GRAND NATIONAL favourite Corach Rambler’s jockey is in a race against time to make the Aintree blockbuster.
Derek Fox has already been forced to give up a lucrative ride on Ahoy Senor in the star-studded Aintree Bowl.
Fox has been forced to give up the ride on Ahoy Senor in the Aintree Bowl
But he hopes a niggling shoulder injury will have fixed itself by the time he lines up on the 11-2 fav in the £1million race on Saturday.
Fox, who steered the Lucinda Russell-trained Corach Rambler to a second straight Ultima at last month’s Cheltenham Festival, fell at Wetherby last Thursday.
And the shoulder knock he picked up will keep him out of action on the first day of the Grand National Festival.
Champion jockey Brian Hughes is now set to partner Ahoy Senor in Thursday’s Grade 1 Alder Hey Aintree Bowl.
Fox rode out this morning and expects to be ready to partner Corach Rambler as they chase the £500,000 first-place prize and a place in history.
The Irishman, who won the world’s most famous race in 2017 on One For Arthur, hopes the extra two days will give him enough time to be in match-fit shape for the big race.
Incredibly, he faced the exact same scenario when winning the world’s most famous contest seven years ago.
He was passed fit to race just days before victory on the Russell-trained 14-1 chance.
So while the injury is the last news he wanted, there’s a good chance it could prove to be a lucky omen.
Corach Rambler heads the betting for the National, with last year’s winner Noble Yeats, who will carry top weight, currently 8-1.
