IT is unusual to have the Scottish Grand National today, in early April, a week before Aintree’s Grand National, two weeks (and two days) before the Irish Grand National. Easter, they say. It’s because of Easter.

Strangely, in 2006, when Easter fell (almost) as late as it falls this year, when Easter Sunday was on April 16th, the National order remained as you would have expected: Aintree on April 8th, Fairyhouse on April 17th, Ayr on 22nd April.

And as recently 2019, when Easter was crazily late, which meant that the Irish Grand National was run on April 22nd, the Aintree National was run on April 6th with the Scottish National on April 13th.

Of course it makes sense that the three Nationals are run on different dates, so with that in mind, the decision for Ayr was, run today, before the Aintree National, or run on April 23rd, in three weeks’ time, after the Irish National, as they did in 2006.

The main difficulty with running the Scottish National before the Aintree National is that, for connections whose horses are on the cusp of the cut-off point for Aintree, and for whom Ayr would have guaranteed a run in a National, they had to decide whether to twist or stick.

Run at Ayr, and therefore effectively end Aintree aspirations, or hold fire and hope that they get in at Aintree.

<It is interesting that no horse between number 41 and number 57 at Aintree is running in today’s race. Hill Sixteen, number 58, is the first horse on the Aintree list who is set to run in the Scottish National.

Of course, those horses also have the Irish National and the Bet365 Gold Cup option, so the respective timings of the races may be an influencing factor in the reality that the top weight in today’s race, Hill Sixteen, is rated 147, 8lb lower than last year’s top-weight, and the lowest-rated top weight in the Scottish National since 2001.

Extreme test

The Irish challenge for today’s race in small but select. The John McConnell-trained Streets Of Doyen should appreciate this extreme test, and he won his bumper on his only run at Ayr, on his racecourse debut, when he was with Stuart Crawford.

Pat Fahy went close in last year’s renewal with Mister Fogpatches, who ran a big race in finishing third, going down by just over four lengths to Mighty Thunder, and he sends History Of Fashion and Stormy Judge.

History Of Fashion has run just six times over fences, and he stayed on well last time to take third place behind Velvet Elvis in a three-mile handicap chase at Navan under today’s rider Philip Enright, shaping as if he could progress for an even greater test of stamina.

Stormy Judge is really interesting. He was a highly progressive novice chaser last season, winning over two and a half miles at Naas in January, before stepping up on that in landing a three-mile novices’ handicap chase at Navan, when he had subsequent Irish National third Enjoy D’Allen and this season’s Paddy Power Chase winner School Boy Hours behind him in second and third places respectively.

Pat Fahy’s horse didn’t race again until he made his debut this season over hurdles at Naas in February, and he shaped encouragingly last time in the Leinster National.

A full-brother to Mister Fogpatches, that run should have brought him forward nicely for today, a race that his trainer has surely had in mind for a while. With Danny Mullins for company, he could run a big race.

That said, he has been well found in the market, and he still has to prove that he can be as effective on goodish ground as he is on soft or heavy and, at a bigger price, Major Dundee may be a better betting proposition.

Alan King’s horse has run just three times over fences but, a progressive novice hurdler last season, he has continued that progression over fences this term.

He has won two of those three races over fences, but he probably put up the best performance of his life last time in defeat, when he finished second to Fuji Flight over almost three miles at Newbury four weeks ago.

He got a little outpaced when they quickened at the top of the home straight, but he stayed on well for pressure, despite being a little tight for room on the run-in.

The first two came nicely clear of Soldier Of Destiny, who enhanced the form next time in winning a novices’ handicap chase at Haydock. He is now rated 6lb higher than he was at Newbury.

The handicapper raised Major Dundee by just 3lb to a mark of 132, and that was more than fair. A winner over three miles over hurdles, there is every chance that he will appreciate this extreme test, he goes well on goodish ground, and his trainer, who won this race with another novice in Godsmejudge in 2013, has probably targeted him at this race, a race in which novices do well, for at least a little while. His Newbury run was his first run since December, it should bring him forward nicely for today

Recommended

Barrichello, 2.25 Ayr, 7/1 (generally), 1 point win

Major Dundee, 3.35 Ayr, 12/1 (generally), 1 point each-way

BARRICELLO could run well in the Coral Scottish Champion Hurdle earlier in the day. Donald McCain’s horse has won four of his five races this season, his only defeat coming when he whipped around at the start at Bangor in December.

On his penultimate run, in a two-mile handicap hurdle at Warwick, he kept on well enough to hold the late challenge of Good Risk At All by a neck, with Washington back in third and the first three clear.

The form of that race has been enhanced significantly since, with Washington winning easily at Southwell next time, and Good Risk At All winning a strong handicap hurdle at Ascot. Sam Thomas’ horse is now rated 13lb higher than he was at Warwick.

Barrichello gets to race off just a 4lb higher mark, despite the fact that he won well himself next time at Newcastle, admittedly in a weak contest. He is proven on the ground, and he goes into the race on an upward trajectory, with the potential to go well beyond the handicap rating of 134 off which he races today.