Lucinda Russell has revealed she almost missed out on Grand National favourite Corach Rambler after her partner’s son forgot about buying him.
The Perthshire handler heads to Aintree for the world’s greatest race on Saturday week with her star the bookies hotpot. After One for Arthur's 2017 success in the showpiece, Russell now has another massive chance with the two-time Cheltenham Festival winner.
As she looks ahead to the Liverpool cracker, she recounted it was not exactly a case of love at first sight for her when she first set eyes on Corach, but partner and assistant Peter Scudamore was besotted by the Rambler. And Russell has also admitted that only a motorway phone call from Scudamore to his trainer-son Michael prevented the now nine-year-old from slipping through her net.
Russell smiled and amusingly recalled: “We went to the sales and I saw Ahoy Senor and that was the horse I wanted. It’s a little bit like falling in love. A boy or a girl going to a disco and seeing someone they really like. No-one else there looks the same to them.
“That was me with Ahoy Senor. I might as well just have sat in the canteen until he came through. But Scu said: 'I’ve found another horse'. So we went down into a small stable and at the back was Corach. He wouldn’t come to the front. He was by a sire I wasn’t very sure about, I definitely wasn’t sure about his dam’s sire.
“Physically, he looked a little bit leggy and light and there was something about his eye that was untrusting. But Scu said: 'I love him.' I said okay. I thought I’d just indulge Scu and said yes!
“I said he might even end up dad’s point-to-pointer. He’s that cheap. We don't have to worry about what he does. Anyway, it was a long day and we were getting fed up, so we said to Scu’s son Michael: Would you bid on him for us?
“So we’re driving up the road and Scu phones Michael and says: Well, did we get that horse? Michael says: Oh my God, Oh my God! He was in the canteen and had forgotten.
“So he ran back down. Thankfully it was the lot before that was selling and he managed to buy him. If we hadn't phoned Michael, we might not have him. Maybe it’s fate.
“I always thought he might go pointing. He was quite old at six, but the breeder phoned and asked if he could have a share. I said I wasn’t really going to sell him, but we put a syndicate together. What did Scu spot? The horse’s attitude. He’s a sensitive soul. I’d buy him now. He looks better physically now!”
Since that day just over two years ago, Corach has blossomed with brilliant back-to-back wins under jockey Derek Fox in the Ultima at Cheltenham.
Last month’s success set him up perfectly for Aintree and Russell revealed: “The scary thing is that, after Cheltenham, you expect them to be tired. But Corach was better and stronger.
“He ticks all the boxes, that’s why he is favourite. He needs luck in running, nothing to fall in front of him and bring him down.
“But that’s where I rely on Derek. He’s got the brains to keep him out of trouble and Corach definitely has the brains. There's 10 days to go and I’m getting all wound up. It’s excitement.”
Victory for Corach would also be poignant for the yard after One for Arthur sadly died recently at the age of 14.
Russell said: “Sometimes when things happen you don’t really appreciate it at the time. But we did with the National and how much Arthur changed how we were going to behave and train afterwards.
“I miss him immensely. You could relate to him. We knew he was going away to have a lovely life and it was always a plan for him to come back. That was the shock. That he is not. It’s a shame he’s not here, but he set us on this road and it’s almost his legacy that we continue to train staying chasers.”
Russell described Arthur’s win as life-changing, but she’s shown ever since it was no fluke with her Cheltenham and Grade 1 wins.
She said: “That’s what has driven us forward. The standard of horse has gone up in the yard. 2017 taught us we can do it. It’s funny, you think of trainers who have won it before and there are quite a few you wouldn’t hear of again.
“Maybe that was the pinnacle of their career and I think what is important to us is to show it was not just a fluke. It’s something we can continue to do. That’s where Arthur started us.”
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