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unusual facts about Scottish Grand National



National Hunt racing

Other important festivals are the Galway Races - a hugely popular mixed (NH and flat) meeting in Ireland, Punchestown Festival - the Irish equivalent of the Cheltenham Festival, The Tingle Creek at Sandown Park Racecourse, the Scottish Grand National at Ayr Racecourse, King George VI Chase at Kempton Park Racecourse, the Welsh National at Chepstow Racecourse, and the Irish National at Fairyhouse Racecourse.

Paris Pike

A horse named after Paris Pike won the Scottish Grand National Steeplechase in 2001 before falling at the first fence in the famous 2002 Grand National at Aintree, England.

Royal Athlete

In 1995 his trainer Jenny Pitman tried to talk the owners, Gary and Libby Johnson out of running him at Aintree, confessing to the BBC's Des Lynam in a post race interview that she thought they were "Mad bringing him here 'cause he could win the Scottish National (scheduled to be run two weeks later) doing triple toeloops."


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