THUNDER BOLT
Mighty success for Russell
MIGHTY THUNDER outstayed his rivals to win the Coral Scottish National and give trainer Lucinda Russell a dream success.
Tom Scudamore conjured a late lunge out of the winner in the fourmile contest at Ayr to collar favourite Dingo Dollar in the dying strides by three-quarters of a length.
It was a fantastic result for Scottishtrained horses, which filled four of the first five places.
Mighty Thunder, trained in Kinross by Russell and her partner Peter Scudamore, had already won the Edinburgh National at Musselburgh and was second in the Midlands National at Uttoxeter on his last two starts.
He was the first home-trained winner of Scotland’s most famous jumps race since Merigo in 2012.
Scudamore replaced the injured Blair Campbell on the winner and Russell said: “I feel sorry for Blair as he should have ridden him. I won the Grand National and I’ve always wanted to win the Scottish one.”
Paddy Power made Mighty Thunder a 33-1 chance for the 2022 Grand National at Aintree, a race Russell won One For Arthur in 2017.
Harry Skelton temporarily pulled seven clear of Brian Hughes in the race for the jump jockeys’ title with victory on Allmankind in the Jordan Electrics Ltd Future Champions Novices’ Chase.
Fourth in the Arkle Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival, Allmankind relished the longer 2m 4f trip to come home clear.
But the reigning champion pulled a winner back when guiding
Vina Ardanza to win the last race. with