WE have been here before: Willie Mullins with a congregation of runners in the Coral Scottish Grand National, and a trainers’ championship on the line.

It’s almost as you were 12 months ago. The Aintree Grand National in the bag and the battalions loaded up for Ayr. It has been a little different during the preamble this year, mind you, because you could easily have argued that 9/1 or 10/1 about Ireland’s perennial champion winning the British trainers’ championship again this year was poor value going into the Aintree Grand National meeting. Then he won the first four Grade 1 races on the first day and bagged over £400,000 in prize money.