Corach Rambler: Grand National winner returns to hero’s welcome at Kinross for Lucinda Russell | Racing News
Randox Grand National winner Corach Rambler returned to a hero’s welcome at his trainer Lucinda Russell’s Kinross base on Sunday.
Sent off the 8-1 favourite, the nine-year-old coasted through the Aintree showpiece to beat Vanillier by two and a quarter lengths.
He was partnered by Derek Fox, who suffered an injury scare in the days leading up to the race but returned in time to land a second National with Russell after One For Arthur in 2017.
Grand National winner Corach Rambler is welcomed back to Lucinda Russell’s stables
Only three horses trained in Scotland have ever won the historic contest, and Russell is responsible for two of them.
Scores of people were on hand to welcome Corach Rambler and Apple Away, a Grade One winner on Friday, back to Russell’s Arlary House Stables, in Milnathort, north of Edinburgh.
Russell said: “It is just amazing. We were coming up the M6 last night… what Corach does is very important to us because we know him so well and you just wonder whether other people feel the same way.
“It was just amazing driving in today, the number of cars and people and the support he has.
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Thomas Kendall, part-owner of Corach Rambler, could not hide his delight when discussing his horse’s Grand National victory on Saturday
“I know he was favourite in the race but it is just lovely, how important he is to the community, not just the racing community. It is pretty overwhelming, I have to say.”
Russell admitted she did not see much of the race itself, having been overcome with emotion.
“I didn’t really see very much of it because I was crying so much,” she said. “I wasn’t sure he was going to be able to lie up with the pace, but Derek managed to bounce him up quite handy.
“I wasn’t sure he would take to the fences, he hadn’t jumped round there before and he jumped the first two or three and I wasn’t sure.
Derek Fox and Corach Rambler win the Grand National
“But he jumped Becher’s Brook and suddenly he was like ‘I love this’ and you could see his body shape and stuff, and after that he just loved it and I thought we had a right chance.”
‘We can’t reduce risk to zero’
The race itself was delayed by around 15 minutes due to a group of animal rights activists, and Russell feels education is the way forward if the two sides can ever sit around a table.
“I have always said, everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” said Russell. “I would like them to be a little bit more educated in their opinion.
“If they could come and see the horses, understand that we are doing everything that we can. We can’t reduce risk to zero, you just can’t.
Police officers respond to Animal Rising activists attempting to invade the race course ahead of the Randox Grand National
“I get that some people don’t like racing, that is fine, but I would like them to come and see how well they are looked after.
“Any race yard would gladly let people come and see them, but I suppose for a lot of the stuff they don’t want to be educated, they are quite happy making the decision that it is not their thing.”
