not a bad prep if you are winning races like that next time.”

Christian Williams bids for back-to-back Scottish Grand Nationals
Christian Williams bids for back-to-back Scottish Grand Nationals (Simon Marper/PA)

Sandy Thomson has endured a difficult week after Hill Sixteen’s fatal fall at Aintree.

The Berwickshire handler saddles both Empire Steel, who beat Coral Gold Cup Handicap winner Le Milos in the Premier Chase at Kelso last time, and Flower Of Scotland, third in the Edinburgh National at Musselburgh on her penultimate start.

“Empire Steel did it nicely last time and 4lb extra is probably fair enough and he is in very good order,” said Thomson.

“It looks like there is going to be bit of rain on Saturday morning, and that will not do his chances any harm.

“The mare (Flower Of Scotland) is a few pounds out of the handicap and it is quite difficult to find races for her. Obviously Ray (Anderson Green, owner) has won the race twice before and we will just have a go and see.

“She will run a big race, but whether she is quite good enough, we will find out. ”

Nicholls feels Threeunderthrufive has plenty of weigh
Nicholls feels Threeunderthrufive has plenty of weight (Simon Marper/PA)

Paul Nicholls, who first landed the Grade Three prize in 1997 with Belmont King, seeks a fourth success in the race and relies upon Threeunderthrufive and Flash Collonges.

Threeunderthrufive has won four of his nine starts over fences but has been out of luck this term, while Flash Collonges has enjoyed a decent novice campaign, culminating in victory at Newbury on his previous start.

Nicholls said: “I’ve always thought novices have a good record in those races, so Flash Collonges will go for the big one.

“He’s from the family of Neptune Collonges, so he will stay forever and wants good ground, which he is likely to get. I’d give him a bit of a chance.

“I still think Threeunder is too high in the weights. With what he has achieved, I think he’s got 8lb too much. He will love the ground – he doesn’t want it too testing, ground that he’s been running on of late. He’s got a chance.”

Monbeg Genius, a close-up third to Corach Rambler in the Ultima, has obvious claims after a season which has brought three wins from five over fences.

Lord Accord was quietly fancied to run well at Cheltenham
Lord Accord was quietly fancied to run well at Cheltenham (Mike Egerton/PA)

Neil Mulholland wants better ground for Lord Accord than he got in the Kim Muir. He was pulled up, despite quietly fancied by connections in the run-up to that Cheltenham test.

“Things didn’t go according to plan in the Kim Muir. We fancied him to run a big race, but the rain came and turned the ground against him,” said Mulholland.

“He got bogged down and is a much better horse on good ground, which is what we hope he’ll get on Saturday.”

Light leads 31 contenders for Scottish National honours

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Ante-post favourite Kitty’s Light is among 31 horses to stand their ground following the confirmation stage for Saturday’s Coral Scottish Grand National.

Runner-up to stablemate Win My Wings in the Ayr marathon 12 months ago, the Christian Williams-trained seven-year-old is well fancied to go one better after winning the Eider Chase at Newcastle in February.

With Grand National hero Corach Rambler unsurprisingly taken out, the weights are now headed by Nicky Henderson’s Dusart on 12st, with Threeunderthrufive next on the list for Paul Nicholls with a weight of 11st 7lb.

Corach Rambler’s Scottish trainer Lucinda Russell has a couple of chances in her bid to complete the National double, with 2021 winner Mighty Thunder and Your Own Story both in the mix.

The four remaining Irish-trained contenders are Gordon Elliott’s Gevrey, the Gavin Cromwell-trained Malina Girl, Liz Doyle’s Flash De Touzaine and Waitnsee for John Ryan.

Other hopefuls include Jonjo O’Neill’s Monbeg Genius, Sandy Thomson’s pair of Empire Steel and Flower Of Scotland and Chris Gordon’s Coolvalla, whose only defeat in six starts this season came when pulled up in the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last month.

Having seen his charge swiftly bounce back with victory at Exeter, Gordon is hoping to send him on the long journey north this weekend, provided conditions are suitable.

Chris Gordon could saddle Coolvalla in the Scottish Grand National
Chris Gordon could saddle Coolvalla in the Scottish Grand National (David Davies/Jockey Club)

“Coolvalla has been a wonderfully progressive horse. We chucked him in at Cheltenham for a fun day out, but just went in too deep there,” said the trainer.

“The great thing was he came back and won a nice race at Exeter. He has been a wonderful horse for us all.

“He’s rated 135. I chucked him in the Whitbread (bet365 Gold Cup) and in the Scottish National, but he does want a bit of cut in the ground and it does say it is a drying week. If it was run on Monday, the ground would be perfect for him.

“Most of last week they said it would be dry, but it rained every day, so we’ll see what this week holds.”

Elvis Mail, Manothepeople, Undersupervision and Flash Collonges are other leading contenders.

Big end-of-season handicaps in mind for Threeunderthufive

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Threeunderthufive will be aimed at either the Coral Scottish Grand National or bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown having been scratched from the Randox Grand National.

Although a four-time winner over the larger obstacles as a novice – including twice in Grade Two company – things have not gone as smoothly for Paul Nicholls’ charge when tackling some hot handicaps this term, unseating at the first in the Coral Gold Cup before struggling to make his presence felt in both Warwick’s Classic Chase and most recently the Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival.

Those performances have only underlined the belief of connections that a tilt at the Merseyside marathon may come a year too soon for the eight-year-old and he will skip Aintree to continue his big-field education either at Ayr on April 22 or a week later at Sandown on the final day of the season.

Threeunderthrufive with a stable hand during a visit to Manor Farm Stables
Threeunderthrufive with a stable hand during a visit to Manor Farm Stables (Adam Davy/PA)

“It was always the case we thought the National might come a season too early for him, but if he was to run well in the Ultima his mark would have gone up and he would have been well-in for a National,” explained Iain Turner, racing manager for owners the McNeill family.

“So when he didn’t (run well) and he was subsequently dropped 3lb there was no need keeping him in a Grand National.

“He will probably go for the Scottish Grand National or to Sandown for the bet365 Gold Cup.”

Reflecting on Threeunderthrufive’s eighth-placed finish in the Ultima, Turner believes the performance has been reflective of his season as a whole, with the gelding having to adapt from racing in small-field novice chases to the hurly-burly of some of the calendar’s most fiercely-competitive handicaps.

He continued: “I think for some of these novices coming out of novice chases, if you’re not going to be one of the graded ones it becomes a big leap to run in these significant double-figure field races.

“In novice chases Threeunderthrufive was able to get an easy lead with novices not wanting to go on, while in the Ultima you line him up with the intention of sitting in the first three or four and he’s taken completely off his feet. It was probably a credit to himself he’s managed to hang on and finish eighth.

“While it was disappointing and we hoped he would be competitive, I think the experience he’s had will help him be a better horse next year when he’s actually used to running in these bigger-field races and he can carry that experience with him.

“If we go to Scotland it won’t be any easier for him, but if anything, he’s going to be 3lb lower and he’s going to be learning and getting some more big-field experience.”

Lost racecourses 2: The Elephant Man

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Bogside racecourse stands - long gone

At around quarter to four tomorrow a craftsman will inscribe in gold leaf the name of the latest winner of the Scottish Grand National on a large oak board at Ayr racecourse. But the board and the race are both interlopers, as until 1965, they were both to be found 14 miles up the coast at Bogside racecourse, just outside Irvine. Read more