Arthur’s seat at the top table
Trainer Lucinda russell has a theory you can tell a person’s age by the Grand national they remember best. Being too gallant to publicise a lady’s age, i shall merely pass on a that the young Miss russell dashed outside with archetypal Pony Club enthusiasm after watching the 1977 race to tell her pony Magic that red rum had just won the world’s biggest steeplechase for a third time.
Two years later rubstic, trained in roxburghshire by John Leadbetter, became the one and only Scottish-trained Grand national winner.
Blue Charm, trained by now retired Sue Bradburne in Fife, went close to making it two when he chased home Bobbyjo in 1999.
after that, the national challengers from north of the Border have been harder to spot than a golden eagle over Loch Lomond.
Since the now retired Len Lungo ran unplaced Celtic Giant in 2000, russell has flown the Saltire alone over aintree.
russell’s first runner Greenhill raffles, a 100-1 shot bought especially for aintree, might have been carried along on a wing and a prayer when 14th to rough Quest in 1996 but russell’s two runners since — 17th- placed Strong resolve in 2005 and 12th-placed Silver By nature in 2011 — were far from speculative punts. Both started fancied at 9-1.
This afternoon, russell runs One For arthur and she thinks he is her best shot yet.
‘Both Strong resolve and Silver By nature were strong staying chasers but arthur is not as reliant on heavy ground as they were, even if he is better on it,’ says russell. ‘He is more versatile. He is the right type for the race.’
The Kinross trainer was hoping that was the case at the start of the season, but needed confirmation that she could ‘stick to Plan a’ for aintree in april.
One For arthur, named after arthur Guinness, ireland’s most famous brewer, won at Kelso in October and followed up with a closing fifth place to Vieux Lion rouge in the Becher Chase over the famous fences in December.
The eight-year-old again showed he was a strong staying chaser by winning the Classic Handicap Chase at Warwick in January after almost being brought down at the second fence.
‘When arthur won at Kelso and was then fifth in the Becher Chase suddenly it became a realistic target,’ says russell. ‘Then when he won at Warwick it went from being a realistic target to one we feel he can be very competitive in. He has all the credentials to run in a national.’
russell feels the key to arthur’s improvement has been racing him more sparingly, a lesson learned from last season.
But little over three weeks ago his 24- year- old jockey Derek Fox, who is having his first national ride, broke his left wrist and damaged a collarbone in a fall at Carlisle. intensive physiotherapy has got him fit again.
russell says: ‘i heard (champion trainer) Paul nicholls talking about his five national runners and listing them all but for us it is a massive adventure. The owners have really bought into it and it is an honour to have a horse this good to go to aintree.
‘We keep talking about enjoying the day because whatever happen we have got him in the right place. We just need a bit of luck.’