If you’re someone who is not aware of what the Scottish Grand National is, it is a Grade 3 handicap chase which is conducted on the Ayr Racecourse in the southwest of Scotland every April. As listed in the Timeform Race Card, the distance of this racecourse is just less than 4 miles and it is also touted to be the 4th longest race in the Irish National Hunt and UK calendars, just after the Aintree Grand National, the Midlands Grand National along with the Eider Chase. In case of Scottish Grand National, there are 27 fences that have to be jumped over.
The Scottish Grand National is open to horses which are aged minimum 5 years or which are older than that and as a handicap horse, they depend on the system of weights which are allocated as per the official ratings of the horses. The most popular and the highest-paid horse carry a weight of 11 stone 12 pounds and the lowest-paid horse carries a bottom weight of 10 stone. The latest winner of the Scottish Grand National was Taking Risks that was trained under Nicky Richards and that was ridden by Sean Quinlan.
Scottish Grand National – A detailed overview
The Scottish Grand National is definitely one of the main highlights during the final stage of the jump race season and every year, there are more than 17,000 people who gather at the Ayr racecourse to be a part of the greatest races of the country. Ayr held the first Scottish Grand National in the year 1966 when the racecourse was moved after the Bogside racecourse closure. The actual history of the race can date back to 1858.
The bookmakers usually agree to the fact that the race can generate the 5th biggest turnover in terms of betting and the popularity with the racing fans clearly indicate that it is the most eagerly awaited handicaps of the racing season. This race is classified as Grade Three Handicap Chase and it spreads over a distance of 4 miles.
Scottish Grand National – A guide on betting
If you’re all set to choose the winner of Scottish Grand National, there are few trends that you should take into account:
- The key characteristic trait to practice is stamina and majority of the winners will already have won a Class I or Class II race over minimum 3 miles before the horse runs in the Scottish Grand National. At the same time, experience is vital. Due to the nature of the fields handicap chases, this means majority of the winners will have at least 8 runs over fences.
- One more key trend is weight where there is a definite pattern which favors the light-weighted horses. The biggest winners carry not more than 10st 7 pounds and the sole winner of top weight in 16 years was Grey Abbey in 2004.
- The Scottish Grand National is a tough and long race and it also offers a great advantage for the horse to remain fresh as it occurs during the end of the season. Hence, the winners won’t have more than 6 runs in that season leading to one big race.
- In spite of the fact that 3 horses managed to win the race thrice, nowadays it is rare to find more than one winners. The last victory from one such treble winner was during 1956. The big stables even didn’t have the best records of the race and these races have been won by the smaller yards.
- Yet another noteworthy fact is that the race horses that are trained by the Irish-based trainers haven’t won the Scottish Grand National since 1869 which is a rather alarming statistic keeping in mind the gaining momentum of Irish horses.
The past winners of Scottish Grand National
Ayr racecourse is a left-handed track and it has got a gentle climb till the finish. This racecourse usually feature horses that have failed to complete the Aintree Grand National which was held couple of weeks back. The Legendary Red Rum was the only horse which could win both races during the same season. Recently, Earth Summit and Little Polveir won the Grand Nationals.
Therefore, if you wish to pick the winners of Scottish Grand National, you should take into account the tips and strategies mentioned above. Bet on the best horses and increase your chances of winning the race.
