King Arthur started National love affair for Fox

The Randox Grand National is a race steeped in history and Irishman Derek Fox is a jockey who has etched his name into Aintree folklore thanks to two victories from five rides in the Merseyside spectacular.

The humble County Sligo native has had a successful partnership with Lucinda Russell at her Arlary House base in Kinross for over a decade and the pair combined for monumental National wins in 2017 and 2023.

It was not without a scare for the rider, as Fox negotiated injuries which threatened his participation in both of the triumphs in the world’s most famous steeplechase.

He shot to stardom when he guided One For Arthur, donning the colours of self-styled ‘Two Golf Widows’ Deborah Thomson and Belinda McClung, to become only the second Scottish-based winner after Rubstic in 1979.

Fox was back in the winner’s enclosure six years later when Corach Rambler, described by the jockey as “one of the standout horses I’ve ridden”, justified his tag as favourite.

While the 32-year-old was unlikely to have a ride in the 2025 renewal – and he would have faced another race against time in any case having suffered stable fractures to both cervical and lumbar vertebrae in a fall on March 20 – he gave his account of what it is like to ride not only one Grand National winner, but two.

Speaking about One For Arthur, Fox said: “I got to ride the horse at the start of the season and he won around Kelso and he ran well in the Becher Chase, he finished fifth.

“Then he won the Warwick Classic and he was a very progressive second-season chaser. I knew all season the plan was to run him in the Grand National and it was just very exciting.

“It was my first ride in the race and to win with a horse like One For Arthur was very exciting.”

His National dreams were almost dashed before they began when he was injured during a fall at Carlisle on March 9, just 30 days before his debut in the world’s greatest steeplechase.

Fox credits Jack Berry House, where injured jockeys go to rehabilitate, for getting him back in working order just in time.

“I got an injury at Carlisle four weeks beforehand – I broke my wrist and collarbone – but Jack Berry House got me back in time and it worked out well,” he added.

“It (the race) went pretty smooth. He ended up towards the back of the field early, which was his style of running, and he always warmed into the races the further he would go.

“He jumped great, he didn’t travel that well early, but the further he went – during the second circuit – he kept getting closer and closer, and he got there in loads of time and he won very well at the finish.

“You can never be too confident throughout a race until you cross the line, but really from the Canal Turn he was going extremely well. From the Canal Turn home, without sounding too dramatic, I thought he was the winner.

“There were a few warm weeks of celebration afterwards, great fun at the time.”

History repeated itself before his second triumph in 2023 when Fox suffered a heavy fall at Wetherby before his booked ride with Corach Rambler.

The nine-year-old was the bookmakers’ favourite at 8-1 and it was an opportunity which Fox refused to give up, especially having ridden him in every race under rules including back-to-back successes in the Ultima Handicap at the Cheltenham Festival in 2022 and 2023.

“I got a fall at Wetherby and I was a bit sore for the week leading up to it, got passed by the doctors on the day,” he said.

“Getting Corach Rambler, he was a great horse, I rode him throughout his career. He won his maiden hurdle on the first day I ever rode him and then he won a hurdle at Carlisle.

“He went on to win twice at the Cheltenham Festival and was third in the Gold Cup (in 2024), and the Grand National in 2023 – one of the standout horses I’ve ridden. I’ve very fond memories of Corach Rambler.”

The race has seen a number of changes in recent years, including the maximum field size being reduced from 40 to 34 runners for last year’s running.

“I wouldn’t have said over the six years there’s much difference,” Fox said when asked about if he had noticed any changes between his two wins.

“There were a good few fallers in Corach Rambler’s race, with a few loose horses.

“I feel like last year when I rode in it – I actually fell at the first with Corach Rambler – and with the smaller field size, the start was a lot easier but I didn’t notice too much difference. It’s still a very competitive race and difficult to win.

“Hopefully in the next coming years some nice novice chasers can progress into National-type horses.”