Ruby Walsh: My Scottish National day tips could have you walking on Ayr

16:05 – Scottish National

There’s a chance Fagan has been targeted right at the Scottish Grand National (16:05) at Ayr. His owner Ronny Bartlett is Scottish and he won up in Perth last July. It is a hard race to win, but Fagan fits the kind of profile you need to do just that. He’s a novice and he’s paced in an Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham.

He’s obviously a very difficult horse to train, but Gordon Elliott has been targeting big races of late and pulling them off. So, you’d like the way he’s going too.

Fagan is lightly-raced, a good jumper and has plenty of class. You’d have to imagine he’d be in the shake-up to win this one.

Vicente may be the favourite for this, but I wonder is he sharp enough. You get a lot of horses that pull up in the Scottish National, mainly because it’s near the end of the National Hunt season.

They have to go hard all the way, it’s three full circuits of the Ayr track and there doesn’t ever seem to be a lull in this race. That’s why you get a low enough number of finishers.

There’s also four fences coming down the home straight, you don’t get it easy and a lot of horses tend to pull up at the third last.

13:45 – Scotty Brand Handicap Chase

Dandridge would need to have a bit of a bounce back to win the Scotty Brand Handicap Chase (13:45).

However, Arthur Moore is a trainer for targets and I’ve always got the feeling there was a big day in Dandridge at some stage, and there still could be one.

He’ll need to come back to his best here, it not impossible though.

15:30 – Jordan Electrics Ltd Future Champion Novices’ Chase

Peter Fahey obviously doesn’t fancy taking on the big guns at Punchestown with Peregrine Run, so he’s rocked up with him in the Jordan Electrics Ltd Future Champion Novices’ Chase at 15:30.

Peter’s a very, very shrewd trainer and he’s not heading all the way to Ayr with a horse for a day out.

I reckon the amount of horses he’s ever thought enough of to bring to the UK to run would have been very few, so I’d be taking that as a tip in itself.

I know when he rings my phone I wouldn’t hesitate to ride whatever he has for me.