THE theory of coaches across sport is that “hard work will beat talent if talent doesn’t work hard”.

Those watching Gingili might think that the jockeys who ride him have to work hard for their money. But his trainer, Johnny Farrelly, would say that there is plenty of talent there and that he might just show that in the Coral Scottish National at Ayr on Saturday.

Last year both Sean Bowen and Noel Fehily won ride of the month awards after guiding Gingili to victory at Worcester and Fontwell where Fehily’s ride was noted by the Racing Post’s analyst who wrote that the horse “ran in snatches and not always looking keen”, adding that Gingili was “switched right and coerced to find extra final 100yds, got up close home, fine ride”.

Farrelly reckons it is a case of handsome is as handsome does and Gingili has finished in the first three in seven of his last eight starts for him.

“He has a tendency to look not the most resolute but that’s just his way,” he said. “And he’s still winning. If he galloped around a field he’d be the same way – that’s just the way he gallops with his head up. That’s just the structure of the horse. You can’t bully him; you’ve got to work with him.

“When he won with Noel at Exeter the last time he ran [in October] he looked so genuine, he jumped great and everything went well.

“He’d go for the Scottish National if the ground was right and he could get in – and I’d love it if Noel could ride him.”

That may not look likely at present given that Gingiliis 59th in the list and only 27 are guaranteed a place in the line-up, but Gingili is rated 133, which would be good enough to get a run in five of the last 10 renewals of the Scottish National.

Farrelly will be looking out for tomorrow’s six-day declaration stage for a clearer idea and is likely to see that Missed Approach, one of the ante-post favourites, is more likely to run in the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown Park next week. And the field is likely to thin out even more at which point the 33-1 on offer by bookmakers would appear a tempting each-way prospect.

Fifteen of those above Gingili ran in yesterday’s Grand National so may not be expected to turn out again at Ayr as Red Rum did when he won both races in 1974.

Vincente did last year, having fallen at the first fence at Aintree, to win the Scottish National for a second successive year. Paul Nicholls withdrew Vincente from another run over the Aintree fences due to the soft ground and might be tempted to go back to Ayr for the chance for Vincente to become first horse to win the race three times since Queen's Taste in the 1950s.

The ground at Ayr is currently soft and the weather forecast suggests it might be drying out. That will suit Vincente but it would also be good news for the chances of Gingili too.

“Unfortunately, with this weather that we’ve had, we haven’t had the chance to get a run into him because we didn’t want to run him on heavy ground,” Farrelly said. “But we could look to give him a racecourse gallop.

“He hasn’t run since October but he’s straight enough and the big field should suit him. If he gets in a rhythm and he gets jumping he could go well.”

Whoever rides Gingili just should not be frightened of hard work.