The Scottish Grand National is a Premier Handicap National Huntsteeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Ayr, Scotland, over a distance of about 4 miles (3 miles 7 furlongs and 176 yards, or 6,397 metres) and during its running there are 27 fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and takes place each year in April. It is Scotland's equivalent of the Grand National, and is held during Ayr's two-day Scottish Grand National Festival meeting.
The race, then known as the "West of Scotland Grand National", was first run at a course near Houston, Renfrewshire in 1858.[1] It consisted of 32 jumps, mainly stone walls.[1]
In 1867, after objections by the leader of the Free Kirk in Houston,[1] the race moved to Bogside Racecourse, near Irvine. The inaugural winner at Bogside, The Elk, was owned by the Duke of Hamilton. During the early part of its history the race's distance was about 3 miles (4.8km). It was later extended to 3+7⁄8mi (6.2km), and became known by its present title in 1880, when it was won by Peacock.[1]
Bogside Racecourse closed in 1965, and the Scottish Grand National was transferred to Ayr the following year. At this point the race was increased to its present length. Several winners of the Scottish Grand National have also won its English counterpart at Aintree. The first to complete the double was Music Hall, the winner of the 1922 Grand National. The feat has been achieved more recently by Little Polveir and Earth Summit, but the only horse to win both races in the same year was Red Rum in 1974.
In 2021, the race was moved to a Sunday due to the funeral of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, taking place on Saturday [2]
Prize money
The winning horse in 1867 won £100, increasing to £440 by 1906, £1030 in 1950, £5,436 in 1963 and £122,433 in 2019.[1]
Television coverage
The first television coverage of the Scottish National was in 1953 on the BBC. It was also shown the following year, but then wasn't screened again until 1969 on ITV and has been shown live ever since. Coverage moved to Channel 4 in 1986 and back to ITV in 2017.[1]
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