Paddy Proves Perfect For Llewellyn

Carl Llewellyn made a dream start to his training career when Run For Paddy got up in the last stride to snatch the Gala Casinos Daily Record Scottish Grand National at Ayr.

Halfway up the run-in, it looked as if Ladalko was just getting the better of Royal Emperor, only for Llewellyn to bring the 33-1 chance with a strong burst to stake his claim.

As they flashed past the post they were inseparable to the naked eye but Ladalko's rider Ruby Walsh patted Llewellyn on the back as they pulled up and that proved to be a great clue.

Llewellyn, the first trainer to also ride the winner of the race in 41 runnings at Ayr, only took over from Mark Pitman as master of Weathercock House two weeks ago.

And with both trainer and jockey taking a cut of the prize money, he joked: 'I worked out the percentages beforehand, I know you shouldn't, and I nearly fell off at the first fence!'

Run For Paddy survived one or two other scares on his way to taking the glory and Llewellyn added: 'The horses have been running well and we had had four seconds, one beaten a short head, but we are off the mark and what a way to do it in a race like this.

'I have now ridden the winner of the Aintree Grand National (twice), the Welsh and the Scottish National.

'The nearest I had come to winning this race was when I was second on Sweet Duke who was beaten two lengths in 1995 by Willsford, who was trained by Mark's mother Jenny.'

Run For Paddy was a bit of a handful in the winner's enclosure, lashing out with his back legs several times, and Llewellyn was quick to pay tribute to his team's work with the horse.

He added: 'The horse has plenty of ability, but he is a lunatic and all credit to my assistant Paul Price, he does all the work and rides him out.'

Walsh and trainer Paul Nicholls were suffering yet another heartbreakingly narrow defeat as Ladalko's stable companion Cornish Rebel also lost out by a short head last year.

The Ditcheat handler said of the 7-1 joint-favourite: 'We trained Ladalko for the race and he nearly did it, he got the trip.'

Nicholls also had to deal with a post-race scare when another of his runners, the seventh-placed L'Aventure, collapsed after passing the post.

She was found to be suffering from heat stroke and was soon on the way to recovery.

Royal Emperor was third home, a further half a length behind, and his rider Dominic Elsworth was full of praise for Sue Smith's gelding as the 10-year-old was giving away 16lb to the winner.

He said: 'He gave me a great ride but was giving a lot of weight away.'

Idle Talk ran a brave race in fourth, but All In The Stars, the other 7-1 joint favourite, was always in the rear and was eventually pulled up at the 20th fence by rider Daryl Jacobs.

? PA Sport