Kap Vert won the 2026 Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr on Saturday April 18th at odds of 20/1. Trained by Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, ridden by Sean Houlihan, the six-year-old made only his fifth start over fences count in Scotland's most prestigious jump race. Git Maker was second, Kim Roque third — beaten a length and a half and a nose respectively. 16 runners went to post on heavy ground, soft in places.
The Race
The Paul Nicholls pair of Quebecois and Isaac Des Obeaux went forward from the start with Stolen Silver, ridden by Olive Nicholls and trained by Georgina Nicholls, tracking between them. Quebecois was the first to drop away with over a circuit to run. Isaac Des Obeaux remained prominent until a significant jumping error four from home lost him momentum — he eventually recovered to finish fourth.
Kap Vert and Houlihan had moved quietly into third at the top of the straight. When Katate Dori faded, Kap Vert found himself disputing the lead. His jumping remained accurate throughout — Houlihan said afterwards he "actually travelled nearly too well" — and he asserted from two out to win with something in reserve despite closing margins near the line.
Git Maker produced one of the errors of the day — almost parting company with Jonathan Burke almost a mile from home — but the combination recovered to chase Kap Vert home, eventually beaten one and a half lengths. Kim Roque, the race favourite at 4/1, finished a further nose back in third.
The Winner's Profile
Kap Vert is a six-year-old — below the historical optimal age range of eight to ten, which has produced 18 of the last 22 winners. His weight of 10st 12lb sat within the productive range. His breeding is French — 17 of the last 22 Scottish National winners have been French or Irish bred, and Kap Vert fit that historical profile precisely. His jumping accuracy on heavy ground was the decisive factor — Johnson White confirmed: "The whole race went slickly and to plan and he has a great way of crossing his fences."
Sean Houlihan
This was Sean Houlihan's first winner at Ayr — and he had ridden at the track only three times before. He had earlier that day finished second on Captain Hugo in the Scottish Champion Hurdle. When Kap Vert won, Houlihan's single-day earnings at Ayr crossed £130,000. The Dungarvan native described the performance directly: "He's genuine, jumped well and was tough when he needed to be."
What Comes Next
Connections immediately identified the 2027 Grand National as the target. Johnson White confirmed: "There's no reason why we can't aim and I do think we might see a better horse on better ground." Houlihan agreed: "He'd probably have to improve but there's no reason why we can't aim." The 2027 Aintree Grand National will be on Kap Vert's agenda before the new jumping season is a month old.
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