MAHLER MISSION and STAY AWAY FAY joint top-weights in 2024 Coral Scottish Grand National.

John McConnell and Paul Nicholls are the trainers responsible for the joint top-weights in this year’s £200,000 Coral Scottish Grand National after the weights were announced for the big race on Saturday April 20.

Irish based McConnell’s Mahler Mission won on his only previous visit to Scotland at Perth a year ago but he hasn’t been seen since chasing home the ill-fated Daltsalrightgino in Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup back in December.

Nicholls’ Stay Away Fay is the other horse on 12-0 after being pulled up in Cheltenham’s Brown Advisory Chase last month but the 7 year-old is a Grade 1 winner over hurdles and had won his first two novices’ chases at Exeter and Sandown.

Champion trainer Nicholls is also responsible for the third horse in the weights, Threeunderthrufive on 11-12 with the Scottish owned, Gordon Elliott trained Galvin (Ronnie Bartlett) next on the list on 11-11 and the top-rated of Willie Mullins’ 10 entries Mr Incredible next on 11-9.

Nick Alexander’s recent Carlisle scorer Elvis Mail has been allocated 11-3 after being a late withdrawal from last year’s race due to ground concerns, with 2023 winner Kitty’s Light set to carry 11-1 if sent back to Ayr for what looks, at the moment, to be an unlikely follow-up bid.

This year’s £100,000 Coral Scottish Champion Hurdle will be run on the same day with last year’s winner Rubaud (Nicholls) allocated top-weight of 11-12 ahead of the Nicky Henderson trained Iberico Lord.

The highest-weighted Irish trained runners are the Willie Mullins’ trained pair of Westport Cove and Bialystok on 11-3 with the Scottish trained Benson (Sandy Thomson) on 11-1.

NOTE: Saturday April 20 will be Scotland’s first ever half a million pounds raceday with £500,000 to be raced for across the 8 races.

It will also be 50 years exactly (20/4/74) since Red Rum became the first and only horse to ever complete the Aintree/Scottish Grand National double in the same year.