Our series continues as Marcus Townend gets the lowdown on one of the most powerful teams in the north.
There were no Grade One victories for dual Grand National-winning trainer Lucinda Russell last season but it was still a successful campaign with a career-best 75 successes and over £1million in prizemoney.
Russell’s Scottish stable is now one of the most powerful in the north which is not afraid to take on the big outfits in their backyard and, once again, they will be targeting some of the biggest prizes this winter.
The retirement of Corach Rambler, the 2023 Grand National winner and 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup third, leaves a big hole to fill but the rise in quality in the horses trained by Russell, her partner Peter Scudamore and assistant trainer Michael Scudamore means there is a clutch of exciting young horses to look forward to.
These include Derryhassen Paddy, Kingston James and Primoz. Ahoy Senor is back to contest the big staying chases while it is hoped grade-one winning hurdler Apple Away can build on a promising novice chase season.
It didn’t happen for him in the early part of last season but that has become the norm and in the Spring we found a hoof issue which would have been causing him grumbling pain. It’s called Sidebone and it is where the cartilage becomes calcified. We had to address it and medicate it.
We have also changed his routine a bit. We put him in the lorry to the gallops and let him walk home. It was actually in both fore-legs but worse in one. That is why he would favour always going on to the right (when jumping). ‘It is a matter of managing it - we can’t totally mend it. That’s one of the ways to make sure he is comfortable. He is certainly much straighter now.
When they have had a long-standing grumble like that some of the action and behavior becomes learned so he still favours that side but it is more out of habit. He bounced back to form when second to Gerri Colombe in the Aintree Bowl Chase and ended the season the highest rated three-mile chaser trained in Britain.
We experimented with trip last season when he finished third to Pic D’Orhy in the Ascot Chase and sixth to Protektorat in the Ryanair Chase. He had a racecourse gallop at Ayr at the start of October and we are planning on starting him off in the two and a half mile Old Roan Chase at Aintree on October 27. After that it will be the Betfair Chase at Haydock on November 23.
In the Spring it will hopefully be back for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Aintree Bowl Chase which he has finished second in for the last two years.
She is going to start in the Listed Houghton Mares’ Chase at Carlisle on November 3 over two and a half miles which will be a stepping stone to either the Coral Gold Cup or the Rehearsal Chase at the end of that month.
Last season we were never really sure whether she should be going over hurdles or fences and it was nice she rounded off what was quite a tough season winning a mares’ chase at Perth.
She finished third in the Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase at Ascot, fifth in the National Hunt Chase at the Festival and was also second to Grey Dawning in a grade two novices’ chase at Warwick and he went on to win the Turners Novices’ Chase at the Festival.
The way she ran around Perth was perfect so we think chasing is now the way to go and there are plenty of options for her.
An Irish point-to-point winner who is a big horse and a staying chaser in the making. He ran well twice last season, finishing third at Hereford and looking like he would win a novice hurdle when falling at the last at Newcastle in February.
He needed time off after that but came back with the rest of the string in July. His work seems better than last season and he just needs more practice. He was second in a novices’ hurdle at Worcester on his comeback run and is likely to go novice chasing now.
His novice hurdle form was a bit in and out last season but he won at Perth and was second in the Scottish Stayers’ Novices’ Hurdle at Musselburgh. There were reasons for those below par performances and we feel he is a smart staying novice handicap chaser in the making.
An opponent fell in front of him on his chasing debut at Perth and he was badly hampered but he still ran on well for third over two and a half miles. A race for him could be the Edinburgh National at Musselburgh in February and we could look at the Scottish National after that. He will come into his own when he contests longer distances.
A late developer whose form went to new level last season with two wins at Kelso and a third in a competitive handicap at Cheltenham’s November meeting.
He’s a typical son of Dylan Thomas with plenty of size and scope. He was just touched off on his chasing debut at Hexham at the start of October when lack of a previous run probably cost him. He was very bold over hurdles and it looks like it will be the case over fences.
One of our nicest novice chase prospects and has been schooling really well. He made a winning chasing debut at Hexham at the start of October when his jumping was very pleasing. I imagine we will find a race for him at Ayr of Haydock next.
He probably doesn’t need the ground too heavy. He ran well in a Listed novices’ hurdle at Sandown last season and then we ran him over too far at Kelso (2m 6f) and chucked him in at the deep end in the track’s Premier Novices’ Hurdle. He should be able to rate much higher over fences than he did over hurdles.
He is a horse we have to manage quite carefully. We have to keep swapping and changing him on the different gallops we have and he goes on the water treadmill a lot. He won over two and a quarter miles at Kempton and the two and a half mile Scottish Champion Handicap Chase at Musselburgh last season. He has to go right-handed.
The Musselburgh race is again a possible target again but he could step up in trip and run in the valuable three-mile handicap chase at Kempton’s Coral Trophy Handicap Chase on Kempton’s Adonis Hurdle card in February. In the longer term he could end up in the Galway Plate.
A promising novice hurdler two seasons ago, he then missed the last campaign when he was supposed to go novice chasing because of injury. He is working well and is a horse we think an awful lot of. Hopefully, he make up for lost time. We might take the same path as we did with Your Own Story and end up in the four-mile handicap chase at the Punchestown Festival.
An exciting prospect who won an Irish point-to-point before impressively landing a Bumper at Ayr in February. He is a strapping individual and his home work is very impressive. They all go fast at home but his point-to-point form looks good and he has the potential to get to a good level.
She was kept busy last season, running seven times and winning twice at Ayr and Perth. She was also unlucky when falling at the final hurdle as she hit the front in a very competitive grade two mares’ handicap hurdle at Newbury in March. She wasn’t at her best when tried over three miles at Perth on her final start last season.
She is not the biggest but she has schooled well over fences. We were really pleased how she won on her comeback in a mares’ novice chase at Worcester while acknowledging the odds-on favourite ran well below par. We will try to take it steady with her.
He joined us from Charlie Johnston’s stable and has been a lovely horse on the Flat for his owners. He ran a great race when second in the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle in July and was 13th in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket in October. He has schooled over hurdles and loves it, he has the perfect little stride for it. I am not sure where we will start yet.
Her confidence was dented by a crashing fall on her seasonal debut at Perth last season but she is still only seven and was a grade one placed over hurdles as a novice.
She is part-owned by John Grant, who has Glenfarclas whisky, so she might go for the Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham in November and, now they have made it into a handicap at the Festival, that might be an option if we can get her up in the handicap a bit.
She won a Perth Bumper on her debut for us in September. We have to decide whether to go for valuable Bumpers at Aintree or Cheltenham but we have schooled her over hurdles and she is very neat and clever with her feet so she might head off for the mares’ novice hurdle. She’d be good in those.
He had the misfortune to finish fourth four times last season, once in a Junior three-year-old Bumper and three times on Junior National Hunt hurdles. He was beaten twice by stablemate Rocheval and once by another stablemate She’s Notjoeking. He is built to be a big chaser so it is to his credit he ran so well.
He showed there was no issue with his resolution when battling hard to win a Carlisle novices’ hurdle on his comeback. He probably needs soft ground and a trip but he looks sure to get better as he gets older.
He has plenty of raw ability. He was slightly unlucky when runner-up at Perth in September on his comeback run. That wouldn’t be his track. He is well-bred being related to Vieux Lion Rouge. He will be aimed at a Pertemps Hurdle qualifier. We feel he has plenty more to offer over the smaller obstacles.
He probably wants two and a half miles and a right-handed, flat track like he showed when winning at Perth in September. He lost his way a bit after winning on his chasing debut at Musselburgh on New Year’s day. He is one of the horses we didn’t get quite right last season but he seems more confident now. He didn’t really race properly last season and was rushing all the time. He was more settled at Perth and jumped better.
Provided one of last season’s highlights when winning the Edinburgh National and was a mid-race faller in the Scottish National. He put in a good comeback run at Perth in September when third over three miles and then jumped well when third over the same distance at Carlisle.
He needs to go right-handed and further so will probably go to Sandown for the London National in December. We have always thought he has talent and he still retains untapped potential. The Edinburgh National is an option again and, while he has to improve, potentially he could sneak into an Irish National.
Irish point-to-point winner who won his first two novice hurdles for us at Hexham and Ayr. He then ran creditably when third in the Grade Two Prestige Hurdle at Haydock in February, a race run in grueling conditions which probably accounted for not being at his best on his final run. He needs soft ground and has schooled nicely over fences. He will be one for marathon chases.
Won an Irish point-to-point in May in good style in the hands of Adrian Maguire’s son Fin who recommended him to us. He finished well to win decisively. He showed plenty of speed when second at Carlisle on his Bumper debut behind a Dan Skelton-trained winner. He has a lot of potential.
A British point-to-point winner so not as expensive as the Irish point-to-point winners. Won an Ayr Bumper on his debut for us last season before finishing fourth in the competitive Go North Jodami Series Final at Kelso.
He jumped quickly and efficiently on his winning hurdling debut at Hexham at the start of October. He might go to Cheltenham’s October meeting for a two and a half mile novices’ hurdle.
She put in some nice performances last season, possibly just lacking a bit of pace as she won once and finished both second and third twice. She possibly wasn’t quite strong enough but she looks it now. She has the attributes to raise her game several notches novice chasing and she finished strongly when a close fourth at Wetherby in a 2m 5f novice handicap chase in October.
A Walk In The Park filly who has not run yet. We bought from the Tattersalls April sale at Cheltenham. She’s bred to stay three miles but showed good tactical speed to win her only Irish point-to-point. She goes novice hurdling.
LINALENE
He is a son of Rail Link who we bought in France as a two-year-old and he spent most of last season doing his pre-training with Tom Scudamore in Hereford. He has been working well at home and he should be out in a Junior Bumper fairly soon.
Has always worked better than he showed on track. He is still a maiden but he finished second twice when we switched him to fences last season, including when just touched off in the Go North Monet’s Garden Series Final at Carlisle in April.
He is only six and still a novice and capable of winning races. He was fifth on his comeback in a 2m 4f novices’ handicap chase at Hexham.
He ran a very good first race over hurdles when runner-up at Ayr in January and then fell when clear at the last back at the track the following month. He then won comfortably at Kelso in March over 2m 5f. He is by Dylan Thomas, the same sire Ahoy Senor, and he looks like him. We were going to run him in the Grade One Sefton Novices’ Hurdle which Ahoy Senor won in 2021 but he picked up a minor injury a few days before the race. He is a smart prospect and goes novice chasing.
A decent horse on heavy ground. He just goes through it when others can’t. He won three races last season when he got his going. He is still only seven and looks to be stronger this season. There is a decent two-mile chase in him when he gets his conditions.
We got it wrong a couple of times last season after he won on his hurdling debut at Ayr in November but he put it all together to win a handicap hurdle at Ayr’s Scottish National meeting.
He works so well at home. He looks like a two-miler but he also has stamina. He jumped very well when successful in a two-mile novices’ handicap chase at Wetherby on his return and we will probably step him up in distance now. He is one we have great hopes for but he probably wouldn’t want the ground too soft.
Finished third at Wetherby in March but generally he didn’t race well over hurdles and had no respect for them. He is a big horse and has looked much better schooling over fences. He should do much better in this sphere.
Not a horse who impresses at home but he was three from three last season in Junior Bumpers and hurdles. He has hardly been off the bridle on his racecourse appearances. It remains to be seen how good that form is but these races have proved to be a good route for us. He might go for a four-year-old hurdle at the first Cheltenham meeting but he will only run if it is soft ground.
He has come across to us after being trained in Ireland by John McConnell having won a Carlisle bumper. He is a big horse so we will take our time with him. He is a three-mile chaser in the making.
For a Milan filly she did ever so well to win a three-year-old bumper on her debut at Newcastle in November. She finished the season winning a Junior National Hunt Hurdle at Hexham in April. There is only improvement in her. She will be hurdling again this season and had a satisfactory comeback when third in a two-mile novices’ hurdle at Hexham.
We thought he would be good over fences last season but he was disappointing and was switched back to hurdles for his last three runs. He ran much better back over the larger obstacles when third at Perth in September. It looks like he might be able to get his act together again.
Took a while to get over his debut on heavy ground at Carlisle in October but finished the season well finishing second in two novice hurdles, including when chasing home a Willie Mullins-trained odds-on favourite at Perth in April. He also put in a decent run when second at Perth on his comeback in September.
He is only five-years-old but he is big. We will see how he gets on. If he wins he could stick to hurdles this season but there is a chance he might go novice chasing at some stage.
He improved 20lb for the switch to fences last season which ended with a good second to Tommy’s Oscar in the Scotty Brand Handicap Chase at the Ayr’s Scottish National meeting.
He missed his intended comeback at Kelso at the start of October because the ground was too fast. He is like Netywell in that he is at his best of soft or heavy ground. He doesn’t look like a heavy ground horse but blitzes through it. He will go to the Colin Parker Memorial Chase at Carlisle and then there is a good two-mile chase for him at Kelso. There is hopefully a nice prize in him and he is still only six.
Put away after showing promise when fourth on her hurdling debut at Newcastle in March. She is a stayer and should come into her own when she is upped in distance.
Won novice hurdles at Hexham and Ayr last season as well as finishing the campaign with a good third in a handicap at the Scottish National meeting. He cut himself in the horsebox so had to miss his intended comeback over fences at Perth in October which was frustrating. It meant a minor hold up so there are no firm plans but he is another who might end up in the Scottish National at the end of the season.
He was sixth in the 2023 Scottish National but niggling issues delayed his comeback until March last season. He finished second in all three of his runs, frustratingly being beaten a neck in a four-mile handicap chase at the Punchestown Festival in May.
If there is a horse in the stable which will make the Grand National line-up at Aintree in April it is him but he will have to go up the handicap. Before Christmas his targets are the Borders National at Kelso and the Becher Chase at Aintree and then possibly the Classic Chase at Warwick in the new year by which time we should know where we stand.
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