Over a marathon trip of 4 miles, the Scottish Grand National takes place just over two weeks after Cheltenham this year, leaving a small gap for any horses who ran at this year’s Festival to be fully recovered in time. There are a few in here that have run at the Festival that I will be looking to avoid for the reason that it just looks to close a gap between two tough races. Although we don’t have either the first or second in last year’s contest running again this term, both the 3^rd and 4^th take their chances in the shape of The Ferry Master & Cool Mix. Although this race is usually run-on nice ground it takes a horse with plenty of stamina to come out on top so they’re the horses to keep on the right side of here.

3:35PM Scottish Grand National

There hasn’t been an Irish trainer winner of this race and I’m hoping Pat Fahy can buck that trend this year. He saddled one runner in the race last year in the shape of Mister Fogpatches and he ran a career best at the time to finish a gallant third. This year he’s bringing across two runners with Stormy Judge looking the most interesting of the two and possibly of the whole race. He was a winner on his final start last season at Navan in a race that’s worked out extremely well. The second that day, Enjoy D’allen was bought by JP McManus after his last start and is a fancied runner for next week’s Aintree Grand National whilst the 3^rd School Boy Hours won the ultra-competitive Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown over the Christmas period. This race looks to have been the plan for Stormy Judge for quite a while as he’s only had the two starts this season, one over hurdles and then last time at Naas in the Leinster National when he really caught the eye with the way he travelled into the race before getting tired late on. The ground must be a slight concern here given most of his good form is on softer conditions but he has a very interesting profile for the race and is still only a 7yo so I would suspect there’s more to come.

Major Dundee who is another unexposed 7yo in here for Trainer Alan King, who’s won this race in the past with Godsmejudge back in 2013. He started off the season in fine style by winning his first two starts on contrasting ground conditions. Off an 85 day break last time he finished 2^nd in a Newbury Novice Handicap and that run at the beginning of March should leave him spot on for this race. Although it’s a big jump in trip having only contested three races over 3 miles, he looks the type that should stay with these drying conditions so I feel he can make his presence felt at a nice each way price.

Paul has picked out the following bets for the Scottish Grand National 👇🏼

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📅   When is the Scottish Grand National? / Saturday, 2nd April from 3:35pm
🏟   Where is the Scottish Grand National? / Ayr Racecourse
📺   What TV channel is  the Scottish Grand National? / ITV 4