Sean Quinlan has savoured the extreme high of Coral Scottish Grand National glory.
Now the door has opened for the popular Irishman to have another crack at big-race success in 2022.
Quinlan enjoyed a career highlight in 2019 when landing the showpiece event aboard Takingrisks for handler Nicky Richards.
After Covid claimed the 2020 staging of the event, he returned to go close on The Ferry Master 12 months ago when finishing fourth.
Trainer Sandy Thomson’s charge is again entered, but will be ridden by Ryan Mania.
However, having been unsure about his prospects of a mount in the big one at the beginning of this week, Quinlan is now set to partner Vintage Clouds.
The pilot will don the famous colours of the late Trevor Hemmings for trainer Sue Smith, who, ironically, was sixth in the year Takingrisks triumphed.
Now aged 12, Vintage Clouds has won an Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival during a terrific career.
Quinlan will also have opportunities within the other 14 races at the meeting over Friday and Saturday and believes another hefty entry from the powerful southern yards such as Paul Nicholls and Dan Skelton proves the growth of the event.
He said: “I had a great day there with Takingrisks and I thought the same was going to happen last year on The Ferry Master.
“He travelled well into the race and we probably hit the front a bit too soon. It’s always a fantastic race and, overall, it’s a great meeting.
“I would say for the lads based up north, it’s like a Cheltenham or an Aintree for some.
“To get on that Roll of Honour and win the Scottish Grand National is something special and something that you can never have taken away from you.
“There are so many southern-based yards who now head for it and that just goes to show how big a meeting it has become on the calendar.
“It gets a lot of support and we find it a lot harder to get winners nowadays.
“But there is one thing about this year and the movement of the meeting to come a week before Aintree instead of afterwards.
“It could work better for the northern trainers with some of the southern ones waiting for Aintree. Hopefully, the northern boys get a few winners.
“The owners and trainers get more of a kick out of winning against these horses. It shows again that the trainers up here can do the job when they have the right horses.
“It’s the same for jockeys as well sometimes, but, to be honest, the bottom line is that it does not matter who you get the better of. You just want winners on the board.”
Quinlan, meanwhile, will also be hoping to a couple over on his soaring pal Brian Hughes over the two days.
The champion-elect is enjoying a magnificent season and is on course to smash the 200-winner mark on his way to regaining the title.
Quinlan is delighted to see his buddy boost the reputation of the game in the north with his outstanding exploits and said: “Brian is flying.
“I don’t think we are going to get too close to him, but the closer we get, the better we’ll be doing.
“All credit to him. It’s great for northern racing that he is flying the flag for us.”
But he smiled: “Once we get out there, we are riding our own horses and want to compete and get the better of him, no doubt.”
