Scottish Grand National 2023: Favourite Kitty's Light wins at 4-1
- Published
Seven of the 18 runners failed to make it round the Scottish Grand National course
Pre-race favourite Kitty's Light burst clear of the field despite making a mistake over the last fence to win the Scottish Grand National at Ayr.
It started a couple of minutes late after police stopped an attempt by protestors to disrupt the showpiece.
Jockey Jack Tudor brought home the 4-1 Welsh-trained horse, who was runner-up last year, ahead of Scotland's Cooper's Cross (25-1) in second.
Flash De Touzaine was third at 40-1, while Threeunderthrufive was fourth.
Tudor dedicated the win to trainer Christian Williams, whose five-year-old daughter Betsy was recently diagnosed with leukaemia.
"This means an awful lot to Christian - his little girl's really unwell," he said. "It has been a massive lift to him more than anyone. It means a lot this one."
Williams was understandably emotional after the race, saying: "It's brilliant. He's a very important horse. We've a big battle on at home with my daughter, but this is great and will cheer everyone up.
"I'm lucky to have the staff I've got, and the family. It's a great tonic to the children watching at home and I'm looking forward to getting back tonight and seeing them all."
Seven-year-old Kitty's Light was well backed to triumph over the four-mile course and its 25 fences despite what Tudor described as the horse's obvious limitations.
He said: "He's very different. He's small, he's Flat-bred, he's not a brilliant jumper, but he's just trained to the absolute minute."
Kitty's Light hit the top of the last fence hard as Tudor moved him to the front of the field, but he maintained momentum to hold off a strong run from home hope Cooper's Cross.
The field showed little tension early on after attempts by protest group Animal Rising to disrupt the start, as they had at the previous Saturday's Grand National at Aintree.
There was a significant security operation by Police Scotland, which reported that a small number of people had been arrested, but protestors who made it on to the track were quickly dealt with.
The Ayr protest followed the death of horse Oscar Elite in the 13:50 race on Saturday. Activists said they wanted to stop other horses from dying or coming to harm.
Police deal with protestors after an increased security operation at the Ayr track following disruption at the Aintree Grand National
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