NICK’S GRAND MOVE

NICK SCHOLFIELD has been lined up to ride Jim Culloty’s Spring Heeled in the Crabbie’s Grand National at Aintree on Saturday week.

Scholfield (below) had been expected to partner Paul Nicholls-trained Sam Winner, who was pulled up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, in the £1million race.

But the champion trainer yesterday said it was unfair to tie Scholfield down to a gelding who is far from certain to run when the mount on a leading definite contender is being offered. Scholfield, who has ridden in six Nationals and finished third in 2013 on Teaforthree, will sit on Spring Heeled at Culloty’s County Cork stable tomorrow.

Nicholls said: ‘I have not made up my mind if I am going to run Sam Winner yet and Nick needed a decision.

‘I did not want to get into a situation next week when I had to say, ‘‘Sorry mate, he is not running’’ and did not want to stop him getting a good ride. ‘ I have not pressed any buttons on any of the horses who ran at Cheltenham. That will happen over the weekend and early next week.

‘I don’t want to run them unless I am happy. I have plenty of other lads who could ride Sam Winner and I wouldn’t be afraid to use Will Biddick or Harry

Skelton.’

Spring Heeled, winner of the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup at last season’s Cheltenham Festival, has been given a National preparation.

The eight-year-old has run only once since finishing fourth to Road To Riches in the Galway Plate in July, and he finished fourth of five in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse in February.

Racemail revealed yesterday that Culloty would have two runners in the National.

Robbie McNamara will ride his 2014 Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere. LUKE MORRIS became the first jockey to ride 100 winners during an All Weather Flat racing season when a double at Chelmsford aboard Giantouch and Middle East Pearl carried him to 101 successes for the campaign.