09 October 2023 , 13:41
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Brilliant Grand National winner Corach Rambler could be even better than he showed at Aintree.
The Lucinda Russell-trained chaser was one of the easiest winners of recent times when he romped to victory by two and a quarter lengths in April.
A winner at the Cheltenham Festival prior to that he is a 20-1 chance to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2024 and the same odds to claim a second Grand National triumph.
Russell spoke of her excitement for the season ahead as she gave an update on her stable star in her first blog for William Hill, for which she is an ambassador.
“He really is an amazing horse and one we are so lucky to have in the yard,” she said. “Whatever we do with this year, we’ve got to give him his best chance and set him a fair task.
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“We’re going to start him off at Kelso at the end of the month, providing the ground is okay, and then we’ll have a good look at the Betfair Chase at Haydock.
“That should give us a good idea of where we stand against these Graded chasers and we can then make a bit more of a plan on how his season will look.”
Corach Rambler carried 10st 5lb to victory at Aintree but would shoulder at least a stone more if he lines up next year, having been raised 13lb.
Grand National winner Corach Rambler clears a fence on the way to victory (PA)Russell said: "It would be great to go back to the National as we know he loves it around there, but it’s obviously going to be a harder task this time given he’ll be much higher in the weights.
She added: “I’m not sure if we know quite how good he is because to win a Grand National like he did and to be as fresh as he was after it was something you don't see very often.
“The way he goes about things makes me think there might be a lot more under the bonnet that we don’t know about, which, if true, is incredibly exciting for all of us.
“He is different to any other horse I’ve ever been associated with. He’s so smart and clever in everything he does and we can’t wait to get the season underway with him.”