Scottish Grand National

Scottish Grand National Overview

The Scottish Grand National is one of the biggest races in the jumps racing calendar.

Racing enthusiasts see the Scottish Grand National as the Scottish version of the Grand National held at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool. The fact that the famous Red Rum was victorious in both races during 1974 symbolises the association between the two feature races.

It attracts high-class staying chasers over a jaw-dropping and mind-boggling four-mile trip.

The race last year produced a pulsating finish between the Willie Mullins-trained Macdermott and the Toby Lawes-trained Surrey Quest. In what was literally a bob of the heads following four miles and twenty-seven fences, it was the Irish raider who took the honours.

Betting Trends and Statistics

• Three horses have won the Scottish Grand National a record three times:
  • Couvrefeu III (1911, 1912, and 1913)
  • Southern Hero (1934, 1936, and 1939)
  • Queen’s Taste (1953, 1954, and 1956)
• The Scottish icon Charlie Cunningham is the only jockey to have won this race four times
• Brian Hughes is the jockey to avoid in the race. He has had nine rides in the Scottish Grand National but has never won.
• Two trainers top the record books: Neville Crump and Ken Oliver, each with five victories.
• 10 of the last 11 winners carried between 10 stone and 11 stone 3 lbs.
• 9 of the last 11 winners had already recorded at least two chase wins.
• 10 of the last 11 winners had also won a race earlier in the same season.
• The race usually takes around eight minutes to run. Although, it can be slower if the ground is heavy.
• It is a difficult race in which to find the winner. Only three of the last ten favourites have obliged.

Scottish Grand National History

The Scottish Grand National has its roots traced back to 1858 when it was first run as the West of Scotland Grand National. This took place in a little village called Houston, located in Renfrewshire.

The race was soon relocated to Bogside Racecourse, close to the town of Irvine, North Ayrshire, in 1867. That venue remained the home of the race until the closure of the racecourse in 1965.

The next year, the Scottish Grand National was hosted at Ayr Racecourse, where it remains to this day. It was during this transition that the length of the race was extended from 3 miles to 4 miles.

It has traditionally been held on the Saturday of the Scottish Grand National Festival. The only exception to this was in 2021 when it was moved to Sunday due to the funeral of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, being held on Saturday that year.

Several comparisons have been made between the Scottish Grand National and its English counterpart. The first horse to complete the double by winning both races was the famous Music Hall, who won the Grand National in 1922.

This achievement has also been earned by both Little Polveir and Earth Summit. The legendary Red Rum was the first horse to win both the Scottish Grand National and the Grand National in the same year back in 1974.