Racing: Lucinda Russell’s hopes of a Festival first carried on the Breeze

The rise and rise of Lucinda Russell may see Scotland’s top National Hunt trainer crowned Queen of Cheltenham next week as she bids to end the Scottish drought at the Festival, writes Martin Hannan.

“I am just the figurehead of a team,” said Russell, “so when people ask me what would it be like to have a winner at Cheltenham, I always say it would be good for the team, and good for Scottish racing.”

In terms of prize money won this season, Russell is presently Britain’s top female trainer, ahead of Venetia Williams, Emma Lavelle, Henrietta Knight and Sue Smith.

Russell knows that with her partner, former champion jockey Peter Scudamore – “he keeps my feet on the ground,” she said – she needs to “break” Cheltenham to gain the attention that the team deserve for the feats performed at Arlary House Stables by Kinross.

With 45 winners at the time of writing, Russell is a serious candidate to break Len Lungo’s Scottish record of 63 wins in a National Hunt season, and she could emulate Lungo by gaining that coveted winner at the Cheltenham Festival.

Lungo did it twice with Celtic Giant in the 1999 running of the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir chase and Freetown in the 2002 Pertemps Hurdle final, the last time a Scottish-trained horse won at the National Hunt Festival. Russell herself came closest to a Cheltenham victory when her hurdler Mirage Dore was second by just over a length in the 2009 Coral Cup.

Russell could have four or five decent entries, depending on how the handicaps carve up, and two of her horses have serious chances.

Brindisi Breeze and Bold Sir Brian are Russell’s best hopes, with the former around 10-1 for the three-mile Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle on Friday just before the Gold Cup itself.

By sheer chance, Russell was in Ireland the day Brindisi Breeze won a point-to-point race in very impressive fashion, and snapped him up for owner Sandy Seymour from St Andrews.

“He’s an incredible horse to train and he could be one of the best I have ever trained,” said Russell. “He doesn’t show much speed at home but on the track he just doesn’t want anything to pass him.

“We wanted to buy his owner a really nice horse as that is what he asked for. The problem is that it is hard to find nice horses, but he won his point-to-point in really good time and now he’s won his races well, too.

“The ground is a worry as his best form is on soft, as when he won at Haydock last time out. I just hope it’s on the soft side of good and he’ll be flying.”

Bold Sir Brian goes in the Jewson Novices Chase on Thursday and, with Peddler’s Cross the hot bet, Russell’s horse is 25-1 or bigger. “I’m amazed at his price,” said Russell, “especially when you consider the form he is in, as he’s going for a four-timer.”

Blenheim Brook is declared for three chases but will most likely go in the JLT Specialty handicap chase on Tuesday. He has not finished out of the first two in his last seven races, and would have an each-way shout.

Last weekend’s Kelso winner Degas Art is declared for the Pulteney Land Investments Novices’ Handicap Chase on Tuesday but needs some of those in the weights above him to come out if he is to get the chance to run.

“If the 5lb penalty for the win at Kelso gets him in, then he’ll go for it,” said Russell, “as he’s owned by a group of guys who really want to have some fun at Cheltenham.

“They went to Royal Ascot (Degas Art finished seventh in the marathon Queen Alexandra Stakes) with him and and now I think they want to double up with Cheltenham. He won well enough at Kelso and if he gets in he’ll be a sporting entry.”

The same remark about needing higher-handicapped horses to come out of the card applies to Tap Night, brave winner of the totepool Premier Kelso Hurdle last Saturday. Running in the colours of Jane Buchanan and ridden by her brother Peter, the five-year-old is declared for the Coral Cup, the big handicap on Wednesday which follows immediately after the sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Chase.

“We’ve always been worried that he’s a bit naïve and a bit novicey,” said Russell. “But his jumping at Kelso was really good and he seems to have grown up a bit.”

With Scudamore’s priceless experience of Cheltenham, where he was the first man to win back-to-back “top jockey” awards in 1986 and 1987, Russell has a partner who complements her natural ability to get the best out of horses.

Brindisi Breeze may be her best chance of that maiden Cheltenham win but the formidable Arlary team could easily pick up a double or more.