Lucinda Russell: Corach Rambler could be well-in for repeat National bid
LUCINDA Russell may already have two Grand Nationals to her name, but she’s going for gold once again with last year’s National hero, Corach Rambler.
The gelding was given a stone more to carry in this year’s renewal, but based on his astounding performance for third place in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month, William Hill ambassador Russell believes he could actually be well-in at the weights.
She explained: “He was given a fair rise in the handicap after winning the National last year and has gone up three pounds since the Gold Cup, which doesn’t affect his Aintree weight, so he could be three pounds well-in.
“He’s going to have to be well-in because it’s going to be a bigger test this year carrying more weight against some good horses.
“We’ve campaigned him to win this, but we haven’t campaigned him to protect his handicap mark. He’s just been campaigned to get here in the best possible condition and I’m really happy with him now.”
Commenting on his performance at Cheltenham, Russell said, “It was just a delight. The pressure was off, as it wasn’t meant to be his race of the season; it was just to make sure he had a good run and came home safe, so to be third was a fantastic achievement.
“I think that anytime you’re in the winners’ enclosure at Cheltenham, if you’re in the first four, it’s a real achievement at the Festival.
“It was wonderful for the owners and super for Derek Fox.”
Russell first won the Grand National in 2017 with One For Arthur, but a second win in the race for Corach Rambler would be no less significant for the Scottish stable.
In the wake of an Irish-dominated Cheltenham Festival, Russell considered the impact a UK-trained Grand National might have this year, saying: “It’s quite nice to have a sort of tribal feeling about it and maybe that causes a bit of interest, taking sides with the team; maybe that helps the sport. But certainly, when I’m training him, I’m training Corach Rambler for Corach Rambler and for his owners, not for a particular country and it would just make me proud to win the race.
“When I won the Grand National with One For Arthur, the SNP were trying to get Scotland to go independent from Britain and I kept saying that it was a race, not just for Scotland, but for Britain.
“I feel that the pressure now is to do the same, win for Britain and win for Scotland, but we’re a worldwide sport and we have to take on the best, whether they’re trained in Ireland, England, Scotland or Wales.
“To win two Nationals with Corach Rambler would be pretty awesome.”
He is far from the only talented horse in Russell’s ever-expanding yard, however, and when asked for a potential future Grand National hopeful she said: “One that I would look out for now is a horse called Myretown – he looks a lot like Ahoy Senor.
“He hasn’t had a lot of experience as he’s been off with an injury, but he’s definitely one to put in your notebooks for the future.”