Grand National hero Corach Rambler is on a "strict regime" as connections plot his road back to Aintree.
Corach Rambler completed a big-race double last spring, defending his Ultima crown at the Cheltenham as the first leg.
He was then plunged for the Grand National at Aintree and duly obliged by a very easy two-and-a-half lengths.
His return run at Kelso was disappointing on the surface, but it's not concerning his trainer Lucinda Russell.
She said: “I was delighted to have got the run into Corach Rambler. He definitely needed it.
"He is back now and will have a strict regime now ahead of his next race to get him a bit more wound up."
So where next for the Grand National hero?
Russell has the road back to Aintree mapped out and his fans will want to take note.
She added: “It’s a bit of a tester but we are going to run him at Haydock off level weights in the Betfair Chase in what will sort of be a Gold Cup trial.
"If he runs well, we can start looking at other conditions races and if not we’ll stick to the handicap route.
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“Someone asked if we would do the Gold Cup and the Grand National but I don’t know if I could say that Cheltenham will be the warm-up for Aintree!
"But he does love Cheltenham and it is the right timing between the two races.”
Corach Rambler is a best-price 25-1 for the Betfair Chase later this month, while he's 33-1 to win the Gold Cup.
At this very early stage, he's a general 20-1 to complete the Grand National double.
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