'It's horrible and this will give a lift to the whole family' - Kitty's Light wins for emotional Williams

Some things are more important than racing and tears flowed after a heartbreakingly poignant victory for Kitty's Light in the Coral Scottish Grand National.

Winning Scotland's biggest jumps race for the second year in a row would ordinarily be cause for huge celebration. But these, tragically, are not ordinary times for Christian Williams.

Betsy, the trainer's five-year-old daughter, was diagnosed with leukaemia on the Wednesday of the Cheltenham Festival. 

She is back home after a fortnight in hospital and although she makes return visits three times a week, she was riding a wooden rocking horse in the park earlier this week and told her father it was Kitty’s Light and he had just won.

No wonder Williams was initially too choked up to speak when the real Kitty's Light lived up to his daughter's prophecy.

"It's a tough time," admitted the trainer, whose wife Charlotte is a physio and has put her life on hold to look after Betsy.

In an infinitely more trivial way, it is also a tough time for any trainer taking on Williams in a big staying chase at present.

Kitty's Light chased home stablemate Win My Wings in this contest 12 months ago and landed the Eider Chase at Newcastle in February, and the Welsh trainer has also won the Midlands National, Welsh National and Coral Trophy in the last four years.

Christian Williams: claimed a second Scottish Grand National with Kitty's LightCredit: Edward Whitaker

Punters have been quick to take advantage of his Midas touch and Kitty's Light was backed down to 4-1 joint-favourite before this latest smooth success, always travelling sweetly under Jack Tudor and leading after the second-last fence for a three-length defeat of Cooper's Cross.

"I trained him for the two races this year and that's brilliant," Williams said. "He's a classy horse. He did a piece of work last week that we hadn't seen for 12 months. 

"I was confident coming here. He travelled sweetly. Fences get in his way but if his jumping holds up on good ground he's a very good horse. His jumping held up early and it was nice to watch.

"We've had him since he was a yearling so we know what the horse is capable of. He just bumped into a freak [Win My Wings] last year – I don't know where the mare's performance came from, she was unstoppable."

Williams became the first trainer to win back-to-back Scottish Grand Nationals with different horses since Ken Oliver did it with The Spaniard and Young Ash Leaf in 1970 and 1971, and admits the Ayr showpiece means a lot.

"I thought we'd win the race last year and the plan was to try to come here and replicate that," said the trainer, whose Cap Du Nord finished tenth. "We enjoy supporting this race and will try to come back and see if we can win it for a third year."

Tudor, who hopes his new appointment as David Pipe's stable jockey will not prevent his teaming up again with Kitty's Light, said of the Williams' team: “When there is a plan, they very rarely miss. Christian has had a rough time. It’s horrible and this will give a lift to the whole family, so that is brilliant."

Read these next:

Protesters attempt to disrupt the Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr 

2023 Scottish Grand National full result: where your horse finished for the Ayr race including each-way places  

Subscribe today | Get 50% off your first three months  

Sign up here 18+. New UK & ROI customers only. Minimum deposit £/€5. Minimum first £/€5 bet at minimum odds 1/2 to qualify for 1x £/€20 free bet. Certain deposit methods and bet types excluded. Free bet valid for seven days. Stake not returned. Restrictions and T&Cs apply. Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators that our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing.