Tag Archive for: Ruth Jefferson

Jefferson thrilled to take Kelso feature with Lavida Adiva

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Lavida Adiva relished the step up in trip to give Ruth Jefferson a welcome big winner in the Ladbrokes ‘Big-Value You Can Bet On’ Mares’ Hurdle at Kelso.

Jefferson has suffered the misfortune of losing a couple of her best horses this season, so this Listed success will give the whole yard a boost.

Lavida Adiva, ridden confidently by Brian Hughes, had won at Aintree on Boxing Day and finished second at Market Rasen before slightly disappointing at Ayr last time out.

Sent off a 5-1 chance, Hughes waited while Sacre Coeur and then the favourite Wyenot pressed on, but the former champion always looked to have a double handful and so it proved, winning by nine lengths from Ottizini, who ruined her claims by jumping out to the right.

“It was a fairly run race, it was her first time up in that class and over that trip and some of those against her had run in those races before, but she took advantage on the day, that’s all she can do,” said Jefferson.

“It’s lovely for Drew and Ailsa (Russell, owners) as they are good supporters of mine. We’ve had some good horses in the past, we’ve had some good luck and we’ve had some bad luck.

“She wasn’t a hugely expensive horse and she’s been consistent so it’s nice to win a big race like that for them.

“Winning a race like this, with a horse like her and for owners like Drew and Ailsa, big supporters of northern racing, are everything what this series is about.”

Hughes doubled up on Donald McCain’s Malicash (6-1) who took advantage of the fall of Rocheval in the Ladbrokes ‘Get Rewarded With Ladbucks’ Novices’ Hurdle.

The Lucinda Russell-trained pair of Cadell and Your Own Story dominated the Ladbrokes ‘Best Odds Guaranteed On Racing’ Handicap Chase throughout, with Cadell just holding on.

With Derek Fox sidelined through injury, Alan Doyle stepped in for the ride and got the fractions spot on from the front on the 15-8 joint-favourite.

The likes of The Last Samuri, Yala Enki and Kitty’s Light are recent winners of the race, with all going on to have good careers.

Doyle told ITV Racing: “Best wishes to Derek, he should be here instead of me but I was delighted to get the call.

“This track is a bit tight for him, he didn’t handle the top bend that well but he’s an improving horse, he was down to a good mark and he took advantage of it.

“It’s a great credit to everyone in the yard to be turning these horses out in this form at the end of a very long season.

“I want to say thank you to Derek as he told me how to ride him and he was spot on.”

Russell, who enjoyed a treble at Musselburgh on Friday, then made it 150 winners at Kelso when Starlyte (12-1) ran out a ready winner of the Ladbrokes Go North Cab On Target Handicap Hurdle under Patrick Wadge.

“This is the sort of horse I love, she’s only tiny, she’s slow but she’s got the heart of a lion,” said Russell.

“I love this track, I’ve many happy memories and my first hunter chase winner was here.”



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Jefferson happy with Kerryhill ahead of Haydock return

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Ruth Jefferson is looking forward to getting her stable star Kerryhill back on the track in the Betfair Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle at Haydock on Saturday.

A £115,000 purchase from the Irish point-to-point field, the six-year-old won two of his three novice starts over hurdles last term, rounding off his campaign with an impressive Grade Two victory at Doncaster in late January.

Jefferson reports Kerryhill to be in fine fettle ahead of his intended return on Merseyside and expects to have a clearer idea of whether he will be sent chasing or stick to the smaller obstacles for the rest of the season afterwards.

“He’s an intended runner, all being well. I’m happy with him,” she said.

“This run will tell us what we’re doing, if I’m honest. It’s a nice race to run him in and he should have a nice weight. Some of his form from Doncaster has been franked, so you have to hope he’s well handicapped.

“I think there is rain forecast and we will need it.”



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Willie Mullins has to settle for minor honours in Perth Listed events

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Willie Mullins had to make do with minor honours in the two Listed events on the opening day of the Perth Festival as Sounds Russian and Apple Away both secured popular victories.

Better known as a high-class staying chaser, Sounds Russian was sidelined for the best part of the year after suffering a knee injury which subsequently required surgery after being brought down in last year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Having finished fifth in the Rendlesham Hurdle on his February comeback at Haydock, the nine-year-old was a 5-1 shot for the British EBF Gold Castle ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Hurdle under Brian Hughes and knuckled down to to secure a three-length success over the Mullins-trained 8-11 favourite Loughglynn.

Winning trainer Ruth Jefferson said: “That was good, he travelled better today and jumped better and Brian said it was like riding a different horse to Haydock.

“He was the fresh horse in the race, it was only his second run of the season so that probably helped as well, but you couldn’t really be anything other than happy.”

Of his injury, Jefferson added: “We’ve never really had this type of injury before, so we were sort of making it up a bit as we went along. Everyone has done a great job, from the surgeon to the girl who had him in pre-training and when he came back to us it was just a question of whether he’d stand up to it.

“We haven’t had many bumps in the road, you never quite know but he obviously hasn’t lost his enthusiasm for it which is the main thing.

“He’ll have a summer break now as there isn’t really a lot for him and he wouldn’t want quick ground anyway.

“We now know he goes right-handed, which opens up a few options. We might look at the Charlie Hall if the ground is all right and we could look at the Betfair Chase and there is the race at Ascot (1965 Chase) if it was soft enough.

“I’m sure there will be something for him over fences and that is the plan, but if not we can always go back over hurdles.”

Mullins also saddled the marginal favourite for Robertson Homes Fair Maid Of Perth Mares’ Chase in 7-4 shot Instit, but she too picked up the silver medal behind Grade One-winning hurdler Apple Away.

Apple Away was a Grade One winner over hurdles
Apple Away was a Grade One winner over hurdles (David Davies/PA)

Since that top-level win at last year’s Grand National meeting at Aintree, Lucinda Russell’s seven-year-old has been plying her trade in quality novice events over fences, most recently finishing fifth in the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Instit set out to make all the running under Paul Townend, but she was reeled in by 9-4 chance Apple Away and pilot Derek Fox, with four and three-quarter lengths separating them at the line.

Ed Seyfried of owners Old Gold Racing said: “I think she’s just had an unlucky campaign actually, so to get a Listed win over fences under her belt is fantastic.

“I think we all expected her to continue on the trajectory she was on last season and until this afternoon she hadn’t quite done that, but I think there are genuine reasons for that and I lay the blame mainly on the weather, it just made mapping out a really good campaign for her really difficult.

“I think we’re going to have a lot of fun next season as we’ll send her hurdling and chasing. Where she goes is above my paygrade as I don’t know how to plot these things, I’ll leave it completely up to the people who know what they’re doing, but it’ll be interesting.

“It’s good that horses are partially colour blind as there were so many Old Gold scarves there it was kind of blinding, but there was such a good atmosphere because of it. I reckon we had 200 or 300 Old Gold members there and maybe I’m being a bit fanciful and fantastical, but hopefully the mare and the Old Gold members kind of fed off each other.

“Everyone was so happy and in the nicest way possible, it’s nice to serve one up to the Irish!”

Although out of luck in Scotland, with the well-fancied pair of Dr Eggman and Figaroc also coming up short, Mullins did enjoy a winner with his first ever runner at Ludlow.

Daddy Long Legs, ridden by the Closutton handler’s son Patrick, obliged as a 1-7 favourite with the easiest of victories in the opening Butty Bach Novices’ Hurdle, seeing him extend his lead in the race to be crowned British champion trainer.



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Sounds Russian booked for Perth outing

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Ruth Jefferson’s Sounds Russian is pencilled in for Perth on Wednesday after  his satisfactory comeback in the Rendlesham Hurdle at Haydock.

The Sholokhov gelding has always shown plenty of ability and won a good prize at Kelso in October 2022, going on to finish fourth in the Many Clouds and then coming home runner-up in both the Rowland Meyrick and the Cotswold Chase.

He was a contender for the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup off the back of those performances but unfortunately his race ended at the 17th fence when Ahoy Senor fell and brought him down, with the incident inflicting a knee injury that later required an operation to remove 12 chips of bone.

That kept him off for 11 months but he returned to action at Haydock in February, finishing fifth, and he is now set for the Listed Gold Castle Novices’ Hurdle.

“He came out his race at Haydock really well, there wasn’t much else to run him in without going to a big festival,” said Jefferson.

“He was always going to come on for the run so I’ve put him in at Perth, we may as well learn if he goes right-handed.

“If he does it will open up opportunities next year, if he doesn’t then I’ll know for sure.

“He’s always lugged a little bit left-handed so I’ve never run him right-handed, but we may as well have a go and find out now he’s nine.

“He’d been out for a long time and when you’re coming back on tacky ground it’s not like the start of the season.

“I knew in the back of my head I’d done as much as I could and he hadn’t been for a gallop, it was a perfectly acceptable run and we were happy enough.”



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Russian revival tentatively pencilled in for Haydock

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Ruth Jefferson has pencilled in a February comeback at Haydock for Sounds Russian as she looks to get her stable star back on a racecourse for the first time since last season’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The nine-year-old enjoyed a fine campaign over fences last term, winning at Kelso before finishing fourth in the Many Clouds Chase at Aintree and filling the runner-up spot in both the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby and the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham.

Jefferson’s charge was a 50-1 shot for the blue riband last March, but was still in contention when he was brought down by the fall of fellow northern challenger Ahoy Senor and subsequently had to undergo surgery to repair a knee injury.

After coming through a pleasing workout with Saturday’s Grade Two-winning stablemate Kerryhill last week, Sounds Russian is closing in on a competitive outing.

“We were very happy with his first piece of work the other day, but he hasn’t schooled yet, I think that will happen next week,” said Jefferson.

“There isn’t a lot for him really, he’ll probably have to go to Haydock on February 17. I think there’s three races he can run in that day and apart from that there’s not much.

“He’s still a novice over hurdles or he could run in a handicap or there’s the Rendlesham Hurdle, which is obviously a Grade Two.

“His next run will be over hurdles. He’s about ready to run, whether he’ll be fully fit I don’t know and you’re obviously taking on fit horses at this time of year.”

While cautiously optimistic about the chances of Sounds Russian returning to the racecourse in the coming weeks, she is certainly not counting her chickens before they hatch.

She added: “He won’t be getting any entries over fences for the time being as it’s all about seeing how his knee holds up. At the moment he’s fine, but he might school and not be fine.

“Nothing’s guaranteed with him, he might run once and that might be it, you just don’t know. It’s a really funny situation to be in with him.

“We’ll just see, but I think all being well Haydock on February 17 will be where he’ll start – so it better be on!”



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Sounds Russian on road to recovery following knee problem

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Ruth Jefferson’s classy chaser Sounds Russian is on the road to recovery after an injury sustained when he was brought down in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.

The gelding had a fruitful season prior to the fall, winning the Edinburgh Gin Chase at Kelso on debut and then finishing second by narrow margins in both the Rowland Meyrick and the Cotswold Chase.

His next start was a return to Prestbury Park for the Gold Cup, where he started at 50-1 under Sean Quinlan in a field of 13.

Six fences from home he was still in contention when the leader, Ahoy Senor, fell and knocked him off of his feet as he followed on behind.

The resulting knee injury has required an operation and Sounds Russian has now started the pre-training phase of his return to action.

Jefferson said: “He’s in pre-training so he’s been doing some treadmill work, he’s seen the physio, he’s been doing a lot of flat work and fitness work at the moment. He’ll probably be back with me in the next month or so.

“He’s not always behaved himself so he might not be as fit as I was hoping he’d be when he gets back to me, which will push me back to February.

“He doesn’t take a lot of getting fit, that’s one thing about him, but it does mean everything has to slow down a stride.

“He damaged his knee and had to have it operated on, they took 12 chips of bone out. It was a funny injury really but he’s been sound on it, that’s the main thing. Ridden or otherwise, he’s been very sound on it.”

Jefferson predicts the bay will not make it to the racecourse before February and when he does a switch to hurdling is open to him as he is still a novice over smaller obstacles.

She said: “I’ve got no idea what he’ll be doing, he’s still a novice over hurdles so it’s possible we could revert to hurdling for the rest of the season because I don’t know what there’ll be for him when he comes back chasing-wise.

“He’s only rated 111 over hurdles so if the handicapper leaves him at that I’ll be delighted, it might make more sense to do that but there’s a few more bridges to cross before then.”



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Sounds Russian finished for the season after unfortunate Gold Cup mishap

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Sounds Russian will not run again this season after being brought down when running a big race in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The eight-year-old had finished runner-up in both the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby and in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on his previous two starts.

Though sent off at 50-1 in the blue riband, he was in touch with the leaders at the 17th fence, only to be brought down by the fall of Ahoy Senor.

Trainer Ruth Jefferson has ruled out both the Aintree and Punchestown festivals for the consistent chaser, who has been brilliantly campaigned.

She said: “He is fine, but he is not going to be able to run again this season.

“He was just a bit sore after his race. If he didn’t go to Aintree, there wasn’t a huge amount for him, so we just thought we’d give him a bit of time to get over it and start again next season.

“He was unlucky. He jumped the fence brilliantly, but got brought down and got a bit of kicking off A Plus Tard as well, who galloped over the top of him.

“It was the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Sounds Russian started this season on a mark of 150 and opened with victory in a limited handicap at Kelso in October.

He then finished a creditable third to Grand National winner Noble Yeats in the Many Clouds at Aintree.

Jefferson feels that now on a mark of 161, options are restricted.

She added: “I suppose there are only sort of a limited number of chases you could go for. I don’t think he will go back to Kelso for the race he won last October.

“That wasn’t my initial thought, but we’ll see how he is and see what the ground is, and plot our way somewhere.

“It is very hard to know where he would have finished in the Gold Cup, really. He was a little outpaced, then came back on the bridle and then he winged the fence he got brought down at.

“Next year is a long way off, but we will have a look at races like the Gold Cup nearer the time.”



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Sounds Russian going for Gold Cup glory at Cheltenham

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Sounds Russian is Boodles Gold Cup-bound after connections made the decision to veto Kelso in favour of the Cheltenham Festival.

The eight-year-old has been in good form all season, winning the Edinburgh Gin Chase at Kelso on debut before placing fourth behind reigning Grand National hero and leading Gold Cup contender Noble Yeats in the Many Clouds at Aintree.

He was then second in the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby and second again in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham – a trial for the Gold Cup in which he was beaten just a length a half by Ahoy Senor but reversed the form with the third-placed Noble Yeats.

Sounds Russian held an entry for Kelso’s Listed Premier Chase on Saturday and connections were pondering whether to aim for that or the Gold Cup, eventually deciding on the latter and not declaring for this weekend.

“The owners came on Tuesday and were quite keen to let him take his chance in the Gold Cup, so that’s where we’re going,” said Jefferson, who is the daughter of the late Malcolm Jefferson.

“I’ve never had a runner (in the Gold Cup) myself, I suppose we ran a couple in it (when her father was training), so it’ll be nice to have a crack.

“I’m realistic about his chances, but he’s a versatile, straightforward horse and he doesn’t do a lot wrong.

“Sean Quinlan will ride him, he’s ridden him round there now and so he should know what to do as the situation presents itself.

“I don’t think they’ll let the ground get quick, but it’s going to be challenging for them. He’s not ground dependent though, let’s be honest.”



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Ruth Jefferson mulling Gold run for Sounds Russian

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Ruth Jefferson will leave Sounds Russian in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup and “chill for a bit” before deciding whether or not to take on Galopin Des Champs in chasing’s blue riband.

The eight-year-old Sholokov gelding has been a model of consistency, winning four of his nine starts over fences and finishing runner-up on three more occasions.

Sounds Russian ran Into Overdrive to half a length when second in the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby on Boxing Day and then chased home Ahoy Senor in the Grade Two Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham last month.

The Norton-based handler will now take a step back and deliberate whether or not to go for Gold after watching Galopin Des Champs win the Irish Gold Cup with some ease at the weekend.

“We’ve left him in it and will consider pondering it,” said Jefferson.

“Galopin Des Champs was good. If you want to find the only negative you could possibly find, it is that the time was slow.

“It is like anything, you can make pros and cons to every horse in the race, including mine. So we will just chill and sit for a bit, and go from there.

“Whether it is a good Gold Cup or a bad Gold Cup, it will take a bit of winning. I’d rather win a bad Gold Cup than never win one.”

Sounds Russian is a general 20-1 chance for the extended three-and-a-quarter-mile March 17 feature.

Under Sean Quinlan, he had former King George VI Chase winner Frodon and Grand National winner Noble Yeats behind when producing an eye-catching run on his Prestbury Park debut.

Jefferson feels he has every right to line up, given his dependability.

“Sounds Russian is Mr Consistent, so we will leave him in and continue thinking about it,” she added.

“You can sit and make a case for him being there. So for the time being, we will leave him in and see where we are at.”



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Ruth Jefferson hoping Sounds Russian can book Gold Cup ticket

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Sounds Russian will bid to underline his Gold Cup claims when he runs in the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday.

The promising chaser, who was just touched off by Into Overdrive in the Rowland Meyrick, conceding 15lb at Wetherby on Boxing Day, has an official rating of 161.

That has made him difficult to place and trainer Ruth Jefferson hopes to find out if she has a horse capable of competing at the highest level on her hands.

“If you run in a handicap, you’d probably be giving away a few pounds to the next horse, but he is caught a bit in between,” said the North Yorkshire-based handler.

“He’ll give weight away – I wouldn’t be too worried about giving weight away if need be, but we intend to run on Saturday.”

Jefferson is keen to see whether the Sholokov gelding could make the requisite jump into top-class company, having proved himself capable in Graded races.

Jefferson said: “Saturday will tell us a lot, won’t it? He has a Gold Cup entry and he will have a handicap entry somewhere, or we will steer clear and find something else. I don’t know. It is quite hard to say until we get Saturday out of the way.”

Any thoughts of potentially running in the Coral Trophy Handicap at Kempton next month may be on the back-burner, however.

She added: “I’m not 100 per cent certain he’s a horse that will go right-handed. That’s why we have never asked him to.

“And perhaps Kempton may be a bit sharp for him. I think there would be other right-handed tracks we would take him to first. Something will come up, there’s always something.

“You’d like to win another race before the end of the season – that would be the plan, but when you are rated 161, it is not quite as easy as it used to be.”



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