Scottish Grand National Festival: Race List & Meeting Info
For those still infected with Grand National fever – and, following the exploits of Tiger Roll last weekend, we imagine there are a fair few out of you out there – the Scottish racecourse of Ayr serves up a real treat this coming weekend. This year falling only seven days after the Aintree extravaganza, we have the 2019 edition of the Scottish Grand National.
The field and fences may not be quite as big as on Merseyside, but the stamina demands remain much the same and Ayr can always be relied on to put on an excellent show.
Invariably one of the highest turnover betting races of the year, the Scottish Grand National itself quite rightly takes centre stage, but there’s plenty more on offer besides on what is a bumper eight race card. Here we run the rule over each of the day’s events.
Day One Races - Friday
| Race | Grade | Length | Prize Money | Ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novices' Hurdle | Class 3 | 2m | £15,300 | 4 Years Old + |
| Handicap Hurdle | Class 3 | 2m | £16,800 | 4 Years Old + |
| Novices' Handicap Hurdle | Class 3 | 3m70y | £16,800 | 4 Years Old + |
| Handicap Chase | Class 1 | 2m4f110y | £50,000 | 5 Years Old + |
| Novices' Chase | Class 3 | 2m110y | £16,800 | 5 Years Old + |
| Mares' Handicap Hurdle | Class 2 | 3m70y | £30,000 | 4 Years Old + |
| Scotland Handicap Hurdle | Class 3 | 3m70y | £16,800 | 4 Years Old + |
Novices' Hurdle
Class 3, 2m
This Qualifying Class 3 race is sponsored by Stagecoach West Scotland at the time of writing and is for novice hurdlers. Run over two miles, it is open to horses aged four and over and they’ll need to negotiate nine hurdles if they hope to be in with a chance of winning. The prize money in 2019 was £9,942, whilst it took the horses three minutes and forty seconds to complete the race when the Going was Good to Firm.
Handicap Hurdle
Class 3, 2m
A Class 3 event, the handicap hurdle that is the second race on the opening day of the meeting is currently sponsored by Remus Uomo. It’s for horses aged four and over that boast a rating of between 0 and 130. It’s run over two miles, with nine hurdles to jump. In 2019 the prize money sat at £10,007, whilst the Going was Good to Firm, taking the leading horses about three minutes and forty seconds to reach the finish line.
Novices' Handicap Hurdle
Class 3, 3m70y
Seko Logistics Scotland were the sponsors for this race when it was run in 2019, at which time it offered prize money of £10,007. It’s for novice hurdles aged four and over that have a rating of between 0 and 135. Run over three miles and seventy yards, there are twelve hurdles that need to be jumped during its running. It takes the horses a little under six minutes to complete the race if the Going is Good to Firm.
Handicap Chase
Class 1, 2m4f110y
A Class 1 Listed event, this handicap chase is sponsored by Hillhouse Quarry at the time of writing. It’s run over two miles, four furlongs and one hundred and ten yards, boasting eighteen fences during the course of it. The horses taking part need to be aged five or over and it takes the leaders around five minutes to complete the race if the Going is Good to Firm. In 2019 the prize money was £28,475.
Novices' Chase
Class 3, 2m110y
The Novices' Limited Handicap Chase, currently known as the Barr Environmental Chase at the time of writing, is a Class 3 race run over two miles and 110 yards for horses five years and older. In 2019, the prize money stood at just over £10k with just 6 runners participating. The Going is Good to Soft in places with no draw advantages.
Mares' Handicap Hurdle
Class 2, 3m70y
This Class 2 race is limited to female horses aged four and over. It is run over three miles and seventy yards, featuring twelve hurdles during that that the horses will need to get over if they hope to win the race. When the Going is Good to Firm it will take the winner about five minutes and fifty seconds to reach the finish line. When it took place in 2019 the prize money for the winner was £18,768.
Scotland Handicap Hurdle
Class 3, 3m70y
Sponsored by Fosters Family Funeral Directors at the time of writing, the race is open to horses aged four and over with a rating of between 0 and 125. The race takes place over three miles and seventy yards, lasting for about six minutes when the Going is Good to Firm. The prize money for the winner in 2019 was £10,007, with the Class 3 event featuring eleven hurdles that the horses will need to jump before making it home.
Day Two Races - Saturday
| Race | Grade | Length | Prize Money | Ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handicap Chase | Listed | 2m 1/2f | £40,000 | 5 Years Old + |
| Champion Handicap Chase | Class 2 | 3m | £100,000 | 5 Years Old + |
| Champion Hurdle | Grade 2 | 2m | £105,000 | 4 Years Old + |
| Champion Novices' Chase | Grade 2 | 2m 4 1/2f | £45,000 | 5 Years Old + |
| Scottish Grand National | Grade 3 | 4m | £215,000 | 5 Years Old + |
| Handicap Hurdle | Class 2 | 2m 5 1/2f | £20,000 | 4 Years Old + |
| Finale Handicap Hurdle | Class 3 | 2m 4 1/2f | £16,800 | 4 Years Old + |
| National Hunt Flat Race | Class 3 | 2m | £10,000 | 4 to 6 Year Old |
Handicap Chase
Listed, 2m 1/2f
Run over two miles and one hundred and ten yards, the Handicap Chase is sponsored by Scotty Brand at the time of writing. It’s open to horses aged five and over and features twelve fences during its running. A Class 1 Listed race, the event takes the horses about three minutes and forty-five seconds to complete when the Going is Good to Soft. In 2019 the prize money sat at just shy of £23,000.
Champion Handicap Chase
Class 2, 3m
Run over two miles and one hundred and ten yards, the Handicap Chase is sponsored by Scotty Brand at the time of writing. It’s open to horses aged five and over and features twelve fences during its running. A Class 1 Listed race, the event takes the horses about three minutes and forty-five seconds to complete when the Going is Good to Soft. In 2019 the prize money sat at just shy of £23,000.
Champion Hurdle
Grade 2, 2m
Open to horses aged four and over and run left-handed over a distance of around two miles, the Scottish Champion Hurdle is a limited handicap race that features nine hurdles during its running. In 2018 the prize fund for the race was £105,000, with just shy of £60,000 of that going to the winner.
The event was created in 1966 and was a Listed offering until it was promoted to Grade 2 in 1991. Since 1994 it has been held on the same day as the Scottish National, having been held on the day before prior to then. If you’re looking for some hints for this race from other outings then you might want to have a look at the result of the Champion Hurdle during the Cheltenham Festival.
This can also be seen as something of a clue-giver for the Gold Cup, with Captain Christy winning the Scottish Champion Hurdle in 1973 before winning the Cheltenham event the following year. Two horses have won the race twice, both with avian-related names. Sea Pigeon managed back-to-back victories in 1977 and 1978 and Birds Nest won it in 1979 and 1981.
Champion Novices' Chase
Grade 2, 2m 4 1/2f
This race for novice chasers used to be contested over two miles, but it was extended to its present length of two miles, four furlongs and one hundred and ten yards in 1988. That was also when it was given its current title, gaining Grade 1 status three years later. It was downgraded to Grade 2 in 1995.
As the name suggests, this race is all about the future and both Gingembre and Grey Abbey in 2000 and 2001 respectively won this race before going on to win the Scottish Grand National the following year.
Run left-handed, the race is open to five-year-olds with a weight of eleven stone. There’s a seven pound allowance for mares and horses that have won a Class 1 weight-for-age chase get a five pound penalty. Winners of a Class 2 weight-for-age chase or a Class 1 handicap chase receive a penalty of three pounds. There are seventeen fences to be jumped during its running.
Scottish Grand National
Grade 3, 4m
The feature race of the day is the Scottish version of the Grand National, taking place a week after the main event. It’s run over three miles, seven furlongs and one hundred and seventy-six yards, featuring twenty-seven fences along the way. A Grade 3 race, it’s for horses aged five and over and usually takes about eight minutes to complete when the Going is Good to Firm. In 2019 the prize money for the winner was £122,442.
Handicap Hurdle
Class 2, 2m 5 1/2f
Run in association with the Ayreshire Hospice Land O’Burns Starlight Walk, this Handicap Hurdle is run over two miles, five furlongs and ninety-one yards. There are twelve hurdles for the competitors to jump, with the race being open to horses aged four and over with a rating of between 0 and 155. It’s a Class 2 race that lasts for about five minutes and fifteen seconds if the Going on the course is Good to Firm.
Finale Handicap Hurdle
Class 3, 2m 4 1/2f
Sponsored by Purvis Marquees for the 2019 renewal, this race is run over two miles, four furlongs and one hundred yards. It’s a Class 3 event for conditional jockeys and amateur riders, being open to horses aged four and over with a rating of between 0 and 130. The prize money for the winner sits at the £10,000 mark, with the race lasting for around five minutes when the Going is Good to Firm. There are eleven hurdles that must be jumped during the race.
National Hunt Flat Race
Class 3, 2m
At the time of writing, the final race of the Festival is sponsored by Procast Building Contractors Limited and takes place over two miles. There are no obstacles to jump, obviously, so it takes the horses about three minutes and forty-five seconds to complete the event when the Going is Good to Firm. Open to horses aged between four and six, this Class 3 event has prize money for the winner of about £6,500.
About the Ayr Scottish Grand National Meeting
One of the most important jump racing events in the British horse racing calendar is the Grand National that is held at Aintree Racecourse every year. As with most important events in the industry, however, there are alternatives hosted around the world and one such example comes in the form of the Scottish Grand National at Ayr.
Hosted in the wake of the English National, the Scottish equivalent follows a similar path of having the main event come in the middle of a Festival of racing, based over two days and featuring a number of excellent events. Here we’ll obviously concentrate on the National, but we’ll take a look at the races that surround it too and give you a bit more information about some of them.
Two Days of Racing
For those that are only interested in the biggest races it might come as something of a surprise that the Scottish National is surrounded by races either side of it. It’s an attempt by the race organisers to ensure that it is given the build-up that they feel it deserves, following in the footsteps of other big events by having a number of exciting events on the race card.
There’s really only one place to start when it comes to the Scottish Grand National Meeting and that’s with the main event itself. Taking place over around four miles and boasting twenty-seven fences during its running, the Scottish Grand National is similar to its English cousin in that it is a handicap event. The big different in terms of qualification comes in the fact that it’s for horses aged five and over rather than seven and up.
The History Of The Race
A race known as the West of Scotland Grand National was created in 1858 at a course in Renfrewshire, boasting thirty-two jumps that were mainly made of stone walls. It was moved to Bogside Racecourse in Irvine in 1867, with the first ever winner being a horse called The Elk that was owned by the Duke of Hamilton. It is the race run at Irvine that is considered to be the first official Scottish Grand National.
It was originally contested over three miles but had just shy of an extra mile added to its running in 1880. That was also the first year that it took in its current moniker of the Scottish Grand National. Nothing much of note happened in the years that followed, but in 1965 Bogside Racecourse was closed down and the race needed to find a new home. It was transferred to Ayr in 1966 and has remained there ever since, with the r
Unsurprisingly, there are links between the English and Scottish races when it comes to horses that have done well in both. The only one to win the two races in the same season at the time of writing was Red Rum, who pulled it off in 1974. There have been a number of them that have won one one year and then the other the year after, with the first being Music Hall who won the English event in 1922.
Whilst the aforementioned Red Rum is the only horse to win the English National three times, three horses have done it at the Scottish event. Couvrefeu II is the only horse to have won consecutive Nationals, doing so between 1911 and 1913. Southern Hero pulled it off in 1934, 1936 and 1939 and Queen’s Taste did it in 1953 and 1954 before completing the hat-trick in 1956.
The Course at Ayr
We don’t normally look at courses in these pieces, but given that a lot of English racing fans won’t necessarily know much about Ayr it’s worth giving it a quick look. Opened in 1907, Ayr Racecourse boasts the ability to host both flat and jump racing. The town’s history actually dates back much earlier than that, with racing believed to have been hosted in the area as long ago as 1576.
The Western Meeting, which is considered to be the most prestigious meeting hosted in the town, was established in 1824 and the Ayr Gold Cup became a handicap offering in 1855. Nowadays it’s Europe’s richest sprint handicap, which perhaps tells you something about its position in the racing calendar. The track was too small for the ever-growing event and so a new location for it was found in 1907.
The new course was based around the same design as Newbury, with the major difference between the two being that the straight at Ayr is six furlongs as opposed to a mile. The jump track was added in 1950, sixteen years before the Scottish Grand National was moved to the venue.
The flat course is a left-handed oval track that is twelve furlongs in length, with a run-in of half a mile. There’s a chute of six furlongs that comes into the track after about a furlong. Considered to be a basic but fair track, the undulations are gentle.
The jump course also races left-handed, based over one and a half miles with nine fences available during that. The course runs downhill until the home turn, at which point it begins a gentle rise to the run-in of just over two hundred yards. It is Scotland’s premier course and offers a big test to competitors, usually hosting around sixteen meetings over the course of a year.