Tag Archive for: Scottish Grand National

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.”