J J Slevin’s William Hill blog: Gold Cup Bailly a lively Scottish National contender

William Hill ambassador J J Slevin previews his rides on Scottish Grand National Day at Ayr this Saturday and reflects on Panda Boy’s run in the Grand National.

Ayr, Saturday

Ballycoose (1.50pm)

He is a decent enough horse that is rated 124, and off 10st 5lbs he has a nice weight on his back. He is a horse that has always shown plenty and he has threatened to land a nice prize along the way. He is wearing a first-time tongue tie, but he should be able to put his best foot forward in a race like this.

Schooling him the other day he felt really well, and he jumped well. Stepping up to three miles you might see a bit of improvement from him. I think going up in trip is the right direction as he goes along like he wants this sort of trip.

He goes about his job well, but we won’t know if he gets it over fences until we try, but he suggests that he will stay.

The ground is not too much of issue to him.

Condesa (3.00pm)

She is a decent mare, and she has a bit of black type next to her name from her bumper days. She was a bit a disappointing the last day, but she is another mare that is going up in trip here again so hopefully we can get her jumping away and she will run a good race.

I won a novice hurdle on her at Perth back in July after she came back from injury.

She won’t mind being back on this softer ground, and if she returns to her best she is not without a chance in a race like this.

Gold Cup Bailly (3.35pm)

Gold Cup Bailly is a nice horse that did very well as a novice chaser, and he won twice at Ayr last season. He is quite a solid sort of horse. He is high enough rated, but I think a race like the Scottish National, over four miles against 25 runners, will suit him.

He goes on like he will stay this sort of trip as he gets in a good rhythm with his jumping, but we won’t truly know until we try it on Saturday. He is in good form, and is fit and well, so hopefully he will put his best foot forward in this.

I’m not too worried that he is making his first start of the season in the Scottish National as Stuart (Crawford, trainer) will have got plenty of graft into him all along there, so let’s hope he can run a good race.

It would be lovely if I could win another National this season having won the Irish National already.

I Love My Baie (4.10pm)

He was good at Newbury, but we would probably be happier if the ground dried out for this lad. I’m looking forward to getting back on him as he is a largely consistent little horse.

He got put up seven pounds for his last win at Newbury, but I think he can manage that rise in the weights.

He is a strange sort of horse as through the early stages of his races he wouldn’t give much to you, and he wouldn’t set the world on fire. However, he gets into rhythm late on and he stays, and stays. He is bred to stay well as he is related to a French Champion Hurdle winner.

Newbury and Ayr have those big, long straights which take plenty of galloping and that seems to suit him. Going back up to this extended three miles should help him, while it was good to see the runner-up from his Newbury race (Pretending) boost the form by winning at Cheltenham this week.

Jony R (5.20pm)

A bumper on Scottish National day will be competitive enough especially with Willie (Mullins) sending one over there, but the horse has been doing well at home.

Stuart (Crawford) has a number of nice horses and you have to get them started off somewhere. He has been away for a few schooling days and he has done everything nicely enough. We will see where he slots in after this race.

He has been working well and is a nice sort of horse. He has good, solid, jumping breeding behind him so hopefully he will be a nice horse in time.

Reflections on Panda Boy in the Grand National

He probably jumped a little bit too slow over the fences. He is probably a horse for the National of old, however hopefully he will have learned from it, and got a bit of confidence from the spin around there. With that run under his belt you might see a different horse if he goes back there in the future, but it is a different race to what it once was.

I think he could go back there next year now he has a bit of confidence over those fences. It was interesting to see the horses that have done so well in the cross country races run so well in the race this year.

I can see jumping the hedges at Cheltenham would help him as you can run on down to those fences and gallop through the top of them, which is kind of what you need to do in the Grand National nowadays.

Things have changed, but we are just happy to keep the race. If we have to work with what they are suggesting then that is what we will have to do if it is to keep going.