The Coral Scottish Grand National is one of the highlights of the spring jumping calendar and one of the most prestigious staying handicap chases run after Aintree. Staged at Ayr, it regularly attracts a deep and competitive field made up of improving staying chasers, seasoned handicappers and horses stepping up in trip for a major target.
Ayr is a left-handed, galloping track that generally places a slightly different emphasis on pace and rhythm compared with some of the more attritional winter venues. Even so, the Scottish National remains a searching test of stamina, particularly when the race is run strongly and the field begins to stretch turning for home.
Since its inception in the 19th century, the race has grown into Scotland’s most important long-distance chase and a fitting centrepiece for Ayr’s biggest jumps meeting of the year. It is a race that often rewards horses arriving in form, still improving and well treated for a test that blends class with staying power.
For Turf Talk followers, it is a race where profiles, ratings and trends can combine to produce a strong shortlist, especially when the market is struggling to separate exposed marathon types from progressive stayers.
