Riding 200 winners this season isn’t a formality. I’d love to get there, but all I can do is continue working hard and hope that the numbers come. We’ve got the Scottish Grand National this weekend, which is a huge race, but I’m just after winners. I’d take 200 winners over the Scottish National, but both would be nice!
Hoping for Drama at Ayr
My ride in the Scottish Grand National (3:35pm), Innisfree Lad, is a bit of an outsider. He jumps and he stays, which are two of the most important things you need in a National, but you wonder whether there’s one or two that are better handicapped. He gets the trip and good or good-to-soft ground should be ideal for him, so he’s got a live each-way chance.
It’s a brilliant card overall and I kick off with Malystic in the Listed Chase (1:15pm). I schooled him earlier in the week and he felt really well. His form as a novice last year was good, finishing second to Protektorat at Carlisle on his first start over fences and then going onto win his next two. He then stepped up to 2m4f for the Future Champions Chase at this meeting 12 months ago, where he ran okay but didn’t really get home.
He was still going well before unseating the last day at Doncaster, and while it probably happened too far out to say where he would have finished, he was clearly running a good race. I think he’s got a very good chance.
I’m on Barrichello in the Scottish Champion Hurdle (2:25pm). He’s done nothing wrong this season and has four wins to his name, including in Listed company at Haydock, as well as beating Sam Thomas’ No Risk At All at Warwick who then went on to win a good race at Ascot. He won as he liked the last day at Newcastle, and the second has franked the form since, so there’s plenty to be positive about.
West Cork looks like the one to beat and he brings a good level of form to the table, but it’s only been just over two weeks since Cheltenham. The yard obviously feel he’s okay but it will be interesting to see if that’s left its mark on him at all.
Last year’s winner, Milkwood, has solid claims too, but he’s up 8lbs which makes things harder. My horse is fit and well, he’s got a nice racing weight and stays the trip, so we’ll give it a good go.
Minella Drama is possibly my best chance on the card in the Future Champions Novices’ Chase (3:00pm). You can forget about his run the last day at Kempton. He got stuck in traffic on the way down to the course and he really didn’t show his best that day. If you ignore that run, then his form looks very solid and we know he’s a lot better than that.
There’s a bit of rain forecast overnight which he wouldn’t mind either. He goes on most types of ground, but definitely handles a bit of cut.
Autumn Return is a nice filly to be riding in the bumper (5:15pm). She won a point-to-point on her third start, and I’d imagine the owners, who are Scottish, were keen to run her at this meeting. She’s been working well at home and will hopefully run a decent race.
Willie win the trainers’ title?
Things are really hotting up in the trainers’ title race too, where it looks like any four of Paul Nicholls, Nicky Henderson, Dan Skelton or even Ireland’s Willie Mullins could win it. There’s some big prize money on offer at Aintree and the Grand National itself could be the title decider.
Willie [Mullins] has come close before, but you’ve got to go all the way back to Vincent O’Brien in the 50s to find the last Irishman to win a British Trainers’ Championship. Willie has won only a handful of races in the UK this season, but for all the time that the championship is decided by prize money he’ll always have a chance.
It might seem strange that an Irish trainer can be in with a big shout of landing the UK title, but that’s the way it is, I think it works, and we can’t moan about it. If the Jockeys’ Championship was awarded on prize money then I’d still just about be okay as things stand this season, but it would be a fair bit closer!
