Ten horses did not finish the 2026 Coral Scottish Grand National. Of the 16 that set off at Ayr on Saturday afternoon, only six came home. The going — heavy, with soft patches across the course, made it a race of attrition from the first fence.
Kap Vert, a French-bred chaser starting at 20/1, came home first. Sean Houlihan steered him to victory for the Hobbs and White yard, winning by a length and a half from Git Maker. The time was 9 minutes and 5 seconds. It was not a stylish afternoon. It was a test.
Kim Roque, sent off the 4/1 favourite, finished third. A nose separated second and third at the line. The 4/1 favourite coming home third to a 20/1 shot is the kind of result that National Hunt racing produces when the conditions are right.
How the race unfolded
Heavy ground at Ayr in April is unforgiving. The distance is long, the fences are uncompromising, and 10 fallers or non-completers in a 16-runner field is not unusual in those conditions. What it means is that the horses left standing at the finish have done something significant, they have finished.
Kap Vert finishing ten lengths clear of the fourth, Isaac Des Obeaux (17/2, trained by Paul Nicholls, ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies), underlines how the race broke apart in the closing stages. Git Maker, second at 10/1, ran a creditable race under J J Burke for trainer Jamie Snowden.
What the result means
For connections of Kap Vert, this is a major prize. The Coral Scottish Grand National carries a total fund of £112,540 and is one of the last significant staying handicap chases of the National Hunt season. Winning it at 20/1 in testing conditions, with most of the field failing to complete, is the kind of result that defines a chaser’s season.
For J P O’Brien’s yard, Kim Roque’s third place is a near-miss. The favourite travelled well enough to be in contention but could not get past two market outsiders in the final stretch. This was not a jumping error or a dramatic fall, just three horses better on the day.
Looking ahead
The National Hunt season approaches its close. The Scottish Grand National is one of the final major tests before the summer break, and the winner at 20/1 in heavy ground is precisely the kind of horse the race tends to produce: not necessarily the classiest, but the most durable.
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