Tag Archive for: Corach Rambler

Corach Rambler is the Ultima hero once again

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Corach Rambler enhanced his claims for the Randox Grand National when becoming the fourth back-to-back winner of the Ultima Handicap Chase.

Lucinda Russell’s 6-1 favourite pounced late to land the Cheltenham Festival spoils 12 months ago and was ridden cold once again by Derek Fox.

Always travelling easily for the National-winning pilot, the enigmatic nine-year-old was coaxed into contention as the race began to unfold and was then asked to join the party jumping the last – from where he knuckled down gamely to stay on to the line, holding off Martin Brassil’s Fastorslow to extend the dominance of British-trained horses in this race.

He will now head to Aintree on April 15 and was made the 7-1 joint-favourite for the Merseyside marathon by Betfair, while William Hill go further with Corach Rambler their 6-1 favourite, cut from 10s.

Russell’s partner and assistant Peter Scudamore said: “It’s a great thrill. I do appreciate how incredibly fortunate I am and if a bolt of lightning hits me on the way out, I’d die a happy man.

“The funny thing is that his jumping is getting better and he was closer than last year.

“All Derek wants to do is go out there and ride and that is the mark of the man.”

Russell added: “It’s such a special pleasure to be here and to watch the horse enjoying himself.

“The track is so stiff but he picked up speed round the corner. It was phenomenal.

“When he hits the front he pulls himself up a bit – it’s just magic that you can have a runner here, let alone a winner.

“He will now go the Aintree for the National. He deserves to have a crack and that’s the next step.”

Michael O’Sullivan struck aboard Jazzy Matty in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle to cap a fine opening day for the young rider who earlier took the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle with Marine Nationale.

Jazzy Matty ridden by Michael O’Sullivan on their way to winning the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle on day one of the Cheltenham Festival
Jazzy Matty ridden by Michael O’Sullivan on their way to winning the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle on day one of the Cheltenham Festival (Mike Egerton/PA)

The 18-1 scorer led home an all-Irish one-two-three-four to get Gordon Elliott off the mark for the week.

Elliott said: “I’m absolutely delighted. The horse is a brother to Delta Work, who is obviously a very good chaser for us.

“We knew he had a good enough mark coming over, but we thought he might just lack the experience.

“It is great to get a winner – I thought I might struggle to get a winner today to be honest. We had a few each-way chances, but to pull something out on the first day is unbelievable.”

The Cullentra House handler was also full of praise for the winning rider.

He added: “He doesn’t get that many rides for us, but he comes into the yard every Monday, never says anything, if I give him a ride, I give him a ride.

“I actually thought he claimed five (pounds). I put him down on the horse and I didn’t realise he claimed three (in England). I think he was lucky that if I’d copped it, it might not have happened, but in fairness he gave the horse a brilliant ride. He was slow at the last but didn’t panic. I’m delighted for him.”

O’Sullivan added: “It is unbelievable. Thanks very much to Gordon and the Browns for putting me up on him.

“I suppose I’m claiming 5lb in Ireland but only claiming 3lb here, so I probably lost a couple of rides in handicaps because of that, but in fairness to Gordon, he kept me on him.

“He got a bit of a fright at the first hurdle and was very careful after that. I thought we went very slow and he’s a big horse, so I gave him plenty of room and he travelled everywhere for me. I knew coming to the last I was wrong, but I didn’t want to be confusing him, because he was being careful up until then.

“I was confident enough I had plenty of horse left and I’d say he won with a bit in hand,. He is a nice horse going forward.”

Patrick Mullins won the WellChild National Hunt Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Novices’ Chase for the second year in a row aboard his father’s Gaillard Du Mesnil.

Gaillard Du Mesnil ridden by Patrick Mullins wins the WellChild National Hunt Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Novices’ Chase on day one of the Cheltenham Festival
Gaillard Du Mesnil ridden by Patrick Mullins wins the WellChild National Hunt Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Novices’ Chase on day one of the Cheltenham Festival (David Davies for the Jockey Club/PA)

The Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old has placed in Grade One company at the last two Festivals, but it looked as if the 10-11 favourite had his work cut out to reel in the forward-going Mahler Mission.

However, John McConnell’s charge tipped up at the second-last to allow Gaillard Du Mesnil to put his stamina to good use and stay on past Chemical Energy in the closing stages.

He was shortened into 12-1 from 16s by Coral for the Grand National, but his handler indicated that race may come too soon in the aftermath.

“I think we were a bit fortunate to be honest with John McConnell’s horse falling, but that’s racing,” said Mullins.

“It was a tough three miles and six furlongs and while we were behind, Patrick thought they’d gone fast enough. I’m very happy.

“I don’t know about Aintree, I don’t know if it will come too soon for him so we’ll see.

“I’m thrilled for the owners, Joe and Marie (Donnelly), they were second in the Champion Hurdle, too.”

Patrick Mullins said: “He jumped a bit high. I think it was the white fences. We had the put in at home and he jumped them high there, too.

“Over that distance you just want them to pop, not expand energy, but after the first circuit he was better.”

Russell considering Rambler’s route to Aintree

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Lucinda Russell is still to decide which route Corach Rambler will take to the Randox Grand National on April 15.

Given a peach of a ride from Derek Fox when swooping late to snatch the Ultima Handicap Chase at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, the son of Jeremy was again doing his best work late when finishing fourth in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury in November – and Russell believes his running style makes him the perfect candidate for the Merseyside marathon she won in 2017 with One For Arthur.

The nine-year-old featured amongst the list of entries for the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase at Prestbury Park on Saturday and although still a possible for that race if the stable’s Gold Cup hope Ahoy Senor is rerouted to Newbury, the Kinross handler is tempted to wait until the weights for the Aintree showpiece are finalised before breaking cover.

Options include Haydock’s Grand National Trial on February 18 and closer to home in the bet365 Premier Chase at Kelso on March 4 – a race used in the past by the likes of Ballabriggs, Cloth Cap and Many Clouds en route to Aintree.

“Corach Rambler is in fantastic form, said Russell. “You know that Scu (Peter Scudamore) rides him all the time and he gets off and says how tired he is.

“He’s a lovely horse and he wins through his personality as much as his ability. He’s a horse that loves coming from off the pace in a big handicap as we saw in the Ultima and for that reason we’re quite keen to go to Aintree for the Grand National.

“We have to decide how we get there and we have the option of the Grand National Trial at Haydock, we have the option of the Premier Chase at Kelso.

“We were going to go to the Fleur De Lys (at Lingfield) but as soon as I saw all the inspections, I pulled the plug on that.

“I don’t want him to go up too much in the handicap as I think he’s off quite a nice weight for Aintree, so it’s just a question of how we get him there.”

Derek Fox and connections of Corach Rambler celebrate winning the Ultima Handicap Chase during day one of the Cheltenham Festival last year
Derek Fox and connections of Corach Rambler celebrate winning the Ultima Handicap Chase during day one of the Cheltenham Festival last year (Nigel French/PA)

She continued: “He’s in at Cheltenham and there’s probably a question mark on him running there. That said, if the race cut up and Ahoy Senor went to Newbury, it leaves the way open for Corach and although he’s only run there twice, he’s unbeaten round Cheltenham and we know he likes the track.

“It could be that we do Cheltenham then Kelso. I would quite like to support the Kelso race and the timing is quite nice with it being five weeks before the Grand National.”

Scudamore: Still more to come from Ahoy Senor

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Peter Scudamore is not a man given to making excuses, yet reluctantly concedes the recent cold snap may have contributed to Ahoy Senor’s fifth-place finish in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton.

Winner of the Grade One Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree in April, the Lucinda Russell-trained seven-year-old has yet to score in three starts this term and was beaten 33 lengths by Bravemansgame in the Boxing Day feature.

Last season’s high-class novice jumped with plenty of fluency out of the soft ground in the three-mile event, which pleased connections, even if the result left something to be desired.

Russell’s partner and assistant, eight-time champion jockey Scudamore, said Ahoy Senor was not disgraced and could now head to the Grade Two Paddy Power Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on January 28.

“It’s funny really, I had been worried about his jumping, I got his jumping right but I’ve got to get his galloping right,” said Scudamore.

“I was disappointed, but when you are dealing with a horse at that level, you get disappointed. If I want to grasp at straws and make excuses, I think we have run one or two who, once the snow came, I couldn’t get them on the main gallop. I hate using those excuses, but I do think that.

“He was fifth in a King George and I know L’Homme Presse unseated at the last, but he hasn’t disgraced himself.”

Too keen on his return in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby, and not fluent early on when a close-up third to last season’s Grand National winner Noble Yeats in the Many Clouds at Aintree, Ahoy Senor made just one minor jumping error in the King George.

“It is not show jumping,” said Scudamore. “I thought he jumped well. It is the first time since Aintree that he has got all his jumping together.

“I’ve no complaints with his jumping. We have just got to get him galloping and we probably needed a gallop or two more.

“Some of the horses it suits, some of the heavier horses it doesn’t. It is my job to get them right.

“I think with better ground and better preparation, there is some more to come.”

Though some pundits suggested that the Sunbury track would not play to the strengths of the Bruce Wymer-owned Dylan Thomas gelding, Scudamore was quick to dispel those arguments.

He added: “Even last year, people blamed the track, but I don’t think the track made any difference to him. He’s run well at Cheltenham, he’s run well at Liverpool, he jumped well round Kempton. So, let’s get the facts out – I think he handles any track.

Corach Rambler has Lingfield option
Corach Rambler has Lingfield option (Nigel French/PA)

“I think when he gets the right race, when he’s right, he’ll win again.”

Russell and Scudamore will try to keep Ahoy Senor and fellow stable star Corach Rambler apart, although the latter, winner of the the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March, could return to the Prestbury Park track next month should he not run on Winter Millions day at Lingfield on January 22.

Scudamore said: “It depends on the ground. I wouldn’t run Ahoy if it is very soft at Cheltenham, but he might go to the Cotswold Chase.

“Corach Rambler has got Lingfield or the Cotswold Chase. I think he might go to the Fleur De Lys and if the ground was very soft at Cheltenham, he might go to the Cotswold Chase, but I’d favour Lingfield. We’ll see closer to the time.”

The two miles and six furlongs Fleur De Lys chase could prove a stepping stone to the Grand National for Corach Rambler, who was a staying-on fourth to Le Milos in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury last month.

With the David Pipe-trained runner-up Remastered backing that up with an authoritative win over three miles at Kempton on Tuesday, Scudamore is hopeful the eight-year-old can follow suit.

“I was delighted to see Remastered frank the form,” he added. “The Coral Gold Cup was the best staying handicap this side of the water.

“I was pleased with his run, so Corach is going to have his first piece of work since that run today (Friday). He’ll have two runs before the Grand National – that’s the dream.”