A sell-out crowd of 15,000 people is heading to Ayr Racecourse with many more watching the race on TV.
Scots will splurge at least £10 million on today’s Scottish Grand National while soaking up the sunshine.
A sell-out crowd of 15,000 people is heading to Ayr Racecourse with many more watching the race on TV.
Bookmakers expect the public to bet tens of millions on Scotland’s biggest race of the year.
Dave Stephens, of sponsors Coral Bookmakers, said: “It can’t be underestimated what a huge event this is on the UK horse racing calendar. It is the fourth biggest betting race of the year after the Grand National, The Derby and the Cheltenham Gold Cup. It’s huge and across the whole UK betting industry you’re talking tens of millions being wagered. In terms of Scotland, that could certainly be upwards of £10 million.”
The Coral Scottish Grand National day is a complete sell out with over £500,000 in prize money at stake with a festival atmosphere guaranteed by the continued April heatwave.
The Met Office has predicted further sunshine as a whole during the National.
A spokesperson said: “ Sunshine perhaps more hazy than recent days but otherwise no hazardous weather to be concerned with. Ayr looks to be 16 Celsius, highest on Saturday in Scotland, likely 18 C in the west.”
Stephens added: “It is obviously a great event and when you get great weather like this it just makes everyone feel better. I know the Grand National was last weekend but a lot of people will say, ‘Forget last weekend, this is the one that matters’. It’s a huge event every year and this year with the weather like it is, people will want to get out and about and have a flutter.
“For the men and the women, particularly the ladies, this is a day they have planned for weeks, months in advance. It’s been in their diaries from the start of the year and when you get a weekend like this with the weather set fair, when the sun is out, there’ll be more people than ever joining in and you can’t underestimate what a huge event this is in the calendar.”
Yesterday marked the Scottish Grand National Ladies Day, including the prestigious Hillhouse Quarry Handicap Chase.
Eight races will take place over the course of today (SAT) including the Scottish National at 3.35pm.
Ayr Racecourse spokesman Jim Delahunt said: “The sunshine is going to attract extra people and it will be difficult to get your hands on tickets but we try to accommodate as many people as possible.”
William Hill spokesperson, Lee Phelps, added: “With the sun set to shine during the Scottish National meeting, we’re on course for a fantastic two days at Ayr. Saturday’s Scottish National itself is one of the biggest betting races in the calendar – Cheltenham aside it’s comfortably in our top five turnover racing events, and this year looks no different.”
The British Army’s Red Devils will parachute onto the course while Clyde One’s George Bowie will deliver a DJ set prior to the calendar.
Twenty-three horses are running in the big race.
Delahunt said: “The numbers are slightly down due to some owners being concerned about the ground as a result of the sunny weather.”
Irish trainer Willie Mullins has six horses competing, including last year’s winner Macdermott. He hopes to raise his prize winnings by another £120,000 in order to become this year’s top trainer.
Stephens said: “Willie is saddling six horses in the race and the reason he is carpet-bombing Ayr is because he is in a position to win the Trainers’ Championship. Willie absolutely cleaned up at the Grand National last weekend. The punters’ first port of call will be anything trained by Willie Mullins. There’ll be people watching the Scottish Grand National all over the country and particularly in Scotland it is a massive deal.”
William Hill spokesperson, Lee Phelps, said: “Saturday’s Scottish National itself is one of the biggest betting races in the calendar. This year there’s a real storyline to grab racing fans.
“Willie Mullins is bearing down on Dan Skelton in the UK trainers’ title race and sends no fewer than six runners to the feature race trying to plunder more British prize money. One of his contenders, Chosen Witness, was the subject of a mammoth gamble earlier this week, backed from 16/1 into 9/2. He’s more like a 13/2 shot now and we’re expecting punters will start coming for Olympic Man.
“He was a 20/1 chance just days ago, but now that Grand National-winning jockey Patrick Mullins has been confirmed to ride for his father, he’s 17/2 and we’re wary of more Mullins National domination.
“We’d expect all of his runners to be popular and for punters to be very happy if he wins Scotland’s biggest race once again at a sun-kissed Ayr.”
The activist group Animal Rising claims it will not have a presence at the Scottish Grand National this weekend, while reiterating its stance on the cruelty of horse racing, stating the increasingly controversial sport should be abolished.
Members of the campaign group were arrested in 2023 after entering the racetrack at Ayr, just a few hours after the death of horse Oscar Elite. The group had attempted to enter the tracks earlier to put the races to a halt to avoid any horse deaths.
Rose Patterson of Animal Rising, who was arrested in 2023 for her attempts to bring the Epsom horse races to a halt, said: “We cannot call ourselves a nation of animal lovers while turning a blind eye to the violence of racing. This industry exploits horses for profit, masking cruelty behind tradition. Until no more horses die for sport, we will keep demanding change.”
Multiple trials are due to take place later this year following the 118 arrests at 2023 Grand National at Aintree, with defendants charged with causing a public nuisance.
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