Name: Kap Vert Age: 6 years old Trainer: Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, Sandhill Racing Stables, Bilbrook, Somerset Jockey: Sean Houlihan Owner: Syndicate (including Johnson White and Molly White) Starting price: 20/1 Result: Won by 1½ lengths from Git Maker, Kim Roque third
The Trainer Partnership
Philip Hobbs has been training at Sandhill Racing Stables in West Somerset since 1985. He became the fourth trainer to reach 3,000 winners in National Hunt racing in February 2023. Johnson White joined as joint licence holder in March 2023, bringing new owners to the yard and expanding the operation's reach. White confirmed after Saturday's race: "Molly [White] and myself bought him from Philip and Ronnie Bartlett and Mr Bartlett was very magnanimous and was the first to come over and congratulate us. It's been a phenomenal journey so far and I don't think it's over yet."
The partnership's biggest previous winner before Saturday had come since they started their joint training operation in 2023. Kap Vert winning the Scottish Grand National at 20/1 on heavy ground represents the highest-profile result of their combined career.
The Jockey
Sean Houlihan is a Dungarvan native based in Ireland. Saturday was his first winner at Ayr — and he had ridden at the track only three times before. In the same afternoon, he had finished second on Captain Hugo in the Scottish Champion Hurdle. His two-ride tally at the meeting produced more than £130,000 in prize money earnings. His post-race description of the winner was precise: "He's a brilliant jumper, he actually travelled nearly too well. He's genuine, jumped well and was tough when he needed to be."
The Horse
Kap Vert is a French-bred six-year-old with a jumping style that belied his limited experience over fences. Saturday was only his fifth start over fences — an unusually low number of runs for a Scottish National winner. His assured jumping throughout the race, including on deteriorating heavy ground, was identified by both jockey and trainer as the decisive factor. Johnson White confirmed: "He has a great way of crossing his fences, so turning in all that was left to answer was stamina. He ticked that box very well."
The 2027 Target
Both connections and jockey immediately identified the 2027 Aintree Grand National as the next major target. Houlihan added the honest caveat: "He'd probably have to improve but there's no reason why we can't aim." White agreed, noting that connections believe better ground would reveal a better horse than Saturday's heavy conditions allowed.
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