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After the Grand National comes the Scottish Grand National, run annually at Ayr Racecourse. 23 runners are expected to go to post for this exciting National Hunt contest, which is run over a stamina-sapping four miles.
Plenty of early money for Monbeg Genius
As can be expected from a big-field handicap, the betting ahead of the Scottish Grand National is fiercely competitive, but one horse who has received plenty of early attention is Monbeg Genius. He runs for Jonjo O’Neill, who as a trainer, hasn’t won this race but has hit the frame.
In most places, the seven-year-old is vying for favouritism with the Christian Williams runner Kitty’s Light, though some firms, such as bet365, have Monbeg Genius as the outright favourite at 4/1. PaddyPower also seem to be running scared of this one, as they too offer 4’s. Elsewhere, Skybet, Betfred, Unibet, Boylesports and 10bet all go 9/2, while the guys at BetVictor have put their heads above the parapet by offering 5/1.
Can the youngster do the job?
When it comes to the main Grand National, youngsters, e.g. seven-year-olds don’t have the best record, but that’s not the case in this race. Back in 2016, Vicente came home in front as a seven-year-old, as did Godsmejudge in 2013, so there’s some evidence to suggest that a youngster can win this race.
Monbeg Genius is not just any youngster, he’s a youngster with plenty of potential and an already impressive record. He’s won three of his five starts over fences, winning well over three miles at Chepstow in January, before scoring again at that venue a month later.
He then stepped beyond three miles for the first time in the Ultima Handicap at the Cheltenham Festival, where he finished a very credible third in behind the impressive Corach Rambler. We all know what happened when that horse stepped up to face a marathon trip in the Grand National. Could Monbeg Genius be going the same way? The bookmaker’s certainly seem to think so.
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