Vicente keeps crown
Aintree fall proves a ‘blessing in disguise’ as Twiston-Davies steers last year’s winner to a second Scottish Grand National win. Graeme Lafferty reports
HISTORY was made at a sun-soaked Ayr when Sam Twiston- Davies delivered backto-back wins in the Coral Scottish Grand National on board the joint-favourite Vicente.
A capacity crowd of some 17,000 revellers were treated to an action-packed day of high-class national hunt racing, the highlight of which was once again provided by champion trainer Paul Nicholls. He won the main prize for the second year running as Vicente became the first horse to successfully defend the title since Androma won in 1984 and 1985.
The 9-1 joint favourite was roared on to victory by the packed grandstands and he was certainly a popular winner as he struck right on the line to become the first favourite to win the race since Paris Pike back in 2000.
He travelled well throughout and stayed on well late on to claim the spoils right on the line ahead of Cogry, trained by Twiston-Davies’ father, Nigel. The wait went on, however, for a Scottish winner as the Sandy Thomson-trained Seldom Inn, the only home representative in the field, was pulled up before the conclusion.
It was, however, an emotional first win in the race for owner Trevor Hemmings, who bought the horse after the tragic death of his Grand National winner Many Clouds earlier in the season. He joked in the winners’ enclosure that he now has his sights set on the Welsh and Irish Nationals to complete the set.
“It was very fitting for him to come here and win this one for me, in view of the fact I had to replace the lovely Many Clouds,” Hemmings said. “He has done me proud. This means I have won the Aintree National and now the Scottish, so maybe we will have to target the Welsh and Irish next.”
Champion trainer Nicholls, who made the trip up from his Somerset base, was beaming with pride as he heaped praise on jockey Twiston-Davies for the fantastic ride he gave the horse.
Nicholls reckoned Vicente’s fall at the first fence at Aintree was a blessing in disguise.
“I knew he was fresh. Sam gave him a great ride and just took his time then he dug in deep near the finish to win so it was brilliant,” Nicholls said. “He was always travelling very well and I knew with a circuit to go he had a great chance. In a lot of ways the fall at the first at Aintree was the best thing that happened as it meant he didn’t have a hard race and came in here fresh.
“It is great for Trevor, who bought him to run him in the National. That didn’t work out, but it is great for the whole team that he could come here and deliver again. It is a really great race to win and we love to come to Ayr.
Nicholls is all too aware that he still has a mountain to climb if he is to retain his trainer’s title, but this victory and prize money of £122,442 has narrowed the gap on the current leader, Nicky Henderson to just under the £200,000 mark, and that has given Nicholls’ yard hope going into the
He has done me proud. This means I’ve won the Aintree National and now the Scottish, so maybe we will have to target the Welsh and Irish next
final few weeks of the campaign. He said: “I’ve got loads left to run, we’ve got loads heading to Sandown. It’s going to be very, very hard, but we’ll certainly give it a go, we always do. The chase next week is a big pot and we have two or three to run in that. Southfield Theatre has been laid out for that and Just A Par is going to run, and we have Modus for a hurdle race.”
Elsewhere on the card, it might have been an even better day for Nicholls team in the Scottish Champion hurdle. It was just as thrilling a finish as the main event as the Seamus Mullins-trained Chesterfield got up in the shadows of the post to just deny Nicholls’ Zubayr.