WINGS WINS FOR WALES
CHRISTIAN WILLIAMS dominated the Coral Scottish Grand National when Win Mywings landed the prize – and with stablemate Kitty’s Light finishing an honourable second at Ayr.
Draped in thewelsh flag and clutching the winners’ trophy, Williams said: “We came here with two horses we thought could win the race.
“I feel sorry for Kitty’s but nothing would have beatenwin My Wings today – that’s how it looked to me.
“It was some performance.”
To lessenwin My Wings’ big weight, Williams (right) booked crack Irish amateur Rob James, successful in
250 point-to-points, as he was entitled to claim 7lb.
But the manner of the mare’s victory suggested that she could have won with a nuch heavier jockey on her back.
Kitty’s Light, not much bigger than a pony, ran her heart out for Jack Tudor.
Alan King was responsible for the third home, Major Dundee, and the fourth Fidux.
As for the wellbacked Stormy Judge, he never jumped with any fluency and was pulled up before the fourth last fence.
Williams has now shrugged off the label that he was once famed for riding Denman as he is now a trainer going places who can exchange blows with the very best in the game.
Asked for the secret to his success, which now includes victories in the Welsh Grand National (Potters Corner in 2019), and the Eider Chase (Win My Wings 2022), he pointed out that his horses thrive from the training on the sand dunes at his Ogmoreby-sea stables in Glamorgan.
Ireland might have come up short in the big one, but they did not go home empty handed after Anna Bunina bettered her second in last year’s Scottish Champion
Hurdle when taking this season’s prize.
The mare was given a cracking ride by Sean Bowen for Co. Meath trainer John Mcconnell.
The trainer said: “She’s got Flat speed and she certainly showed it there.
“I’m over the moon because she got a really serious injury when she finished second in it last year. “She got some birch in a tendon and it was touch and go for a while.”
With curtain soon coming down on the jumps’ season, Dusart and Do Your Job, winners of their respective races, are both worth remembering as they look destined for top honours next term.