John Quinn has warned punters to hold fire on backing ante-post favourite Character Building in Saturday’s Coral Scottish Grand National.
The seven-year-old is the general 6-1 market leader after finishing second to subsequent Irish Grand National winner Butler’s Cabin at Cheltenham last month.
However, Quinn is concerned by the likely fast ground at Ayr on Saturday and believes backers should wait until the day if they want to be certain of a run.
“I will take him up there and walk the track myself, but my owners (who walked the track on Wednesday) know what they are talking about and they said to me it’s fast summer ground,” Quinn said.
“I wouldn’t back him at the moment. I would wait and back him when he goes around the parade ring on Saturday.”
Although Quinn would not want to run on fast ground, he equally believes a sound surface brings out the best in his exciting novice performer.
“He doesn’t want it too soft even though he’s a proper National Hunt bred horse,” Quinn told At The Races.
“He got beaten in bumpers on very soft ground and the minute the ground dried up, his form got better. Even if it’s genuine good ground he would run his race.
“He’s a big, scopey horse with a proper jumping pedigree.
“He’s a very athletic horse and a good jumper and obviously one would have hoped that when he went jumping fences he would improve and he did. He improved more than we thought.”