Winning both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National is a rare feat, but last year’s winner of the Aintree spectacular is set to be targeted at the unlikely double in the months ahead.
Golden Miller is the only horse to have ever won both races in the same season, doing so nearly a century ago in 1934, but connections of Corach Rambler haven’t been put off, and intend to have a shot at writing his name into the history books too.
Peter Scudamore, eight time champion jockey and part of the Corach Rambler stable, is confident of a strong showing, saying, “I think he’s got an opportunity of being placed in a Gold Cup. Corach Rambler loves Cheltenham and has performed well at Cheltenham. He obviously beat Fastorslow last season and the extra two furlongs of the Gold Cup won’t worry him.
“I think he’s a worthy runner in the Gold Cup – I don’t think he’d just be turning up for the day out – and I’d be quite happy to go straight there.”
Despite the lack of dual winners, an increasing number of trainers have been entering their horses into the Gold Cup and Grand National. The most recent example of this was Noble Yeats, who is best known for winning the National in 2022. And, although he came up short in 2023, the decision was vindicated, as Noble Yeats came home in fourth place in each race to earn his owners a combined prize of nearly £100,000.
If connections of Corach Rambler are confident about his chances in the Gold Cup, bookmakers evidently need more convincing, offering 33/1 that he is victorious in Cheltenham’s showpiece race. Prospects for Aintree are more promising though, as he heads the list of Grand National runners at 16/1.
Of the others hoping to become the next Golden Miller, Gerri Colombe and Fastorslow appear the most likely to try their luck at both races. The pair find themselves at the head of the betting for Cheltenham, while their underdog status for the Grand National would quickly alter if either impresses at Prestbury Park in March.
