Max McNeill is hoping Threeunderthrufive can help his beloved annual trip to Ayr go with a successful swing.
Champion trainer Paul Nicholls is sending his charge north for Saturday’s showpiece Coral Scottish Grand National. Threeunderthrufive spearheads a crack team of McNeill’s horses heading north of the border for the two-day spectacular by the seaside.
The leading owner savours going back to his roots and can’t wait for his eight-year-old to battle for the big one. Threeunderthrufive's challenge carries massive emotional connection for the team. The gelding was named after the exploits of McNeill’s late father and ex-professional golfer Ted who was three under par through five holes to lead The Open at Royal Portrush in 1951.
And it was at Ayr where he has his first memories of racing as, during his time living in the town, the pair went together to see Red Rum win Scotland’s big race almost 50 years ago. McNeill told Record Sport: “There’s been two targets for him this season. One was the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury and that did not go as planned.
“As soon as that one was over, we said: Where next? And we decided: Let’s aim him for the Scottish Grand National. The view is really that, this time next year, we are hoping to go with him for the Grand National at Aintree, but Ayr is a meeting that we love and we want to have a go.”
McNeill, who was unfortunately denied a runner in the Aintree National last weekend when Escaria Ten was ruled out on the morning of the contest, is sending some of his finest stock to Scotland from inside some of the game’s most-powerful operations.
As well as Threeunderthrufive, Nicholls will also have Twin Power and possibly Shearer travelling on the lorry from Ditcheat. Persian Time is making the trip for the outstanding Nicky Henderson outfit at Seven Barrows and Spartan Army, who is part-owned by Scots brothers Patrick and Scott Bryceland, is Ayr-bound from the Alan King yard.
Olly Murphy’s Thunder Rock is in the mix, while McNeill is also bringing two across from Ireland with Cato Capone and Where It All Began, both trained by the brilliant Gordon Elliott who had two Grade 1 successes amongst a trio of winners at Aintree last week, due to head over the water. The owner’s planned number of eight will all arrive with strong chances of victory and that is an essential part of the plotting in tandem with the personal touch.
McNeill said: “Going to this meeting at Ayr means a whole lot to us. Let’s be honest, we have some really good young horses such as Three Card Brag, Fingal Bridge, In The Waterside coming through the ranks for the future. But, unless you can be competitive, you don’t want to be going to the Festivals at Cheltenham and Aintree and just be playing at it.
“That is one factor and Ayr is meeting where we have had some really good success, but there is something more important than that at play for us all. It’s the fact that I used to live in Ayr. I was literally about a mile and a half from the course on the Prestwick Road.
“My old man was member. I used to go all of the time. My first memories of the Scottish National was seeing Red Rum in 1974 winning. I was there. That’s my first main memory of racing and it is a meeting that we love. I love it, my wife loves it, my family loves it.
“We go and stay at a nearby place between Ayr and Kilmarnock which is superb, we are up a couple of days in advance as I love the area and the race meeting. Somebody asked me recently if I prefer Aintree or Ayr and it is bloody close, but I said Ayr. The reason being we have winners, the people are great and I just love it.”
