Aye Right heads the Scottish charge in search of a home National winner at last
Home trainers will be strongly represented at Ayr tomorrow they try to keep the Scottish Grand National trophy north of the border for the first time since Merigo’s win in 2012.
Harriet Graham's Aye Right is ante-post favourite for the Coral-sponsored showpiece, but must concede weight to all his 22 opponents following his string of placed efforts in hugely-competitive races.
Graham trains a small stable of eight alongside her role as clerk of the course at Musselburgh and Perth, and has overseen the Ayr showpiece herself, too, when covering for maternity leave. The Jedburgh handler describes Aye Right as “the star of the yard”, although victory has eluded the eight-year-old this season despite a series of gallant performances.
Aye Right was third behind Cyrname in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby, second in Newbury's Ladbrokes Trophy and again runner-up in Doncaster's Listed Sky Bet Chase. Also third in the Ultima Chase at Cheltenham last month, he is one of nine Scottish-trained runners in this weekend's big handicap.
Aye Right's rivals travelling north include Sue Smith's surprise Ultima winner Vintage Clouds and Brian Ellison's Eider Chase hero Sam's Adventure – as well as Paul Nicholls' Soldier Of Love, Dan Skelton's Oldgrangewood and Notachance from Alan King's yard.
Graham said: “I’m really, really proud and privileged to be training him.
“Let’s remember his owners, Geoff and Elspeth Adam, who are Scottish as well and Geoff has had horses in training in Scotland for many, many years. He’s right behind keeping his horses in Scotland to be trained – he's been incredibly loyal to me and to the jockey, Callum Bewley, who's also Scottish.
“I’m probably the least Scottish of the lot of them, having been brought up in Devon, but I have lived in Scotland now longer than I’ve lived in England,” said Graham on a call with Great British Racing.
Although Graham is hoping Aye Right can cross the line in front, she would be delighted with any Scottish winner. “It would be lovely if it was Aye Right but it would be lovely if it was another one of the Scottish trainers as well,” she added. “Maybe we could have the one-two-threefour – with Aye Right number one!”
Prominent among others capable of delivering a home victory is Lucinda Russell, who runs both Mighty Thunder and Big River. Kerry Lads was second for the Milnathort trainer back in 2004, and she would love to go one better.
“When I first started training back in 1995 it was always the aim,” she said. “It’s a race over four miles, and I tend to train stayers - even back in those days - so it was always the aim for the horses. Kerry Lads got us very close. He was second
and placed a couple of times, so it's always been an aim.”
Russell, pictured, who became only the second Scottish trainer to win the Grand National at Aintree when One For Arthur prevailed in 2017, has since noticed an increase in investment in the racing industry north of the border.
"I do think that four or five years ago, racing was really in the doldrums up here," she said. "I think it's really picked up – we're attracting a lot more media exposure,
which is great. The owners have invested money in really nice horses, (and) the trainers have upgraded their facilities.
"It's not just going to be this year. I think in the future you'll find a lot more Scottish influence in the Scottish National and in the big handicaps.
"It's fantastic and it's credit to the owners who stick with us and look after us and keep investing in horses with us.”
Yesterday’s action at Ayr saw a thrilling finish to the feature race, the Hillhouse
Quarry Handicap Chase. Five of the six runners came to the last with a chance of winning and Nietzsche (6-1), who jumped it in fourth, made up ground on his rivals in the last 110 yards to hit the front and hold off a late challenge by Not That Fuisse.
The Brian Ellison trained eight year-old, whose biggest previous win came at Cheltenham in the Greatwood Hurdle in November 2018, was given a peach of a ride from Jonathan Burke who said after
wards : “He just kept finding for me after the last. It was a tremendous race and he showed great tenacity.” The race for the jockeys championship is now definitely swinging in the favour of Harry Skelton who rode a first and last race double on Stepney Causeway and I’d Better Go Now for his trainer brother Dan with his rival Brian Hughes drawing a blank. Harry is now four winners clear with just a week of the season to go.