Lucinda Russell’s William Hill blog: Scottish Grand National Meeting Runners Preview

William Hill ambassador Lucinda Russell previews her runners at Ayr’s Scottish Grand National meeting.

We send a relatively small but select team to Ayr for the Scottish Grand National meeting, and while we’ve not got a runner in the big one, I’m going to run the rule over some of my better chances over the two days.

Friday, Ayr

We start the Scottish National meeting with Kingston James in the two-mile handicap hurdle (1.30pm). We’ve had a little issue settling him this season, so we had put the hood on him, but that’s now come off, so we’ll just have the red hood to the start. He’s learned to race a bit more professionally so we could ride him more positively last time, and clearly he benefitted from that as he won well. Jack Power, who claims seven pounds, will ride him and it seemed like a good time to make use of his allowance.

We’re also looking forward to running Walk On Quest in a novices’ limited handicap chase (3.15pm). He had won four in a row prior to the other day at Uttoxeter, where the ground was infamously a bit of a mess, so we’ll put a line through that. He’s been quite a revelation since going chasing and hopefully he’s still on a good mark.

From The Clouds is our final runner on the card where he makes his chase debut (3.50pm). We’ve had to take care of him as he has had injury problems, but the fences at Ayr should suit him, but this might be quite a tall order after a long break.

Saturday, Ayr

Things didn’t fall right for Traprain Law in the Grand Annual but he’s back and goes for the opener (1.10pm). He hasn’t quite had the rub of the green all season, really, and he ought to have soft ground to be at his best. He might find this test on the sharp side on the likely quick ground, but he does like the track and I’d like to think he can put in a good show of himself.

Whistle Stop Tour had been one for the Scottish National, but at the last minute we made the call that the three-mile novice chase (1.43pm). We’ve leant in this direction because he is still a novice and it’s a smaller field, and also in the back of my mind I slightly worry if he’ll be a bit anxious jumping after a rough race in the Ultima. We felt that going for a big-field handicap at this stage wouldn’t be the best thing to do. He is definitely a stayer, so this three-mile trip might be on the sharp side, but at least we can be nice and positive with him and hopefully he has a good chance off his mark.

Fox’s Fancy has a nice bit of ability and goes in the mares’ handicap hurdle (2.55pm). She’s One For Arthur’s half-sister and while she’s not as big and robust as him, she is talented and does run great races. She’d have a little squeak here, and we won the race last year with a mare who’s not as good as Fox’s Fancy, so we’d like our chances.