Williamson to ride Enrique at Ayr

Norman Williamson has been booked to ride Enrique in the Gala Casinos Daily Record Scottish Grand National at Ayr on Saturday.

Paul Carberry had been set to partner the Philip Hobbs-trained seven-year-old in the Stg£100,000 stamina test over four miles and one furlong.

However, he has been switched to owner Sir Robert Ogden`s number one hope top-weight Marlborough after Mick Fitzgerald was found to have fractured his wrist.

With Marlborough set to try and defy 11st 12lb, most of the horses will be out of the handicap. They include Enrique who is 4lb wrong. Even so, Hobbs was delighted to have snapped up Williamson.

'He won on him last year and he`ll be very good. We`re very lucky to get him,' the Minehead trainer told the Racing Channel this afternoon.

Hobbs could be three-handed in the Ayr feature.

'Gunther McBride and Enrique will run and we just might run Atavistic who didn`t run here at Cheltenham yesterday because the ground was too firm.'

Gunther McBride is on a retrieving mission having finished only sixth to Frenchman`s Creek in the William Hill National Hunt Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival following an impressive victory in the Racing Post Chase at Kempton in February.

But Hobbs believes the seven-year-old had a legitimate excuse for that disappointing effort.

He said: 'When he ran at the Festival, Richard (Johnson) felt that the undulating course did not suit him so well.

'He`s not a very big horse, he felt going down the downhill fences he was very unbalanced. It just probably wasn`t the right day or the right course.

'The flat course at Ayr might suit him better as long as he gets the four miles which we don`t really know but Richard thinks he will.'

Gunther McBride is just 1lb out of the handicap while Atavistic would have to carry 6lb more than the handicapper intended to be on the bottom weight of 10st.