Leading Willie Mullins contenders for Scottish Grand National drift on crucial day for trainers’ title race

The Coral Scottish Grand National is set to play a pinnacle role in this year’s trainers’ championship but there is no strength behind the leading contenders trained by Willie Mullins, with Macdermott, Spanish Harlem and Mr Incredible all on the drift on Saturday morning.

The Closutton trainer won the Grand National with I Am Maximus last Saturday, handing him the lead in the title race, but he is now chasing Dan Skelton by £4,982 after that trainer enjoyed a 285-1 treble at the Scottish track on Friday.

While Spanish Harlem, the mount of Paul Townend, ante-post plunge horse Macdermott and Mr Incredible were all available at around the 9-1 mark on Friday evening, now they are trading at 12-1, 14-1 and 14-1 respectively. Mullins will also be represented by Klarc Kent, We’llhavewan and Ontheropes.

In contrast, Skelton’s Ballygrifincottage is solid in the market and is as short as 11-1 in places having been around the 16-1 mark on Friday. The trainer will also have a leading chance in the Coral Scottish Champion Hurdle with the Betfair Hurdle and County runner-up L’Eau Du Sud.

Paul Nicholls, who will field last year’s winner Rubaud and Afadil in the feature hurdle race, will be hoping his runners in the Scottish National, Stay Away Fay and Broken Halo, can make an impact in the £200,000 prize to reassert himself in the battle.

Punters placing faith in Alan King for Scottish Champion Hurdle

Punters are putting their faith in proud Scot Alan King to strike in the Scottish Champion Hurdle, with his runner Favour And Fortune supported into 9-2 from 11-2.

The novice has been keeping good company this season and was last seen finishing sixth – and first of the British runners – in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival last month.

Favour And Fortune: jumped the last alongside Jango Baie in the Grade 1 Formby Novices’ Hurdle in DecemberCredit: Andrew R Parker andrew@grossick,GROSSICK RACING 07710461723

Mystical Power, who finished a respectable second to Slade Steel that day, has since boosted the form by landing the Grade 1 Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.

Favour And Fortune, a four-time winner, also finished second to Jango Baie in the Grade 1 Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day. 

He makes his handicap debut off a mark of 138 this afternoon and his trainer knows what it takes to win the race having scooped it with Raya Star in 2012.

King’s confidence has been boosted by the drying ground at Ayr, with the track now soft, good to soft in places from soft all over.

He said he was “dying to see” the six-year-old on a decent surface in the Racing Post’s preview on Friday. 

Favour And Fortune (white cap): in action in the Supreme Novices’ HurdleCredit: Alan Crowhurst

No rain overnight has caused conditions to improve, with the good to soft areas predominantly around two furlongs out in the home straight. 

Clerk of the course Graeme Anderson said: “I’d say that 90 per cent of the track is proper soft ground, it is only the last two furlongs in the home straight that is good to soft.

“The forecast is for it to stay dry, with sunny spells but it will only be 13c or 14C and I don’t see the ground changing much.”

Local chance Oirr to relish conditions 

Among those set to be suited by the improvement in the going is the locally trained Inis Oirr in the feature Coral Scottish Grand National, who is the clear second favourite at 8-1 behind Git Maker. 

The Lucinda Russell-trained chaser was a 21-length winner of the Edinburgh National at Musselburgh on his most recent start and has a distinct preference for decent ground.

Inis Oirr: won the Edinburgh National in excellent style when last seenCredit: JOHN GROSSICK

The trainer said: “It was a nice run in the Edinburgh National. We were keen to run him in the Midlands National, but it was too heavy. He has gone up in the weights since Musselburgh, but I still think there is a bit of value left in his mark.” 

Russell, who was out of luck with the reigning champion Corach Rambler in last week’s Grand National at Aintree, last won the Scottish version with Mighty Thunder in 2021.

Non-runners

Ayr
4.45 Phantomofthepoints, Dripsey Moon 

Newbury
5.00 Hopeful

Read our Saturday previews: 

1.50 Ayr: Sharjah leads the Willie Mullins charge as Grade 1-winning veteran tackles competitive Scottish Champion Chase 

2.05 Newbury: 1,000 Guineas clues on offer as Gosdens clash with speedy Relief Rally in Group 3 Fred Darling 

2.25 Ayr: ‘The ground should be perfect and he has no excuses’ – analysis and quotes for a quality Scottish Champion Hurdle 

2.40 Newbury: Can Zoum Zoum get Ralph Beckett’s big season off to a fast start at Newbury? 

3.15 Newbury: Will a low draw be key to Spring Cup success again or has the market got it right? 

3.35 Ayr: ‘I’ve no doubt he’s better than his mark’ – top trainers on their leading Scottish Grand National hopes 

Ayr has never seen anything like it as Willie Mullins brings huge team in search of a first success  

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