Kinross yard give Scots that winning feeling at Cheltenham

Corach Rambler, ridden by Derek Fox, raced home up the track’s famous hill to claim the Ultima Handicap Chase.

Gericault Roque and Oscar Elite disputed the lead but Fox’s late run caught them to win by two and three-quarter lengths.

Fox, who won the 2017 Grand National for the yard on One For Arthur, was hailed by Russell and her partner, eight-time champion jockey Peter Scudamore, who freely admitted he has more than a soft spot for the race winning horse.

Speaking following their win, Russell said: “I always say that Corach is a little bit quirky in his own way – just like ‘Scu’.

"The two of them go off together and I’m very exact about what work I want them to do. Then I see the two of them on the other side of the field just not obeying what I’ve said at all.

"It’s great for Corach and it’s great for Scu to win a handicap like that.”

The race didn’t exactly go to plan for the local stable but Russell praised her jockey for producing him at the right time.

"He wasn’t meant to be ridden with such patience, we wanted him in midfield,” added Russell.

"But with the false starts we ended up at the back.

"I turned to one of the owners and said ‘it’s ok, we’ll get a vintage Derek Fox hold up ride now’, and sure enough we did.

"Derek is amazing, he’s very laid back and sensible.”

Scudamore, assistant trainer at the stable, was just as delighted with the perfromances of both Fox and Corach Rambler.

He added: “As a jockey you don’t get that attached to horses, it’s your job to work them.

"The beauty of being able to ride out is that you get to understand them. I’d also like to pay tribute to Derek Fox because he has an innate sense of understanding of all the horses and he gets it.

"It’s come off and we’re very lucky.”

The win was Russell’s second at the festival in 10 years, following on from Brindisi Breeze. The team sent out Ahoy Senor a day later in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase with but couldn’t repeat the success.