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| Trust in Trustan - Trustan Times can hit the frame in the Scottish National again. |
It’s a race that sees horses that either missed the cut at Aintree, didn’t get very far over the National fences the previous week or simply bypassed the race altogether for one reason or another brought back together for a shot at some form of consolation.
That’s not to say it’s a bad race by any means as the Scottish National is always a great watch, if not one the same level as Aintree.
There’s usually a high class horse in field topping the weights as well which means that, unlike Aintree where the handicap is compressed, we can end up with several horses running from outside the handicap.
This happened last year thanks to Tidal Bay’s presence and it looks set to happen again this year with at least one, perhaps both, of Gold Cup also rans Sam Winner and Houblon Des Obeaux likely to line up.
We’re still at a stage where the shape of the final field is far from clear at present, but I can only see the selection shortening when the field is announced on Thursday so I wanted to get him backed now as he looks a definite runner.
The Scottish National is a race I’ve not had a bad time with in recent years, including last year when I had the second and third home.
It’s that third horse that once again looks set to tackle the Ayr marathon and interests me as I think he has a great chance of bettering last year’s performance.
The horse in question is Tim Easterby’s Trustan Times, who ran from 6lbs out of the handicap last year thanks to Tidal Bay’s presence. He’ll race from his correct mark this time around and incredibly is actually 2lbs lower than when only beaten 1 ½ lengths and a neck twelve months ago.
He came home well clear of the remainder of the field last year, 14l in front of subsequent Hennessy third Merry King, form that received a significant boost when Hennessy winner Many Clouds put up one of the all time great weight-carrying performances when landing the Grand National last weekend.
Last year however Trustan Times came in to the race on the back of a really good run in the Pertemps over hurdles at Cheltenham finishing just a neck behind last year’s Grand National winner Pineau De Re in fourth in a bunched finish.
The form of that Pertemps was really strong and though he didn’t perform to that level in the same race this time around, he travelled well for a long way before fading up the hill.
A return to Ayr should hopefully be more to his liking.
It’ll need to be too as he hasn’t performed to much of a level at all this season, a plodding on fifth in the Grand National Trial at a mud-soaked Haydock the pick of his efforts.
What that does mean though is that he’s starting to look really well handicapped and with no danger of running out of the handicap this year, he looks primed to run a big race on ground that should also suit.
Troublingly he is without a win since landing the Fixed Brush Hurdle at Haydock in November 2012 – beating bona fide Grade 1 horse Holywell in to second no less.
He has been relatively lightly raced since though and has still managed to place in some good contests if not quite getting his head in front.
A first win in almost two and a half years may perhaps be a stretch here, but grabbing some minor money looks well within his reach again, especially from a lower mark than he managed it from a year ago.
As such he looks a great each-way bet at a best price of 16/1, as off a low weight he should be staying on at the end when others have cried enough.
He only had one chase start to his name when hitting the frame here last year and with more experience under his belt this time around and his best run this season having come over the larger obstacles everything looks in place for a big run even if his hurdles form has been lacking this term.
If this has been his target this season then the plan has been well executed and all he needs to do now is put it together on the day.
It certainly won’t be easy in a typically competitive renewal but there’s nothing else in the potential line-up that leaps out at me as much at this stage as last year’s third does.
Recommendation:
Trustan Times 0.5pt e/w @ 16/1 (Boylesports, William Hill)
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