Scottish Grand National Plans Abound
We aim to back the Scottish Grand Natonal winner today following success with Intense Raffles & I Am Maximus in the Irish and Aintree Nationals.
The Scottish National is all the more exciting for Willie Mullins declaring six runners as he targets a first UK trainers championship!
I am not particularly drawn to any of Willie’s runners and prefer to back proven stayers who arrive here off the back of good runs. Anglers Crag has won four on the bounce with this latest win in the Eider Chase at Newcastle impressive. Anglers Crag travelled easily upped in trip for the Eider Chase but did guess and make a mistake over the second last fence. I like that he picked up again to win snugly is there is such a thing as a snug neck win! The ground will not be as testing in the Scottish Grand National which is a positive. The handicapper has raised him 8lbs to a mark of 134 which is acceptable. Anglers Crag carries a feather weight of 10-4 thanks to Paul Nicholls running top weight Stay Away Fay.
Inis Oirr is having his sixth run over fences so hopefully has enough experience to handle this big field. He showed improved form to win the Edinburgh National, coming home 21 lengths ahead of the second placed Enrilo. First time visor worked well, and it is on again tomorrow. Lucinda Russell is dynamite with staying chasers and could do with a change of luck following some bad fortune at the Aintree Festival. Inis Oirr is taking a similar route to Lucinda’s past winner Mighty Thunder without running in the Midlands Grand National. He is fresh and will need to improve again following a big 14lbs hike following his Edinburgh national demolition job. Like Anglers Crag he carries a low weight of 10-3 and has proven his stamina for marathon chases.
Ayr 3:35
0.5 point each way Anglers Crag 14/1 William Hill 5 places else 12/1 Paddy Power, Betfair SB & Bet365, 6 places.
0.5 point each way Inis Oirr 10/1 William Hill & Ladbrokes, 5 places.
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Past Results
Click to see past Big Saturday Race Preview Tips results
Best of Luck,
Nicky
The Scottish Grand National is a Grade 3 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Ayr, Scotland, over a distance of about 4 miles (3 miles 7 furlongs and 176 yards, or 6,397 metres) and during its running there are 27 fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and takes place each year in April. It is Scotland's equivalent of the Grand National, and is held during Ayr's two-day Scottish Grand National Festival meeting.
History
The race, then known as the "West of Scotland Grand National", was first run at a course near Houston, Renfrewshire in 1858. It consisted of 32 jumps, mainly stone walls.
In 1867, after objections by the leader of the Free Kirk in Houston, the race moved to Bogside Racecourse, near Irvine. The inaugural winner at Bogside, The Elk, was owned by the Duke of Hamilton. During the early part of its history the race's distance was about 3 miles (4.8 km). It was later extended to 3+7⁄8 mi (6.2 km), and became known by its present title in 1880, when it was won by Peacock.
Bogside Racecourse closed in 1965, and the Scottish Grand National was transferred to Ayr the following year. At this point the race was increased to its present length. Several winners of the Scottish Grand National have also won its English counterpart at Aintree. The first to complete the double was Music Hall, the winner of the 1922 Grand National. The feat has been achieved more recently by Little Polveir and Earth Summit, but the only horse to win both races in the same year was Red Rum in 1974.
In 2021, the race was moved to a Sunday due to the funeral of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, taking place on Saturday
Winners over past 10 years
| Year | Winner | Age | Weight | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Kitty's Light | 7 | 11-00 | Jack Tudor | Christian Williams |
| 2022 | Win My Wings | 9 | 10-12 | Rob James | Christian Williams |
| 2021 | Mighty Thunder | 8 | 11-01 | Tom Scudamore | Lucinda Russell |
| no race 2020 [b] | |||||
| 2019 | Takingrisks | 10 | 10-01 | Sean Quinlan | Nicky Richards |
| 2018 | Joe Farrell | 9 | 10-06 | Adam Wedge | Rebecca Curtis |
| 2017 | Vicente | 8 | 11–10 | Sam Twiston-Davies | Paul Nicholls |
| 2016 | Vicente | 7 | 11-03 | Sam Twiston-Davies | Paul Nicholls |
| 2015 | Wayward Prince | 11 | 10-07 | Robbie Dunne | Hilary Parrott |
| 2014 | Al Co | 9 | 10-02 | Jamie Moore | Peter Bowen |
| 2013 | Godsmejudge | 7 | 11-03 | Wayne Hutchinson | Alan King |
Best of Luck,
Nicky