Rambler streaks clear of the field
Derek Fox always felt Corach Rambler was going to win last year’s Ultima.
And trainer Lucinda Russell believes the nine-year-old is in form to repeat the trick.
Fox produced an astonishing ride from the back of the pack to win the three-mile handicap 12 months ago.
The pilot said: “Since I first started riding, I always liked the hold-up tactics.
“As much as it can look a disadvantage to be held up, it’s a massive advantage for some horses if you do it right. And I have always, in general, had faith in those tactics.
“It’s one of those things. If you can hold one up around Kelso, you can do it at Cheltenham.
“I suppose with Corach, although he’s done so well, he would leave you thinking in the middle of a race that you have to sit and wait and come back on the bridle as he tends to drop it a bit.
“The only problem with being a long way off the pace is if the ones in front ease up, it’s going to make life hard.
“The one thing that kept me confident is that, although I wasn’t travelling that well, I knew the pace had been fairly strong.
“At some stage up the steep hill it was going to make it easier for them to come back.”
Fox sliced through the field to win and Corach is only six pounds higher in the weights this time around.
Punters have latched on to that fact andd now make Rambler, whosese last venture came in November,mber, favourite.
Russell said:: “Although he hasn’t run sincece Newbury, we’ve given himm a race-racecourse gallop andand I’m quite excited about taking him back to thee Ultima.
“I loved his run in the
Coral Gold Cup.p. All we wanted was too get a good run and d that was going g to give us an idea about what we were going to do for the rest of the year. But he ran above my expectations.”