THE final gallop before a big race can be a fraught time. Trainers have been known to fire through cigarettes like a 50-calibre machine gun, the family taking refuge in the attic and the stable cat deciding that this would be an opportune moment to visit the next county.
The first gallop of the season should carry no such portents of fear but there was an edgy stillness in the air when One For
Arthur stretched his legs at Lucinda Russell’s yard a few weeks ago.
A year before the horse who became Scotland’s second Grand National winner had just come back into full training. But any thoughts of a return to Aintree were immediately banished when he was found to have a tendon injury.
Training elite athletes, human or equine, brings its share of injuries but for racehorse trainers like Russell there is the need for vigilance because her charge cannot easily communicate so it is her job to read the signs.
Talk to trainers and they will say injuries are the toughest part of the job and there is no known cure for the knot in the stomach which they cause, just as one did with another promising horse. Big River showed himself to be a smart novice chaser last season until he sustained a stress fracture. Now back in work his long-term aim could be the Scottish Grand National at Ayr.
“We do everything to minimise the risk,” Russell said. “And, because of that, we managed to find Arthur’s injury very early so we can hope he’ll make a full recovery. He had box rest, controlled exercise and time in the field. We’ve had a water treadmill installed and it came at just the right moment because he’s had a lot of time on that.
“But when he had his first gallop this time it was pretty quiet – no one was doing much talking. Then we checked his legs in the afternoon and he was fine. And so far, so good.”
One For Arthur showed just how good he could be when he won the 2017 Grand National and that remains an enduring moment for both Russell and her partner Peter Scudamore.
“It was a super, super day in our racing life and our personal life as well,” she said. “I said that it wouldn’t change my life. But it has.”
She may not have started opening supermarkets “but I’ve had people come up to me in the supermarket and tell me where they were when they watched One For Arthur win the Grand National. It was so special for us, but also other people which is great.”
One For Arthur could be back at Aintree next month in the Randox Health Becher Chase. But Russell has one race in her mind, another crack at the Grand National, and is happy with One For Arthur’s progress thus far but is now formulating the plan that links past glories with the present and future.
“We’ll make a decision once we’ve done a few more bits of work with him, look at the entries and see what the ground’s like. His work’s been increased in the last couple of weeks and it’s all gone well,” she said. “Even better than he did this time two years ago. We’re very pleased with him.
“He’ll need a couple of runs before then. I’d like him to have one run either side of Christmas but the runs are a stepping stone to Aintree in April.”
Hopefully the final gallop will be less fraught than the first.
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