Scottish Grand National is one of the most anticipated races in the Scottish sports calendar. The race is a National Hunt, with five years and above horses taking part in it. It was inaugurated in 1867, and is scheduled to take place each April. It is featured in Scottish National Festival meeting, which is a two-day event, staging a total of 15 exciting races. The race is run on the left-handed Ayr racecourse track, with the horses covering a total distance of 6,538 meters. Generall being a handicap race, this is sponsored by Coral.
The Scottish Grand National irst run in 1858, and its first venue was a course neighboring Houston, Renfrewshire. By then, it was widely called the West Scotland National. In 1867, the race went to Bogside following an objection by Free Kirk leader in Houston. Initially, the race covered a total distance of 3 miles. Later, it extended to today’s 6,538 meters. In 1880, Peacock won it, and that was when it was given its current name. In 1965, the Scottish National transferred to Ayr racecourse, following the closure of Bogside racecourse. The change in venue however didn’t affect its popularity.
Over the years, the race has attracted the most skilled jockeys from Ireland and the United Kingdom. This year, the race was won by Joe Farrell, with Balloptic taking the second position and Vintage Clouds coming third. Most of its winners in the past years like Little Polveir as well as Earth Summit have also grabbed the headlines at the counterpart race at Aintree. In 1974, Red Rum became the first horse to win the two races. The prize money for
this race has been increasing significantly over the years. In 1867, the winning horse won a total of 100 Euros, which increased to 440 Euros in 1906. Today, the winning horse walks away with a whopping 215,000 Euros at the end of the day.