Scottish Grand National Tips The Scottish Grand National is the feature event of Ayr’s two-day meeting on Saturday, when some quality marathon chasers go in search of the £112,540 first prize. Run over four-miles, the Scottish Grand National has had plenty of big-priced winners recently, with six of the last 10 runnings going the way of a horse with an SP of 14-1 or more. A field of 23 have been declared for Saturday's race and our expert has picked out a pair to follow. Scottish Grand National Free Bet Offer If you have already got a talkSPORT BET account, check out more of the best betting sites and casino bonuses Scottish Grand National Tips Selection: Hasthing @ 14/1 with talkSPORT BET Next Best: Walking On Air @ 14/1 with talkSPORT BET Hasthing has the things needed for success Those who ran at the Cheltenham Festival can often be a good place to find a winner here and HASTHING is worth noting. Thirteen winners in the last 42 years were beaten at the festival, finishing 837P5875PP235, and Hasthing was in the process of running a huge race last month before coming down at the last. Not helped by a bad mistake at the 18th, he was making good headway before being hampered by a faller at the second last and was just seven lengths down and closing on the second when falling at the final fence in the National Hunt Cup. He’d looked in need of these marathon trips when staying on stoutly to win at Windsor in January, form that has been franked by the fourth winning since, and has just been a touch outpaced on his two outings since. The course is watering to maintain good to soft ground, which he’ll cope with fine, and his Racing Post Ratings suggests he has the form to win this off his current mark if putting in a clearer round of jumping this time. Walking On Air not discounted off low weight Henry’s Friend ran better than the result suggests when eighth in the Ultima at Cheltenham last month and is tempting, with this marathon trip looking as if it would suit, but he’s got his fair share of weight and this tends to go to a horse at the bottom end of the racecard. WALKING ON AIR was also beaten at Cheltenham, finishing 11th in the Kim Muir, but he ran well for a long way in that contest despite a horror passage and he gets to run off a 1lb lower mark here, giving him just 10st 6lb to carry. He couldn’t have had much more go wrong that day, having lost his prominent position after a mistake at the fifth, and then being hampered and forced to race wide on the turn after four out. To his credit, he kept plugging away and is definitely worth a go at this longer trip. He’d have likely won the Great Yorkshire Chase on his penultimate start at Doncaster if he’d stayed on his feet at the last and is very well handicapped on his old form, notably when losing by just a neck to Henry’s Friend at Newbury in December 2023 - Walking On Air is 28lb better off with that rival here. Mullins contenders in the mix Willie Mullins heads to Ayr with a strong team in his quest to land back-to-back British trainers’ titles and he has six set to line up in the Scottish Grand National. Mullins won this race 12 months ago when Macdermott edged out Surrey Quest by a nose. Both horses go again here, with last year’s winner 1lb better off this time around. The Closutton maestro saddled the 1-4-5-6 last year, and tries again with Klarc Kent (fourth) and Spanish Harlem (sixth), while he’s also declared novices Captain Cody and Olympic Man, who will be partnered by his son and last weekend’s Aintree Grand National hero, Patrick Mullins. The market favours the novice Chosen Witness of Mullins’ squad, though. He has had just three starts over fences, latterly unseating his rider in a Grade 2 novice at Navan in February, so is completely unexposed. He also has course form, having won the 3m novice handicap hurdle on this card last year, and could be a big player.
