Captain Cody emerged victorious at the Scottish Grand National held at Ayr, but the celebration was bittersweet due to the unfortunate deaths of two horses during the race. The 9-1 winner, trained by Willie Mullins, led a one-two finish with stablemate Klarc Kent. This victory brings Mullins closer to securing his second British championship, following his recent success at the Grand National at Aintree with Nick Rockett.

However, the race was overshadowed by the tragic losses of Macdermott, the 2024 winner trained by Mullins, and The Kniphand, trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies. Both horses suffered fatal injuries, with The Kniphand being one of several fallers and Macdermott being pulled up.

Harry Cobden, the British champion jockey, delivered a masterful ride on Captain Cody, showcasing his skill and composure. Cobden, in only his second ride for Mullins, exuded confidence throughout the race. Mullins humorously remarked, "I gave Harry one instruction - I said this horse only wins for Jody Townend, Paul's sister, and when Paul gets on, it doesn't particularly work well, so I said to Harry to put on your best ladies' voice! He's Ms Harry Cobden now."

Our Power finished third, followed by Grozni and Rock My Way in fifth place. Despite being the odds-on favorite to win the trainers' title in a fortnight, Mullins remains cautious in his battle with Dan Skelton. "Dan won't be standing still so he'll probably win it, and if he does he'll feel like he's won a proper title," Mullins said.

Only eight of the 23 runners completed the Scottish National, prompting criticism from campaign group Animal Rising, who described the race as "nothing short of carnage." The sport has faced scrutiny following the death of Celebre D'Allen after the Grand National at Aintree.

In a separate incident on Saturday, jockey Harry Atkins was stood down for the day after falling on Snipe and being knocked unconscious.