Lucinda Russell is keeping her fingers crossed Apple Away can show her true colours in the Oddschecker Grand National Trial Handicap Chase at Haydock on Saturday.
The Grade One-winning mare will bid to give the Kinross handler a fourth success in the £100,000 Premier Handicap, which she has previously claimed with Silver By Nature in 2010 and 2011 and Lie Forrit in 2015.
Although signing off last season with a Listed success at Perth, this campaign has seen Apple Away, who is owned by Old Gold Racing 14, fail to get her head in front in three starts.
After finishing fourth on her comeback in a handicap chase Kelso, the daughter of Arctic Cosmos has subsequently filled the runner-up spot back up at Listed level in the Bud Booth Mares’ Chase at Market Rasen and the Charlie Nugent Memorial Mares’ Chase at Newbury.
But with the presence of dual Betfair Chase winner Royale Pagaille heading the weights in the extended three and a half miles test, it means that Apple Away is the last horse to be in the handicap proper on 10st 2lb, something which Russell expects to be in her favour.
Russell said: “Apple Away is in good form and I think she has quite a nice racing weight for the race. The trip will suit her and she jumped well around there as a novice hurdler.
“She is a funny thing and we have to be very careful with her as she has got her own emotions and feelings about things.
“She certainly seems better suited to smaller fields, but hopefully as she gets older she will get the hang of it in those big field handicaps.
“She is pretty versatile and will go on anything, but she is probably better on good to soft ground. She is a very high-class mare and I would say she has each-way chance here.”
Despite Apple Away holding an entry in the Randox Grand National, which she is currently number 75 on the list for, Russell admits a trip to Ayr for the Scottish Grand National, opposed to an outing at Aintree, will be her end of season target.
Russell added: “Apple Away is in the Grand National, but she is unlikely to get in that as she is way down on the list, so her main aim is the Scottish Grand National.
“Quite often those second season chasers run well in the Scottish Grand National and it is a race we have had on the agenda this season for her.”
Although it has been 10 years since Russell celebrated the last of her three winners in the race she still has fond memories of those successes.
Russell added “This has been an amazing race for us as we have won it three times in the past.
“Silver By Nature won it twice and he was a fantastic horse in those types of staying races in heavy ground.
“Lie Forrit was a cracking little horse and he would love running around there with conditions as they should be at the weekend."
'The plan after this would be to go to the Albert Bartlett'
Elsewhere on the card Russell is excited about the chances of Derryhassen Paddy, who will try and secure his ticket to the Cheltenham Festival by taking a step up to Grade Two company in his stride in the Albert Bartlett Prestige Novices’ Hurdle.
The six-year-old has looked impressive in both of his previous two hurdle starts to date at Uttoxeter and last time out when rallying well late on at Windsor on his first attempt over three miles.
And Russell, who saddled Brindisi Breeze to win both this race and the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival in 2012, hopes the progressive Arctic Cosmos gelding, who she jointly owns, can complete the same double.
Russell said: “He is a fantastic horse and I can’t begin to tell you how many superlatives there are to describe him. He has got a lot of class, but I wouldn’t run him if the ground wasn’t soft enough.
“He really knuckled down to it at Windsor, but I would say the track swinging right and left as it does wasn’t really for him. He is an exciting horse that is definitely as good a novice as we have had.
“Brindisi Breeze was a light framed horse whereas this one is very much a big chasing type. If all goes well here then the plan after this would be to go to the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival.”
And there will be a sprinkling of star quality in the concluding Walrus Open Hunters’ Chase with Grade One winner My Drogo featuring in the eight-runner field.
Since striking gold at the top level in the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree in 2021 the son of Milan has been restricted to just four racecourse appearances under Rules. However, following a recent spell point-to-pointing since joining Ed William Walker from Dan Skelton the Richard and Lizzie Kelvin-Hughes-owned-gelding has found a new lease of life.
And Walker’s wife, and fellow trainer, Polly Gundry, is looking forward to testing the lightly raced 10-year-old in the two miles and six furlongs event, which if goes to plan could set up a tilt in the Randox Foxhunters’ Chase over the Grand National fences at Aintree in April.
Gundry said: “He has just found his way again with point-to-pointing as they just go that gear slower and it really suits him. He is in good form and we would not be going all that way if we didn’t think he was. We are very much looking forward to this.
“He had a leg injury and it took him a long time to get him back. The Skelton team were very careful with him then last year he wasn’t quite right. He is such a sweet horse and he is very gentle, but he is madly ambitious. In Will Biddick we have one of the best in the business on board so hopefully he will go well.
“I think we feel that he might be one for the Foxhunters' at Aintree as the trip and flat track will suit him better. Although he gets three miles, that extra quarter of a mile at Cheltenham would be a bit too much for him, especially if it was soft, but we will just take it one race at a time."
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