Tudor excels in the art of waiting as patience wins the day in Scottish Grand National

Achieving a good rhythm is important, both for jumping and galloping, in long-distance races because you are drawing on stamina and energy reserves you rarely call on. Some jockeys excel at this, and producing a horse with a well-timed run after a trouble-free round is an art in itself.

The Scottish Grand National is a real target race for trainers of stayers. Grand National runners are invariably ruled out owing to the proximity of that race, but Cheltenham Festival runners can often turn up as there is a sufficient gap between the two fixtures.

There’s a long run to the first of 27 wide and well-presented fences at Ayr, which do not often cause too many problems. But with 18 jockeys jostling for position there is always the potential for plenty of speed as they set off.