The £1 million dilemma leaving trainers agonising over which National to choose

Staging the Randox Grand National after the Coral Scottish Grand National this year has left some trainers wrestling with a £1 million dilemma.

Should they take a gamble and wait for Aintree on April 9, risking the possibility that their horse will not make the cut?

Or should they forget about the richest race of the jumps season and run seven days earlier at Ayr when £150,000 will be on offer in a contest which is usually run afterwards and sometimes attracts those who have taken part in the Grand National.

"It's in the lap of the gods," said Sean Curran, whose Domaine De L'isle is joint 44th in the list at Aintree, which has a safety limit of 40.

"I'd love to have a crystal ball. I want to run in the English National, obviously, because these chances are few and far between. He's in great order but what do you do? I'm betwixt and between at the moment. Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott have a lot of horses in at Aintree, will they run all of theirs?"

Randox Grand National racecard and betting

Curran won the Scottish National with Iris De Balme in 2008 and said: "I'll probably leave him in at the next stage for Ayr and keep playing it by ear – if it turns up a bit quick there, that would definitely decide it because he wouldn't be going there."

Being joint 44th on the list this year means Ayr is also under consideration for Go Another One.

"We're pretty hopeful he'll get in at Aintree," said trainer John McConnell. "He should do judged on past experience, but you never know.

"We were first reserve in the National last year with Some Neck, which was frustrating, and it could happen again to us.

"Aintree would be preferable but Scotland will be a possibility as well. We're thinking about it and I'll probably make up my mind by early next week."

Blaklion: finished sixth in last season's Grand NationalCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Blaklion was the first British horse home when finishing sixth at Aintree last year but is not yet guaranteed a place in the field.

"We'll have a good look on the Thursday of declarations for Ayr but we want to go to Aintree and there are only two to come out so I think we'll be all right," said trainer Dan Skelton.

The weather will determine options for Eider Case runner-up Eclair Surf, whose trainer Emma Lavelle said: "He needs soft ground. I wouldn't run him at Ayr unless they got a lot of rain and I'm depressed with how little there is forecast.

Coral Scottish Grand National racecard and betting

"We'll keep looking at the National and see what happens, but if it rained a lot and that changed the going at Ayr it would definitely move our minds, but as things stand the weather will dictate where he goes."

Explaining the calendar change for this year, Ayr spokesman Iain Ferguson said: "It's to do with the way that Easter falls and if Aintree had been a week before it would have been very close to Cheltenham so we agreed to a one-off move this season.

"We're delighted with the standard and the number of our entries and quite a lot of horses are being aimed at the Scottish National."

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