AYR is set to break all booking office records if Denman turns up for the Coral Scottish Grand National on April 17th. The Tank is not a certain runner but it will be a strange looking race without him as he's top-weight on 11st 12lb and only three other horses are on 10st or more. Madison Du Berlais is the next highest weighted on 10st 1lb!
Silver By Nature, owned and bred by St Johnstone chairman Geoff Brown and trained at Milnathort by Lucinda Russell, will carry the hopes of a nation as he bids to become the first tartan winner of the £200,000 Ayr marathon since Ken Oliver's Cockle Strand in 1982.
Brown said: "Denman and Kauto Star are the best staying chasers we have seen for a long time and I hope Denman runs as we only have 10st. "Denman was second in the Gold Cup to Imperial Commander and, on form with the third horse Mon Mome, we have nothing to fear as we beat him by 34 lengths when winning the Blue Square Gold Cup at Haydock. "We're due to receive 26lb from Denman and I'll take that any day of the week. Put it this way, if we are still thereabouts jumping the last it will take some horse to beat us."
Brown, whose fast-improving eight year-old was also a game runner-up under regular pilot Peter Buchanan in this season's Welsh National, added: : "I'll be having a wee bet on Silver By Nature but just enough to cover presents for the staff and the jockey. The main thing is that he comes back safe and sound."
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