Scudamore finally nails down ride on Major Malarkey after setbacks

He was expecting to ride Wyck Hill before David Bridgwater’s horse failed to recover from a bad cut suffered in his last outing.

Scudamore then switched to Quinz, only for the Philip Hobbs-trained runner to be ruled out yesterday after scoping badly.

The rider now partners the Nigel Twiston-Davies second string Major Malarkey, who sneaks into the 40-runner field after the withdrawal of both Quinz and the Ferdy Murphy-trained Poker De Sivola.

“It’s great he’s got in the race. He’s a stayer, he jumps well and he’ll run really well,” said Twiston-Davies, who has previously saddled Earth Summit and Bindaree to National glory.

Meanwhile Richard Johnson, a close second on What’s Up Boys to Bindaree in the 2002 race, partners the Hobbs-trained Balthazar King.

“The ground is a big factor to Balthazar King and it looks like it has come right for him,” said the second most successful rider in National Hunt history and who is still seeking his first triumph in the race.

“He’s jumped around the Cross Country course at Cheltenham well and I’d hope he’d take to the fences, but you can never be confident.”

Dougie Costello, meanwhile, who continues to have a close association with Malton trainer John Quinn’s stable, will ride Tim Vaughan’s Saint Are.

In other significant bookings, Sam Thomas – victorious in the 2008 Gold Cup on Denman – is reunited with his former trainer Paul Nicholls after being booked to ride What A Friend, who is co-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ryan Mahon is jocked up for Doncaster specialist Harry The Viking, the second of the Manchester United manager’s two runners in the race, while Donald McCain’s former Charlie Hall Chase winner Weird Al is to be partnered by Timmy Murphy, who was in the saddle when the horse landed Wetherby’s showpiece race of the year in October 2011.