SCU’S GRAND PLAN
PETER SCUDAMORE believes One for Arthur can spark a change in attitudes by winning the world’s greatest horse race for Scotland.
The eight-time champion jockey is the partner of Lucinda Russell, the Perthshire trainer who aims to give the country glory in the Grand National at Aintree for the first time since Rubstic won 38 years ago.
Finances in the sport have dictated that a handful of powerful owners and trainers rule the roost. Despite the talent within trainers based in Scotland and the north of England, the ammunition and supply of top horses is lacking in these areas for them to work their magic.
Scudamore, though, believes their skills can be emphasised by One for Arthur streaking to success at Liverpool tomorrow.
He said: “I don’t like this little Scottish stable thing. I don’t like that bracket as I think we compete perfectly well with everyone. When you look at some of the big southern stables, it’s like Premier League football.
“Chelsea can pay £20million for someone and Celtic can’t. It doesn’t make one better or worse.
“We just can’t compete with prices that the likes of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott can pay.
“Gordon is backed by Ryanair in the shape of Gigginstown. We go to bid for a horse at £100,000 and they open the bidding at £100,000. But what we can do is produce good, class staying chasers such as One for Arthur.
“We go to Aintree with a pride and confidence as we have proved in the past we are good with staying chasers.
“When I first came into racing it wasn’t the Irish and southern stables who dominated. It’s cyclical. You can go through the political stuff, but it is the power of London, to an extent.
“There is huge money spread into certain stables which comes from London and the Irish is Gigginstown, so the financial backing has changed. That’s the difference, but I still feel it’s cyclical and will change again.”
Scudamore never landed the National as a rider but does know how to win the race having been assistant trainer and business partner with Nigel Twiston-Davies at the time of Earth Summit and Bindaree’s victories.
He added: “It was a huge joy as two stupid little boys who grew up together in a small, rural English village could train a National winner.”