Lucinda Russell has high hopes for future with up-and-coming horses

The Scottish Grand National is the biggest event in the country’s racing calendar and last year produced one of its closest ever finishes.

However, it will go ahead this year without one of its top trainers.

Lucinda Russell had primed Apple Away for the showpiece event this weekend, but after a poor showing in its last race, it will not run.

She said: “The Scottish Grand National is a fantastic meeting for us all to aim at.

“And we have been aiming Apple Away at it all season, but she has had a long season, and I just feel that it’s for the best to give her a nice summer holiday now.

“We’ve always been really well known for our staying chases, so it was a bit odd not having a runner in the Grand National or the Scottish National this year.

“But we have some lovely young horses coming through, and I think that was shown when we had a winner at the Cheltenham festival and winners at Aintree festival with novice hurdlers.”

There will be £500,000 of prize money dished out across the festival this weekend.

Russell won’t be contesting the showpiece event, but she is confident her young crop of horses could mix it in the years to come.

Best known for Grand National winner Corach Rambler, who is now enjoying retirement, the trainer says her yard is very much in a transition period.

She said: “Before, we’ve always had one really good horse, but I think what is exciting is that to keep pushing in at the bottom with nice new horses, our quality is actually going up across the board and that has been very good for us.

“As a yard here and to help horse racing in Scotland, we have to keep on having a number of good horses rather than just one flagship.”

Russell will still be in Ayr this week, and her biggest hopes are pinned on one of her biggest up-and-coming talents, Walk On Quest.

She said: “Ever since he has started going over fences he has just blossomed, he was second first time out in Perth, and then he won his next four races, which is a good effort for a young horse.”