"The race is won or lost far away from crowds; behind the lines, on the gallops, in the yard, in the sun, the rain, the snow, long before the glory."
THE statement sits below the list of achievements on the website for Lucinda Russell Racing. It is one which encapsulates her values - those of 'honesty, integrity and diligence' - and the standards that have earned her reputation, her place in the history books.
It has been a season so far of more than 60 winners and over £800,000 in prize money. A week today, another success at Aintree would be priceless for Russell and the team at Arlary House that will send out one of the favourites for the Grand National.
The horse in question, Corach Rambler, has already given Russell two iconic triumphs at the Cheltenham Festival after becoming the fourth back-to-back winner of the Handicap Chase last month. Now the nine-year-old stands just over four miles away from immortality as Russell targets a second win in the race following her crowning moment with One for Arthur in 2017.
That April afternoon changed Russell's career. Doing it for a second time would change her life again and be the realisation of another dream, the accomplishment that she has worked towards ever since that cherished achievement in the Merseyside sunshine.
"Yeah, that's a good question really," Russell said when asked if she believed the day would come again when she had another National contender. "I suppose the thing that changed me... You know, when you win a race like the Grand National and you do it with the horse that you have produced yourself, it is exciting and it gives you the confidence that you can do it again.
"It gives you the confidence but the other problem is that it gives you the hunger. I mean, that's just all you want.
"And it's like, they talk about peak to peak. You just want to do it again, just the kick that you get from it, the adrenaline rush that you get from it and the pride and the pleasure that you get from it, it is immense.
"And so it just becomes addictive. Yeah, I hope that we're heading down there for many more years to come with National types."
That description is certainly applicable to Corach Rambler. The horse has become the favourite of Russell's partner and assistant trainer Peter Scudamore but it wasn't a case of love at first sight for the Perthshire handler.
A trip to the sales saw Russell return with top target Ahoy Senor - who was leading the Gold Cup last month until falling five fences from home - but she revealed this week how Scudamore almost missed out on Corach after his son, Michael, forgot to bid on him. A phone call and late offer proved to be fate.
"The thing is when you do this job, it's not just a matter of ticking the boxes," Russell said. "It's actually your heart and your soul that you put into it and I think that's what makes it so special, especially with Corach.
"He's Scu's favourite horse, he rides him most of the time. Derek Fox would ride him in pieces of work himself and will school him, but it becomes a very personal thing as well, you know.
"Obviously there's a big team behind him, but it does become personal. So that sort of puts an extra edge on it, makes it more exciting. It gives us more anxiety, but it also means that it matters so much."
The sight of One for Arthur crossing the finishing line and Fox rising to take the acclaim of the Aintree crowd will forever be etched in Russell's mind. So, too, is every day of the preparation that went in to producing only the second Scottish-trained horse to win the most famous race in the world.
The routine in the coming days will be the same as it was six years ago and Russell will stay in a campervan at Aintree like she did ahead of Arthur's win.
"I always said when One For Arthur won it wouldn't change my life, but it did." Six years on, national pride is at stake as Lucinda Russell heads to Aintree with Grand National favourite, Corach Rambler. pic.twitter.com/SdDb4JGP2s
— bet365 (@bet365) April 3, 2023
In the luggage will be a pair of lucky pants that did the trick back then and that have been well worn ever since as Russell has established herself as one of the finest trainers in the game.
"I think when you win races like the Grand National, you actually go in to a state of shock," Russell said. "You know, it's different. It's a very... it's a sort of total body thing. You do go into shock.
"I know that when we won with Arthur, I remember waking up in the morning saying to Scu 'I think I had a dream that we won the National yesterday'. I thought we didn't. It doesn't sink in for a while and I think that's what it is with any big winner.
"Look at the guys playing in The Masters this week and you think that they're going to be the same, whoever wins and puts that green jacket on. It's sort of a shock thing that you get, you know it's what you always wanted.
"But as I keep on emphasising, it's something you want again. When you hit a high like that, you just want do it again and again."
The tragic death of Arthur last month, aged just 14, was felt throughout Scottish racing and hit those at Russell's Kinross base hard. He was 'the horse of a lifetime' and there would be no more fitting a tribute than seeing the Rambler follow in his illustrious steps next Saturday.
The National is the race of the people rather than just the punter. It is an event which reverberates around the world - as it did in 2017 as news of Arthur's triumph quickly reached Russell's brother at the Rugby Sevens in Hong Kong - but the impact is felt by so many, and for a variety of reasons.
"Yeah, I think that's something I really do appreciate," Russell said of the wider resonance of a National win. "With Arthur, it was amazing how many people were so touched.
"You know how many lives of people you have impacted and we had some lovely texts and cards and messages about why people had backed him. A lot of them had fathers called Arthur or grandfathers called Arthur, there were babies that had just been born who were called Arthur.
"It was amazing. And I think you realised how the Grand National, above any race, touches people. Winning the Grand National was something that was very much in the public domain."
Arthur's achievement was one for Scotland. Few casual watchers of the sport will be able to name Rubstic, winner in 1979, as the only other Scottish-trained champion but so many will remember where they were when Russell, who was awarded an OBE the following year for her services to the sport, became the talk of the nation.
Corach Rambler is currently a 6/1 shot - less than half of the starting price of 14/1 for One for Arthur - as the countdown continues to Aintree. Once again, he will carry the hopes of the home audience as well as flying the flag for an industry that is on the rise north of the border.
"It's a bit overwhelming when you think about it that way," Russell said. "Obviously it meant so much to so many people in the yard on a personal level when Arthur won.
"But it just made you realise how how important it was to the community and to the local area, as well as Scotland itself. What would it do if we won it again? I suppose it is establishing that it's not just a flash in the pan.
"Scottish Racing is really on the up and I think that we've got some very, very good trainers up here, great facilities. We're getting great owners and they deserve to have the success at the top level."
The Rambler is ten pounds well in with the handicapper after his Cheltenham triumph and deserves his shot at glory. His win in the Ultima - as Fox charged up the inside to see off Fastorslow, followed by Monbeg Genius and The Goffer - was further evidence of his class and the time has now come for a crack at the 30 famous fences.
"With a bit of juice in the ground I think he will run a massive race in the National."@scotracing_gb | @lucindavrussell | @AintreeRaces
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 5, 2023
He will be schooled over an obstacle that resembles a National test at home this weekend as his preparations continue. The fact that Corach - a 'clever horse' - has never made the trip around Aintree doesn't bother Russell and the 'fair test' of the fences these days is one the market leader has all the ability to handle.
"It's not often that you give a horse a prep run at the Cheltenham Festival, but as things worked out, that's what we did," Russell said. "And he actually ran fantastically, came out of the race really well.
"Scu was delighted with him and said to me, sort of a week afterwards, 'I think that this horse might have even improved for that run'.
"So we're really pleased with him. He's the right weight, moving very well. He's in the right place, it's just a matter of counting down the days now
The race, the crowd and the glory await at Aintree. The hardest yards have already been put in at home in Kinross.
