Megan Nicholls joins our top panel for Scottish Grand National day - and she thinks the big one will stay in Scotland
Pat Cooney, James Hill, Keith Melrose and Maddy Playle also join this week's panel
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Who wins the Scottish National (3.35 Ayr)?
Pat Cooney, bet365 The stats suggest you need a progressive second-season novice chaser who skipped the Cheltenham Festival to stay fresh for this. Top of my list is Montregard, who fits all of the requirements needed and was a very good winner at Ascot last time. He can give his owner, JP McManus, a second Grand National winner in the space of a week.
James Hill, tipster Herakles Westwood has long been on my radar for a big long-distance handicap such as this. I’ll also do the first two from the Kim Muir in a forecast, with marginal preference for Road To Home. It’s surprising he’s not shorter given Willie Mullins has landed the last two runnings and this horse was a neck away from giving his trainer a first handicap chase success at the Cheltenham Festival.
Keith Melrose, betting editor It's a smashing race, and I'll be playing three horses, with Montregard at the top. His Ascot form is really strong, he shapes like he will stay forever and given how his trainer Tom Lacey and owner JP McManus were so well stocked for Aintree, this will have always been the plan. The other two are the progressive Kap Vert and last year's third Our Power.
Megan Nicholls, broadcaster I like King Of Answers, who stayed on well when second in the National Hunt Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and the rain that's forecast should help – the softer the better for him. He's still relatively lightly raced over fences and this has probably been a long-term plan from his connections. Lucinda Russell has won this race previously, and he's still got scope for improvement.
Maddy Playle, reporter I was hoping Ask Brewster might get away with less than a 7lb rise for his Kim Muir win, but he’s still progressive and I expect this track and trip to suit him. I’d also throw Herakles Westwood into the mix. He was below form at the festival but now finds himself just 1lb higher than his last winning mark. He should also enjoy the stamina test on a flatter track.
Who do you like in the Scottish Champion Hurdle (2.20 Ayr)?
Cooney I don’t know what happened to All In You last time, as he disappointed when pulled up in the big handicap hurdle at Newbury in February. It may be possible that the ground was too testing. However, his two previous runs in decent handicap hurdles at Ascot and Sandown put him very much in the mix here, if he can bounce back to his best.
Hill Preference is for Captain Hugo over Tellherthename. The latter was an eyecatcher in the County Hurdle on his first run for Dan Skelton, but he’s pretty short for a horse who hasn’t won since January 2024. In contrast, Captain Hugo recorded a career best when winning the Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso last time. That race has worked out well, and it’s been a good guide to this contest in recent years.
Melrose It's not a betting race for me, although Tellherthename is not far off a backable price, even though he's the favourite. There are a couple of Dan Skelton runners at Ayr that went to the Cheltenham Festival as understudies (Calico in the 1.10 is the other), but have had this as their main aim and this horse is well handicapped on his best form.
Nicholls I'm going to forgive Tutti Quanti for the Champion Hurdle when he was reluctant at the start. I think we could see him enjoying himself back on softer ground. His training has been good at home and he's not showed any signs of the same jibbing, and an assistant will be at the start to make sure everything's okay. Based on what we saw of him at Newbury, he's overpriced.
Playle I put up Tutti Quanti at 10-1 in my Weekender column this week and I think he could be hard to pass. His William Hill Handicap Hurdle form has worked out brilliantly with Wellington Arch winning twice since, including at Aintree's Grand National meeting and he’s still well handicapped on the Racing Post Rating he put up at Newbury. Hopefully his class can see him through.
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Who do you fancy in the Greenham (2.00 Newbury)?
Pat Cooney If Albert Einstein really is the real deal for Aidan O'Brien, then he’ll go off favourite and probably win, of course. However, doubts remain after a disappointing recent run. Gonna Fly and Needle Match made winning debuts at this track on the same day last year, and both are sure to improve on their form, too. Slight preference is for Gonna Fly.
Hill Zavateri is pretty solid. He won a Group 1 and two Group 2s last season and his only defeat was in the Dewhurst Stakes, where I’m not sure he was totally in love with the track at Newmarket. I think he’ll win, although it will be fascinating to see how Albert Einstein goes. He could easily take a big step forward from his Curragh reappearance last month.
Melrose I'd be happy to look past the three at the top of the betting. The Greenham is as much a Commonwealth Cup trial as a Guineas trial now, and Alparslan could be set for that sort of campaign. He hacked up on debut at Leicester, did the same in a valuable sales race at the Curragh next time and patently hated Newmarket's Dip in the Dewhurst Stakes.
Nicholls Zavateri. He's a straightforward, solid performer and very tough. Albert Einstein was way too free last time, but has the hood applied and could be a totally different horse. Title Role is talented and has good form, but Ryan Moore's choice of Albert Einstein suggests he's the more talented horse. I think first time out, Zavateri will be ridden simply and travels well. His professionalism may see him win.
Playle I always suspected he may have been more of a two-year-old, but Zavateri deserves to be the favourite and you could argue he is a stonking price on what he achieved last year. It will be a watching brief but I’m interested to see how the race-fit outsider Aqpan goes. Roger Varian seemed quietly confident when I spoke to him on Friday.
Does anything catch your eye in the Spring Cup (3.10 Newbury)?
Pat Cooney Shout ran better than his finishing position would suggest in the Lincoln, and is the right type for this. He likes straight tracks and ran well in this race last season. A tendency to be slow away hasn’t helped in the past, but he’s well-positioned in stall five, and we’ll leave the rest to Oisin Murphy, who should get a great tune out of him.
Hill I’m taking a flyer in this and quite a big one at that. Ian Williams runs two French recruits and, of the pair, Nizam is interesting off 98. A year ago he was running in Classic trials, with the form of his fifth in a Longchamp Group 3 looking particularly strong. He’s since been gelded and won a handicap over this trip. He’s worth a little poke at the prices.
Melrose You can make a case for several and make it as strong as mine. I thought Stem has the profile of a horse that should be single-figure odds. His run here in September was excellent, when three pulled clear and the pair he split have both improved loads since. Maybe connections have bigger plans, but I like to think bringing him back to Newbury isn't an accident.
Nicholls I've gone with Rogue Diplomat, who was unlucky in the Lincoln. He's been impressive and this looks like another nice opportunity as the straight mile seems to suit him well and he's drawn in the middle, so he has options to go either way. He's been very consistent, so I think he may well be able to go one better, and the handicapper wasn't too harsh after his Lincoln defeat.
Playle I hate to be boring but I really like the favourite Back In Black. He absolutely mullered the subsequent Ascot winner Shout on his reappearance last year, with the pair both now rated 8lb higher. He ran into trouble but still ran well at Doncaster and Goodwood afterwards and can improve again for being gelded. I’m finally abandoning Whip Cracker, so I suspect he’ll go and win to spite me!
Give us another to follow on Saturday
Pat Cooney It’s hard to know just how good Valedictory (4.55 Newbury) is based on his three runs so far, but I’d be confident in thinking this John and Thady Gosden-trained four-year-old gelding is going to better than his current rating of just 84 in this 1m2f handicap, given his maiden win at Chelmsford last year. Whatever happens in this, he’s one for your tracker this season.
Hill Gallivanted has been in good form over hurdles and can land his second victory on the Flat in the 1m4f handicap (4.32) at Thirsk. It looks significant that trainer Harry Derham has booked Pierre-Louis Jamin, with the jockey having scored on four of his last nine rides. The four-year-old won on his sole run over this distance at Kempton in May.
Melrose The rain around on Friday nudges me towards Kdeux Saint Fray (1.45 Ayr) over the aforementioned Calico. He ran a belting race in a big handicap at Kempton in February, confirming he's a three-miler in the long run, and was poorly placed back in trip in the Jack Richards last time. He's exactly the sort of horse Anthony Honeyball will land a big staying handicap with next season.
Nicholls I like Gallivanted in the 1m4f handicap (4.32) at Thirsk. He's returning to the Flat after a successful hurdling campaign for Harry Derham and he could be well handicapped. He's improved a lot throughout the season, both physically and mentally, and he'll be a better horse back on the level. He's one to keep an eye out for away from the ITV coverage.
Playle I thought Apache Tribe would go close in the Albert Bartlett so he has to be a good bet in Ayr's 2m5½f novice hurdle (4.15). He showed lots of swagger to win over this course and distance on his last start and it is interesting that Gordon Elliott now trains him, as he was responsible for the runner-up that day. He rates a top-quality prospect.
Who else should we look out for this weekend?
Cooney The 26-runner three-year-old maiden over a mile (3.45) at Newbury is likely to have many future winners in the line-up and looks a race to follow. Most likely, though, is the John and Thady Gosden-trained Lighting Thunder, who ran a race full of promise on his debut at Yarmouth last year, when beaten a neck. That experience advantage will be an asset in this.
Hill Back Jaminska at Stratford on Sunday (3.08). I fancied her for an open Class 2 final at Haydock over Easter when the entries came out. She wasn't declared there, but does take up the opportunity in the Class 4 2m½f mares' handicap hurdle on this card. Her form from the autumn would be a cut above these rivals and she must have a fair shout.
Melrose I'll probably have Sunday off, but it's the Perth festival next week. That's a meeting I always enjoy, even if the form can get a bit Twilight Zone at the end of the long season. Entries for the Balnakeilly Novices' Handicap Chase (2.40) on Wednesday look appealing, with the likes of Barlovento, As Legends Have It, Kap Ouest and Mon Champion all in. Don't sleep on Perth next week in general.
Nicholls I think it's interesting that Harry Skelton is riding at Plumpton. Dan Skelton is missing two courses in Britain this season without a winner. They are Perth and here. I thought Ballyeaston was an interesting addition to the team. It's his stable debut in the 2m maiden hurdle (2.52) after switching from Fergal O'Brien and he's the choice of Harry Skelton, with the trainer having two runners in the race.
Playle I’ll be heading off to Hong Kong, so naturally I’ll be keeping an eye on the international action. A new superstar could emerge in the Japanese 2,000 Guineas, with Cavallerizzo a warm order. Sovereignty returns against his old foe, Journalism, in the Oaklawn Handicap as well. What a cracker that could be between the winners of two of the US's three Triple Crown legs last year.
Read these next:
2026 Scottish Grand National at Ayr: the runners, the odds, the verdict
Confirmed runners and riders for the Scottish Grand National at Ayr on Saturday
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