Scottish Grand National Favourites: Mullins Crew Well Fancied

This year's Scottish Grand National looks set to be one of the best in living memory, with a sprinkling of stardust from Closutton meaning it should be a very high quality affair. Here we take a look through some of the Scottish Grand National 2024 favourites and assess their chances...

Scottish Grand National Favourites

Below we detail the current Scottish Grand National favourites, their current best odds and the bookmaker providing them:

Spanish Harlem - Willie Mullins

The surprise choice of Paul Townend and a real springer in the market since it was confirmed the Closutton number one is going to be on board, SPANISH HARLEM is incredibly lightly raced and must be showing plenty at home for Townend to have plumped for him over the rest of the crew.

He has yet to win over fences but - in fairness - has been running over clearly inadequate trips and running with credit. He certainly will come here fresh and it would be no surprise were he to prove well handicapped, particularly considering the yard he resides in.

Macdermott - Willie Mullins

MACDERMOTT won on his last start and comes here for man of the moment Willie Mullins on the back of securing his first win over fences at Fairyhouse earlier this month.

The team of course won the Grand National with I Am Maximus just last weekend and Macdermott warrants his place as the favourite for the Scottish equivalent, as he displayed a dominant performance last time out in winning by 12 lengths in a 3m½f handicap chase.

Still only six he has bundles of potential for improvement and looks one who will be suited to the demanding nature of this race.

Mr Incredible - Willie Mullins

A skilled - albeit idiosyncratic - long-distance chaser, MR INCREDIBLE has demonstrated a knack for competing in staying handicap chases across Britain. Over the past two seasons, he has consistently run in notable events like the Classic Chase, Kim Muir, and Midlands Grand National, not quite winning but running with credit.

In the recent Grand National, he was backed down to odds of 10-1SP but unseated at the Chair before really getting going. This will still be a stiff test but his jumping will not be tested quite so much, for all the Aintree race has become an easier task.

Following his commendable performance in the Midlands National and subsequent Aintree unseat, he enters this race relatively fresh, contrasting with competitors who have raced more frequently throughout the season. He is, however, winless since 2021 and we can never fully trust that he will jump off.

Anglers Crag - Brian Ellison

Brian Ellison got this horse before this season began and to say he has resurrected ANGLERS CRAG would be an understatement. He is yet to taste defeat in four starts since the switch from David Pipe, with a  neck victory in the Eider Chase at Newcastle on his most recent outing proving his gameness and talent.

He has rocketed up the handicap by a total of 28lbs since the start of his winning run began, but he has shown no signs of stopping improving as of yet. It would be quite the story were he to win this and make it five from five for the season, but he has already had a hard season and although his stamina is assured following that Newcastle win, he may like the ground a touch softer.

Git Maker - Jamie Snowden

A wonderfully consistent representative of the Jamie Snowden yard, GIT MAKER is still only eight and may yet have a big staying pot in him. He was definitely unlucky to bump into the phenomenally well handicapped Inothewayurthinkin last time out at Cheltenham, with that JP plot job backed like defeat was out of the question and duly obliging in the Kim Muir.

It was a case of him first and the rest miles back, but leading the rest of the crew was Git Maker and this was a fine performance from Snowden's representative. Inothewayurthinkin has since come out and won once again at Aintree and looks a Gold Cup horse, so Git Maker was in no way disgraced to finish behind that rival.

He is usually at his very best fresh, so this could end up coming too quickly, however a real test of stamina could well be just what the doctor ordered and he is not taken lightly.

Stay Away Fay - Paul Nicholls

It may well be that Paul Nicholls needs to win this race - and in turn stop Willie Mullins winning it - to keep hold of his trainers' title, and undoubtedly his best chance comes in the shape of top weight STAY AWAY FAY.

The 2023 Albert Bartlett winner ran too bad to be true when a drifter in the Brown Advisory of 2024, but perhaps he is simply destined to be a marathon chaser rather than a real top notcher. He is a grinder of a horse and from months out, many have said he'd love this test.

The stable won the race in back to back seasons with Vicente in 2016 and 2017 and while Stay Away Fay was at one point thought to be better than Nationals like this, he could well snag one and come back for years to come.

Inis Oirr - Lucinda Russell

The most prominent Scottish trainer right now, Lucinda Russell fires just one at this valuable Ayr showpiece but INIS OIRR is by no means a forlorn hope. The team had an utterly rotten Aintree, with the loss of star novice chaser Giovinco a real sombre note for all in attendance and watching on TV on Merseyside.

They also saw Ahoy Senor bounce back to form but once again get pipped in the Bowl, so as well as all the natives roaring on one of their own there will be plenty urging Inis Oirr under Derek Fox to win this race for a likeable yard.

He could hardly have won the Edinburgh National last time out in better style, backed into 9/2 favouritism and romping away to a 21 length win. The seven year-old will relish everything about this race and is one of the strongest favourites for the 2024 Scottish Grand National.