Hi all,
Inside today’s main piece I’m looking ahead to Saturday’s Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr.
Looking Ahead to the Weekend
There’s something for both Flat and Jumps fans this weekend. On Friday, Ayr’s two-day Scottish Grand National meeting gets underway. Meanwhile, Newbury hosts the first day of its Greenham Meeting.
Saturday’s highlight is the Coral Scottish Grand National (3:35)—one of the sponsor’s biggest betting races of the year. Willie Mullins is likely to be mob-handed as he looks to retain his UK Trainers’ Championship crown. He has six runners priced 14/1 or shorter, including the well-backed ante-post favourite Chosen Witness. He also has last year’s winner Macdermott, and Klarc Kent, who finished fourth in this race 12 months ago.
The Ayr undercard is competitive, with the Coral Scottish Champion Hurdle (2:15) among the highlights of a bumper eight-race card.
At Newbury, there are key 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas trials with the Fred Darling (2:10) and Greenham Stakes (2:45). The OLBG Spring Cup Handicap (3:12) also looks like a proper betting heat. At the time of writing, the ground is good to firm at Newbury, which could impact field sizes. At Ayr, it’s currently good to soft, but unless rain arrives later in the week, it could ride quicker despite watering.
ITV are showing nine races live on Saturday from Ayr and Newbury, plus a bonus seven races on Sunday as the Sky Bet Sunday Series kicks off at Musselburgh.
Coral Scottish Grand National
Scotland’s most prestigious race takes centre stage at Ayr on Saturday. Run over four miles, the Coral Scottish Grand National is a proper test of stamina and jumping—especially when the ground dries out.
The race regularly produces thrilling finishes and attracts a blend of improving stayers and battle-hardened handicappers. While local runners have a proud record, recent years have seen powerful Irish and southern yards dominate.
The 2025 festival boasts a record £500,000 in prize money on Saturday alone. All enclosures are reportedly sold out, which shows just how popular this race remains.
Trends:
After the trends did the business in the Aintree Grand National. Can they deliver again in the Scottish version?
Looking at the trends since 2015 which contain 9 winners from 228 runners.
Horses aged 6 to 11 have won the race since 2015 but seven of them were aged nine and younger.
Five winners were returned between 14/1 & 33/1 but it’s worth noting four winners from 29 runners +2.5 were sent off 9/1 or shorter.
All nine winners met the following four trends:
Official Rating: 135 to 156
Runs in the Season: 4 to 7
Wins on the Going: 1+
Last Time Out Placing: First Five or fell or unseated rider.
Last time out winners are 5 winners from 44 runners, 9 places and if you had backed all of then you would have made a £47.50 to a £1 level stake and +81.7 profit to Betfair SP.
Contenders
Willie Mullins has entered 40 horses across Saturday’s card, including 11 in the Scottish Grand National. I was seriously tempted by his Chosen Witness over the weekend—he was 16/1 at the time, but I didn’t press the button. He’s now a best priced 9/2 favourite.
I was initially concerned that good ground might be on the quick side for him, but a look at his pedigree gives me more confidence. He improved for the step up to 3m when winning a handicap hurdle at last year’s meeting and has since had three runs over fences. He was still in contention when unseating four out in a Grade 2 (3m) at Navan last time. A mark of 137 for his handicap chase debut looks very workable, especially if—like I suspect—he improves again for this marathon trip.
Plenty of Mullins Depth
Stablemate O'Moore Park ran a cracker last time when finishing 3rd, beaten 8½ lengths, in the Jack Richards Novices’ Chase (2m 4½f) at the Cheltenham Festival. That run screamed out for further, so he’s another one of interest stepping up in distance.
Macdermott, last year’s winner, has failed to complete in three of his four starts this season and was well beaten on his only completed run. He’s 5lb higher this time around, and while he’s hard to fancy on form, he can’t be dismissed—we know what Willie Mullins is capable of.
Klarc Kent was fourth in this race last year, beaten just over six lengths. He’s been largely disappointing since, though his latest run at Cheltenham hinted at a possible return to form. Crucially, he’s now 10lb lower and is 15lb better off with stablemate Macdermott compared to last year. He improved for the step up to four miles last year when he encountered the quickest ground he’s run on.
Spanish Harlem, sixth last year, is another possible Mullins runner. He’s 4lb better off and ran his best race of the season last time out when finishing in the Grand National Trial at Punchestown.
Beyond Mullins: Home Team Gearing Up
Lucinda Russell, who won this race in 2021, could be represented by Whistle Stop Tour. He's a horse firmly in my tracker. He was badly hampered at the first in the Ultima Handicap Chase last time, losing all chance, but remains one to keep on side. Stablemate The Kniphand is another improving staying chaser worth a second look.
Surrey Quest, runner-up last year, returns 6lb higher in the weights. He’s probably better with a bit of cut in the ground, but did handle good going well enough when scoring at Cheltenham back in November.
Brandt Flying Under the Radar
Irish challenger Brandt is very interesting. He improved again when stepped up to 3m 4f in the Dublin National at Leopardstown last time and got the job done nicely. Sean Bowen is booked, which adds confidence. His official mark of 120 puts him outside the official rating trends for this race. However, his highly progressive profile makes him a serious contender.
Notably, The Kniphand (127) and Klarc Kent (122) also fall outside the usual rating band for recent winners, which could be a factor in such a competitive race.
Scottish Grand National 2025 Verdict
Expect a big field, a strong pace, and plenty of drama—everything you want from a springtime staying handicap chase.
I’m a trends fan when it comes to this race, but it’s not all straightforward this year. Three from my initial shortlist fall just outside one of the key stats, which makes final selections that bit trickier. That said, a clear picture is starting to form—and I’ll be sharpening the shortlist in the days ahead. 
If you want my final Ayr and Newbury selections, you can find them here. Along with picks for the rest of what's shaping up to be a very busy and exciting month.
Wednesday Racing
The Listed Barry Hills Further Flight Stakes (4.05) is one of Nottingham's biggest races of the year. However, its attracted just four runners so I can leave it alone.
There’s also Listed action at Leopardstown with the Heritage Stakes (3:48). Uluru hasn’t got her head in front since joining Joseph O’Brien but she ran well in the Sandringham at Royal Ascot and placed in Group and Listed company in France after that. She handles quick ground and gets a handy weight allowance from Lord Massusus, who also goes well on a sound surface and should come on for his seasonal reappearance.
The vote goes to Uluru, especially with his yard having landed the last two editions of this race.
Good luck with your Wednesday bets.
John