Rival Heads Scottish National Field At Five-Day Stage

A total of 37 horses have stood their ground at the five-day stage declarations for Saturday’s eagerly anticipated Coral Scottish Grand National for which Pauline Robson’s Rival d’Estruval is a solid ante-post favourite in the Scottish National odds at 6/1.

The northern chaser has been a fine servant to connections and had run a tremendous race in the four-mile John Oaksey National Hunt Chase at last month’s Cheltenham Festival, still bang there in the firing line when coming to grief at the second from home in the race eventually won by Back In Focus.

A horse who stays well and is at his best on a decent surface, it appears conditions should be ideal for the gelded son of Khalkevi who is set to carry 11sy 6lbs and will be ridden as usual by Timmy Murphy.

Prior to his Cheltenham tumble, Rival d’Estruval had shown himself to be in fine heart this term with three very pleasing efforts.

He began the campaign on a winning note at Carlisle in October, readily accounting for Changing Times by 11 lengths on a very testing surface, before finding only the talented Lucinda Russell-trained Bold Sir Brian too good for him on a return trip to the Cumbrian track in November in the Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase.

It was at Kelso in early December that Robson’s stayer showed that he continues on an upward curve when successfully making every post a winning one over three miles in the Scotty Brand Paris Pike Novices Chase, jumping with tremendous enthusiasm before storming away from Papamoa to win by no less than 23 lengths.

Assuming his Cheltenham fall has not affected his confidence there is every reason to believe that Rival d’Estruval will run a very big race on Saturday as he attempts to reward fans placing a Scottish National bet.