A 21-year-old university student is one of the owners of Randox Grand National favourite Corach Rambler.
Cameron Sword, from Edinburgh, will be taking a break from studying business at Heriot-Watt University this weekend as he heads to Aintree Racecourse. While he had no interest in horse racing before the pandemic he’s already become a two-time Cheltenham Festival winner as a member of ownership group The Ramblers.
He said: “I got into racing during Covid, when I would just watch any sport that was being shown on TV. I’m based in Edinburgh, which is around 20 miles from Lucinda’s yard, so I’d go down there to learn more about the sport and it went from there.
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“I remember watching the Grand National and was just fascinated by it. I remember then learning how to study the form and things like that as well as the breeding side of racing. For me it’s always been the Grand National, I know for some people the Gold Cup is their great love, but I just love Aintree.
“Lucinda (Russell) and Scu (Peter Scudamore, partner) along with their bloodstock agent Paul (McIvor) bought Corach for £17,000 and Lucinda set the syndicate up on the back of that.”
“There’s four of us in Scotland, one in Ireland, one in London and one in Australia. The age range goes from me to boys in their late fifties and early sixties, so it’s a nice mix.
“None of us knew each other before Corach but as we started to go to races we started to become friends. We all know each other well now and we’ve shared some really special moments together, which I think built that bond more.”
This year’s Grand National favourite Corach Rambler had his first start under Rules for Russell in January 2021 and it didn’t take him long to make an impression, winning twice over hurdles before switching to the larger obstacles that autumn.
The nine-year-old has gone from strength to strength and Cameron admitted that he was still coming to terms with just how lucky he has been.
He added: “It’s a complete underdog story and it always has been. Winning the Ultima the first time at Cheltenham was amazing itself, but to go back there and do it again and now be favourite for the Grand National is just a dream for all of us.
“It’s my first horse, but some of these guys have had a few horses in the past and have never experienced anything like this before – so it just opens my eyes to how lucky I’ve been.”
“My family have previously had a Royal Ascot runner on the Flat years ago and after that haven’t had anything. They weren’t really involved but once my involvement with Corach started and my racing obsession has grown they’ve got back into it.
“They went to the Punchestown sales last year and picked up a really expensive horse and I think my mum is quite jealous that she’s spent all this money and Corach who cost 17 grand is the Grand National favourite!”
Cameron admits that he has well and truly caught the racing bug now and he added that he had made friends for life from his experiences of being an owner.
He said: “All of the owners will be there – including William who lives in Australia – and I’m going down with my mum, my dad, my sister and my girlfriend.
“When we’re all at the races, we all watch the horse together. There’s been some embarrassing moments when me, Lucinda and Scu have been stood there screaming at the top of our lungs!.
“We’ve got an owners WhatsApp group, so we’re regularly in touch with each other. We’ve grown to be a really close-knit group and I couldn’t ask for a better group of lads to own him with. I’ve definitely caught the racing bug and my dream is just to make a career in racing."
In a TikTok video from the Jockey Club, Cameron spoke about going from watching horse racing on TV to owning Corach Rambler.
He said: My name’s Cameron Sword, I’m 21 and I’m a student in Edinburgh. And I’m a lucky owner of Corach Rambler. So I got into racing in Covid, just watching anything and every sport that was on TV.
“And just fell in love with racing; watching the Cheltenham Festival and Grand National and when I could I came down here, it's my local yard, and lucky enough Corach was the only horse for sale. I bought my share and then it's just gone from there.”
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