SCOTLAND could have a serious chance of a second successive victory in tomorrow’s Grand National.

Selkirk trainer, Stuart Coltherd previously won the Aintree Foxhunters with Tartan Snow, and hopes Captain Redbeard can repeat the feat in Saturday’s marathon.

The gelding will be ridden by the trainer’s 19-year-old son Sam, and led up by daughter Amy.

“We may only be a small operation, but it’s a big operation for us,” said Stuart, who has some 22 horses in training at his Clarilawmuir farm base.

“Everyone is getting very excited.”

Seeyouatmidnight is another Scottish contender.

Trained at Greenlaw by Sandy Thomson – a former Scotland B rugby player – he finished third in the 2016 Scottish National.

St Boswells owners, Paul and Clare Rooney, have two entries in The Last Samuri and Beeves, while the hopes of Scottish owners, Douglas Pryde and Jim Beaumont rest with Maggio.

Having lost four meetings to the winter weather, racing returned to Kelso with a vengeance last Saturday when the track hosted its richest-ever card offering a whopping £166,000 prize-pot.

The Borders track was rewarded with a cracking seven-race card, a bumper crowd, and terrestrial television coverage, with ITV racing returning to the course for the first time since 1975.

There were two Scottish winners throughout the afternoon, both ridden by Hawick jockeys.

Callum Whillans rode Keyboard Gangster to a 28-1 victory in the two-mile handicap hurdle race.

The gelding – who survived a car crash some two years earlier – is trained at Hawick by the jockey’s father, Donald.

“He is fine at home, anybody could ride him, but a car ran into him two years ago and he gets lit up at the races,” explained Donald, “but he has plenty of ability and the bigger field helped him.”

Making his handicap debut, the gelding benefitted from a first-time hood and tongue tie, and put in a gutsy performance to defeat the favourite in the closing stages.

The winning jockey added: “He has a good engine and he jumps well.”

Keyboard Gangster carries the colours of the Buyers Club – a syndicate of “four Hawick lads.”

The gelding survived horrific injuries when hit by a car after returning from exercise to the Whillans Dodlands Steading base in October 2016.

Donald’s elder son, Garry was thrown over the vehicle on to the road, and was fortunate to escape without serious injury, while the horse took the full impact of the car, which was written off in the accident.

It proved a lengthy recovery and Donald admits he never thought his charge would race again.

“He was in some state and could hardly even walk round his box afterwards,” he explained.

Patience and perseverance were rewarded with an impressive win at Ayr recently and Saturday’s success was all the sweeter being at his local track.

“That was just his fourth hurdle race,” added Donald, who describes the 11-year-old as “not the easiest of rides.”

Callum has been his regular pilot and gave the gelding a well-judged ride.

Fellow Hawick jockey, Blair Campbell rode the Lucinda Russell-trained Haul Us In to land the 2m 5f handicap hurdle race.

The mare justified favouritism to complete a hattrick of wins for her Milnathort trainer.

“She may go for the big mares’ race at the Scottish National meeting at Ayr,” said Blair, who has been based at Arlary House for almost two years now.

Campbell and Russell again proved a winning combination at Carlisle the following afternoon, when they won the two-mile novice hurdle race with 4-1 chance Kelpies Myth.

The win marked Blair Campbell’s 11th of the season, putting him on target for a personal best.

Alnwick trainer, Rose Dobbin has her stable to sparking form, and headed the two-and-a-half mile handicap chase with Doktor Glaz.

There was a third 4-1 winner when My Old Gold landed the three mile handicap hurdle race

under Hawick jockey Craig Nichol.

Northumberland jockey, Harry Reed completed a victorious double at Kempton on April 9.

He rode Highway One O One to head the novice hurdle race, before partnering Ramore Will to success in the two-and-a-half mile handicap hurdle.

Borders couple, Paul and Clare Rooney had a winner at Ludlow the same afternoon, when I’m A Game Changer landed the two-mile handicap hurdle race.