ALL OUR YESTERDAYS AND A DAQMAN NATIONAL TREBLE: Daqman indulges in some wishful thinking as he puts one up for a third lost Grand National, after Liverpool and Fairyhouse. It gives him a chance to chat about the Scottish National winners of yesterday. He has so far landed an 18-1 winning bet (a real one in the ITV virtual race) and aimed a 50.0 BETDAQ strike at Aintree 2021 (also real). So it’s not all fantasy!
Tomorrow: The truth about the Classic trials
CAP IN HAND FOR A HAT-TRICK
I’ve got another Grand National winner. Or rather, I think I’ve missed another one. After my 18-1 strike with Potters Corner in the computerised Virtual Grand National, I wanted to add the Irish National and the Scottish equivalent for a hat-trick that never was.
Last Sunday I ‘ran’ the Irish Grand National in the most amazing computer ever known (the human brain) and came up with Milan Native, Gordon Elliottt’s Kim Muir winner.
I couldn’t bet on the day but I put my money where my mouth is by investing a pound on the 2021 Aintree Grand National: 50.0 Milan Native in the BETDAQ Sportsbook.
Today’s Coral Scottish Grand National was won by Red Rum in 1974, the marvellous Moorcroft Boy for ‘Duke Nicholson’ in 1996, and the tearaway Young Kenny landed a gamble in 1999.
The only Irish-trained winner was The Huntsman way, way back in 1869. Even more surprisingly, there was no Scottish-trained winner until Merigo, who was one of those as rare as Red Rum at Liverpool in that he came back two years after his first win at Ayr (2010) and won it again (2012), both times ridden by the always-reliable Timmy Murphy.
It says a lot for trainer Andrew Parker that he got him to the second leg only 2lb higher than his first winning weight. Shrewd or what!
But Paul Nicholls also saddled a double with Vicente. Perhaps it says even more of trainer and jockey Sam Twiston-Davies that they scored with their 2016 winner (off 11st 3lb) again in 2017 under a pretty-much-welter burden of 11st 10lb.
That was the highest weight carried since one of the punters’ darlings of the race, the great Grey Abbey, whose 2004 success for Howard Johnson under the marvellous Graham Lee raised the roof of the Ayr-racecourse stands.
I looked for a possible Sam Twiston-Davies ride again today, and a probable for his dad, Nigel, who won it with Captain Dibble (1992), Earth Summit (1994) and Hello Bud (2009).
Their impressive Ascot winner Ballyoptic was beaten only a nose in the Scottish National of 2018, giving a stone to the winner off 149 but has shot up to a 163 rating now, so he’s between the devil (also known as the handicapper) and the deep-blue sea.
Finally, I settled for another seeking to step up on a previous effort in the race, Cloth Cap, third last year for Jonjo O’Neill.
I imagined that Jonjo senior, with Jonjo junior on board no doubt, had it sorted off just 2lb higher, having run him at Cheltenham after a three-month break.
Daqman’s Coral Scottish Grand National verdict: 1 Cloth Cap
RACING’S A FUNNY OLD GAME..
FALL GUY: When I met Ivan Straker, owner of 2000 Scottish National winner, Paris Pike, at a Press launch for the Aintree Grand National, he had his arm in a sling.
‘How did you do that?’
‘Limbo dancing.’ (Ask a silly question..)
Paris Pike was an overdue change of luck for Straker as an owner: he had sold the horse named after his company, Seagram, only to watch it win the 1991 Grand National
KEEP IT DARK: That same year, 1991, Omerta ran second in the Scottish National. He was named after the Mafia code of silence. ‘I wasn’t there but, if I was, I saw nothing.’
That’s many a trainer’s instructions to his lads after something in the yard has done a particularly impressive gallop.
NEEDLE MATCH: Garrison Savannah won the Gold Cup in 1991 after trainer Jenny Pitman had him treated for lameness with a course of acupuncture.
The horse came second in the Aintree Grand National in the same year but never got the credit he deserved
Just look at his Gold Cup form! In the race, he beat two former winners, Desert Orchid (third) and Norton’s Coin, and two future winners, The Fellow (second) and Cool Ground (fourth). Pulled up was future Grand National winner, Party Politics.
Did you know that as well as checking the realtime prices on BETDAQ below – you can also log into your account and place your bets directly into BETDAQ from BETDAQ TIPS.
