SCOTTISH Grand National winner Belmont King was reported in fine fettle by trainer Paul Nicholls yesterday. The nine year old defied top weight to land the Ayr showpiece on Saturday when making all under champion jockey Tony McCoy.
"He's 100 per cent this morning although he was a little tired after the race which is only understandable but he ate up last night and now will have a nice summer's holiday," reported Nicholls from his Somerset base.
"He had a nightmare trip up to Ayr because of the bomb scares on the motorways on Friday. It should have taken about seven hours but ended up taking over 10 hours which didn't really do the horse any favours.
"But it was also justice for owner Billie Bonds who is in her late 70s as she travelled from Cornwall all the way to Aintree to see the horse run in the Grand National but of course that race didn't even take place on the Saturday," added Nicholls.
The trainer feels vindicated in his decision to pull Belmont King out of the restaged Monday running of the Grand National as in his opinion "the horse was Just not right as he had been affected by what had happened on the Saturday."
"The win at Ayr put us on the 50 winner mark for the season and is a big boost for the whole stable and the team here."
Belmont King will be aimed at next year's Aintree Grand National with Nicholls intent on running in races such as the Hennessy Gold Cup, the Rehearsal Chase and the Welsh Grand National en route.
