Willie Mullins Sets Sights on Historic Scottish Grand National Hat-Trick
Despite the British trainers championship being mathematically out of reach this season, legendary Irish trainer Willie Mullins has strategically kept many of his top horses at home following the Cheltenham Festival. This tactical decision, however, did not prevent him from securing another monumental Grand National victory at Aintree, where I Am Maximus spectacularly emulated the great Red Rum by regaining his crown. Mullins has once again proven himself as the preeminent figure for the sport's most prestigious races.
Road To Home Leads Mullins' Charge at Ayr
As the racing world's focus shifts from Aintree to the Scottish track at Ayr, Mullins stands on the cusp of achieving a remarkable third successive victory in the Coral Scottish Grand National this Saturday. The sole representative from his powerful Closutton stable is ROAD TO HOME, currently priced at 14-1 with Coral, competing for the substantial £200,000 prize fund. This promising young horse finished as the runner-up in the Kim Muir Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, displaying a profile that suggests he thrives over marathon distances on decent ground.
Road To Home bears a strikingly similar profile to previous Mullins-trained winners of this race, Captain Cody and Macdermott. The form from the Kim Muir is already proving solid, with third-placed Monbeg Genius subsequently delivering a credible fifth-place finish in the Irish Grand National. The hope is that Road To Home will take his chance and continue this positive trend for the Mullins yard.
Strong Contenders and Local Hopes
Another key contender emerging from the Kim Muir form is KIM ROQUE (12-1, Coral), owned by Ronnie Bartlett and trained by Joseph O'Brien. Finishing fourth in that race, his performance can arguably be upgraded as he raced off the pace in an event where being handy proved advantageous. It is therefore understandable that he is vying for favouritism. The O'Brien yard demonstrated its current wellbeing with Home By The Lee winning the Liverpool Hurdle and Jordans delivering a mighty third-place run in the Grand National itself.
These two horses, Road To Home and Kim Roque, currently sit at the top of the shortlist for the 60th running of this prestigious Scottish contest. However, the favourite with race sponsors Coral is King Of Answers, trained by the Scottish partnership of Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore, whose runners traditionally attract strong local support at Ayr. He was an excellent second in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham and has proven popular with punters.
David Stevens, a representative for Coral, noted: 'Lucinda Russell is a former winner of the Coral Scottish National, scoring with Mighty Thunder five years ago, and punters have been quick to put their faith in King Of Answers repeating that success, to give Scotland another home victory in its biggest race.' A midweek bulletin from Russell, however, introduced a note of caution, revealing that King Of Answers had not fully recovered from his Cheltenham exertions, a factor that must be considered.
Sir Alex Ferguson's Hurdle Hope
The supporting card features the always-competitive Coral Scottish Champion Hurdle, a terrific two-mile handicap. Here, football legend Sir Alex Ferguson could enjoy success as a part-owner of UN SENS A LA VIE (12-1, Coral). Trained by Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies, this relatively unexposed six-year-old possesses form that suggests his current handicap mark of 130 is exploitable.
Un Sens A La Vie was a close three-length second to Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Old Park Star and then ran creditably to finish fourth in the valuable William Hill Handicap Hurdle on testing ground in February. Freshened up for this assignment, he presents as a very exciting prospect for the race.
Performance of the Week: I Am Maximus
The PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK undoubtedly belongs to I AM MAXIMUS, who achieved the truly special feat of regaining the Grand National crown. In the modern era of the race, where class often outweighs the burden of weight, the ten-year-old, trained by Willie Mullins and expertly ridden by Paul Townend, produced a devastating late run on the outside to clinch a thrilling victory at Aintree, further cementing Mullins' status as the master of the big occasion.
