Derek Fox's Countdown To The Grand National - Perceval Legallois Is The One I'd Want To Be On
Joshua Kerr 
With Aintree and the Grand National just days away, we sat down with two-time Grand National-winning jockey, Derek Fox, to preview all the action leading up to one of the biggest meets of the racing calendar.
So, looking ahead to Saturday’s main event, here’s what Derek had to say when speaking exclusively to the team at Free Bets:
Injury Update
Q: How has the recovery been since the setback at Sedgefield last month?
I had a fall at Sedgefield and I broke the L1 vertebrae on my back and I also broke my collarbone and the first rib on my back as well, so a pretty heavy fall which was unfortunate. Hopefully, I'll be back soon, but there's not much I can do now. Only take the time and hopefully back at it in good time.
Q: How does this rank in terms of injuries/setbacks so far, and how challenging has it been to come to terms with not competing at Aintree this year?
I've had a few serious falls, even back when I was pony racing in Ireland—I broke my leg once, which felt significant at the time. But injuries involving your back and neck are probably the most serious. Everything else heals eventually, but with your back, you have to be careful. So, in that regard, this is the most serious injury I’ve had. The staff at Sedgefield were excellent and got me the help I needed very quickly. I’m very grateful for their professionalism.
Q: It’s difficult to put a timeline on recovery, but do you have a rough idea of when you hope to be back in action?
With jockeys, recovery can often be quicker than it would be for most people. For example, with a broken collarbone, you’re usually allowed back in four weeks even if you’re not fully healed. As long as you can bear enough weight, you’re permitted to return. With vertebrae, it’s a bit different, but recovery can still be relatively quick. It’s always a personal decision for each jockey when they feel ready to return. We’re fortunate to have the Jack Berry House in Malton, which is a fantastic rehab center. They’ll help me rebuild my fitness and determine when I’m ready to race again. I imagine it will be around eight weeks before I’m back to race riding, but that depends on how things progress.
Q: Sometimes the mental aspect of injury is tougher than the physical. How frustrating is it to miss out on Aintree, and how do you deal with the mental challenges of recovery?
When you get a fall and get injured, you do a quick assessment. I know my body pretty well, so if I'm badly winded and bruised, I can usually tell it's sore but I'll be okay to ride tomorrow or whatever. But when you get a hard fall and break something, you can tell right away it's bad and you're going to need some time off. You get painkillers, things settle down, but then you have the pain of watching all the horses you were looking forward to riding.
Missing the big meetings like Aintree is heartbreaking. Once you get painkillers, the physical pain goes away, but the mental pain of not getting to Aintree is massive. Things can always be worse, but it's a real sickener.
Even if it's just Newcastle during the week, if you have nice horses to ride, it's always disappointing to miss it. But missing Aintree is very disappointing. All you can do is try to get back well and have another go next year.
Who Does Fox Fancy For The Grand National?
Q: Looking in from the outside, what is your assessment of the field this year? Are there any horses in particular you see as particularly strong contenders? I know you mentioned I Am Maximus. You've got the likes of Stumptown, Hewick, Intense, Raffles, Iroko. What’s your assessment of the race and who do you fancy early on?
I like Gavin Cromwell’s horse, Perceval Legallois. That’s the one I’d want to be on. He looks like he’s been really prepared for it. He’s won a big-field handicap chase at Leopardstown and won a hurdle last time out.
I think Mark Walsh, as far as I know, is going to take the ride on it, and I rate Mark very highly. I think it’s a great standard in the weighing room, but I think Mark Walsh is a standout rider. He’s going to be a great man to have on board and is on a nice weight.
I’m sure I Am Maximus will be well-primed for the day as well, but I just have a feeling about that other JP horse.
Q: What does it take to be a Grand National-winning jockey? What are the key things you need, like temperament, skill, luck, or cleverness? And how does the selection process work when a trainer offers you a choice of horses?
Derek: It’s hard to pinpoint exactly. Over the years, there have been great jockeys—Tony McCoy, John Francome, Ruby Walsh. Now, there are so many talented riders, especially at Cheltenham. Everyone has a jockey coach and the standard of riding is so high.
Fitness is also more important than ever. When it comes to a race like the Grand National, it’s about understanding what your horse is good at and riding accordingly. Whether your horse prefers to be forward or come from behind, you need to adapt and make decisions quickly when things don’t go as planned.
You need to have a good understanding of your horse's strengths and adjust your approach accordingly. Being quick to adapt is key. Sometimes, things don’t go your way, so you need to be ready to switch things up and use your initiative.
Q: And one thing you mentioned, obviously you referenced Paul there. Similar to yourself, you know, he's going to be part of a select group of individuals going into this race having won it before. Would you say having that experience of winning it changes your mindset or preparation going into the race again? Or do you keep everything the same?
Yeah, I think for me, I was lucky to win it on my first ride, so I got off to a good start. And for me, it's just a race I'm very fond of. I don’t know if I should say this, but some lads don’t look forward to the Grand National every year unless they have a really nice ride. They don’t like to just take part—it’s not their favorite race.
Paul Townend, for example, will have that good experience from last year and I’m sure he’ll be looking forward to it this year, probably more so than anyone else. As far as I know, he’s going to ride I Am Maximus again, over the JP horse trained by Gavin Cromwell, but I can’t think of its name now.
I imagine Paul will ride that horse similarly because he knows it goes badly left and although you might not get the clearest run, that’s what suits that horse. Another horse might prefer to be more toward the middle and just let the rest warm up and come back to him a bit. But, you know, that’s what you have to work out as a jockey—what your horse might like.
To try and get him off the rail is going to be tricky, even if he wants to. But no, I’m sure Paul is more than capable and has it all thought out anyway.
Q: Looking in from the outside, what is your assessment of the field this year? Are there any horses in particular you see as particularly strong contenders? I know you mentioned I Am Maximus. You've got the likes of Stumptown, Gavin Cromwell, Hewick, Intense, Raffles, Erico. What’s your assessment of the race and who do you fancy early on?
I like Gavin Cromwell’s horse, Perceval Legallois. That’s the one I’d want to be on. He looks like he’s been really prepared for it. He’s won a big-field handicap chase at Leopardstown and won a hurdle last time out.
I think Mark Walsh, as far as I know, is going to take the ride on it, and I rate Mark very highly. I think it’s a great standard in the weighing room, but I think Mark Walsh is a standout rider. He’s going to be a great man to have on board and is on a nice weight.
I’m sure I Am Maximus will be well-primed for the day as well, but I just have a feeling about that other JP horse.
Gold Cup/Grand National Double For Gavin Cromwell?
Q: You referenced Gavin Cromwell there. He’s going for something that every trainer aspires to: winning the Gold Cup and the Grand National in the same year. Willie Mullins did it last year. Do you think Gavin Cromwell could achieve that? And if so, how special a feat is that from a sporting point of view?
It would be a massive achievement for Gavin Cromwell. We’re used to hearing about Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, Henry de Bromhead, but I think Gavin Cromwell is now in that category of trainer where it’s not even surprising when he wins a big race. It’s almost expected.
He’s done so well since he took out his license, and if I had a horse to put into training, Gavin Cromwell is one of the first names I would consider.
So, although it would be a massive thing for him to have a Gold Cup winner and a Grand National winner in the same year, I think it’s very possible. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he’s got this horse primed and tuned for the day.
Mark Walsh is probably one of the older lads now in the weighing room, but he’s always been someone who has slipped under the radar. He’s not loud or boastful, but he’s just top-class and he always has been. I think the horse is in great hands and could be very well lined up for it.
Q: With a race as unpredictable as the Grand National, are there any potential outsiders or underdogs you feel could spring a surprise, even if it’s just nicking a place or being within contention on the day?
Yeah, I’ve had a look through it. Nothing else really stands out to me. The way I look through it is you don’t want too much weight on your back. It’s difficult for the high-class horses to come into it off big weights.
It’s wide open, and like in any National, you can make a case for a lot of horses. But no, it’s just difficult for me to pick out any more now, to be honest.
Q: Moving on to another horse that’s going to be in the race—Apple Away. You've worked closely with Lucinda Russell and have been very successful together over the years. Apple Away represents a good chance in the race and is currently priced at 80 to 1. Do you know much about the horse, and if so, can you give some insight into what Lucinda’s plans are for this weekend?
Unfortunately, I’m out now and I won’t be able to ride her. But, I don’t know if you noticed, she was second at Hexham a couple of runs ago, and just during the week, the Nicky Richards horse that was first past the post failed a blood test. So, she’s now the winner of the Grand National Trial at Haydock, which was good news for me when I was lying up in the hospital.
Basically, that's it. She’s now the winner of the Grand National Trial at Haydock. But listen, I don’t know if she’s going to get a run. It’ll depend on whether she gets in or not, which could be more difficult now with the field size cut down a wee bit.
She’s very tough and a very classy mare. She obviously won the Grade 1 hurdle at Aintree a few years back. But I’m not absolutely sure if she has the right amount of scope for jumping the fences around there, but she could be an interesting runner if she gets in.
Corach Rambler & Handling The Pressure
Q: Moving on to another Lucinda Russell horse—Corach Rambler, who retired last year. Can you share your experience of riding Corach Rambler and your personal feelings about the horse? If you had to summarize how good he was in his day, what would you say?
Corach Rambler has been a massive part of my career. From the first day I rode him, he won at Ayr in a maiden hurdle, and he just kept on winning from there. He’s very unassuming at home. He would just tip away at home and never really showed much, but he never did anything wrong either.
It took him six runs to win his point-to-point, which was, you know, he was a wee bit exposed in point-to-points. But when he got to Lucinda’s, he must have just matured a bit more and picked up from there.
He was a massive horse for me to be a part of. He won twice at Cheltenham in the Ultima Handicap Chase and went on to win the Grand National and was third in the Gold Cup.
Obviously, he’s retired now, but he retired very fresh. There was possibly talk of him having another season and going for it again this year, but I think it’s the right decision. He’s very well looked after up at Lucinda’s. He’s just been a marvelous horse to be associated with.
Q: When you won with Corach Rambler, it was your second time winning the Grand National. Was the experience different the second time around? What were your emotions the second time compared to the first?
The first time I won with One For Arthur, I remember the whole year was just trying to get him rated high enough to get into the National. When I rode him the first day at Kelso, I actually got off him and said he’d be a good horse for Aintree, though I’d never ridden in the National at that time. He was just a very scopey horse, not much speed, but I thought he’d stay well and he jumped well.
I was still very young at the time with not a massive amount of experience with race riding. So, when he won, it was massive. When I crossed the line, it was hard to even process that it had actually happened. All I talked about and dreamt about all year was riding One For Arthur in the Grand National, but when it actually happened, it was the best feeling ever.
The second time around with Corach Rambler, he was after winning at Cheltenham twice, and he traveled a bit easier throughout the race. With One For Arthur, I was a long way back and had to keep plotting my way around, nursing him through the race. It felt like there was more going on.
With Corach Rambler, I was always in a handy, prominent position, and for most of the race, I was happy with where I was sitting. The only real scare I probably had was when I jumped the last fence and was in front two furlongs before the winning line.
Corach had a tendency to look around when he was in the home straight or in the closing stages, so that was the only concern really. Two very different experiences, but both of them were really special for different reasons.
Q: From your experience, having been there and done it, are there any particular insights you've gained from your victories that you think will give you an advantage in the future?
I think there’s a great saying, and I heard Ruby Walsh say it once: he won the National on his first ever ride around there. The thing about having no experience around Aintree is that you also have no bad experience.
With my experience around Aintree, I’ve been very lucky. I’ve been put on some beautiful horses to ride there. Even in the Topham Chase, I’ve had some great spins around in the Topham Chase and the Becher Chase. All my experience has been very enjoyable, really.
Looking forward to the future, I have no bad experience at Aintree. I won with One For Arthur, and then One For Arthur was sixth in the race two years later. I rode Mighty Thunder in it one year, and although he didn’t run very well, he jumped well and pulled up just after the Canal Turn the second time. So, I got around a lot of the track, and as I say, he jumped well, and it was enjoyable to ride him around even though he didn’t travel great. He was a wee bit over the hill at that time.
Then, I went down on Corach Rambler, and he won it again. So, hopefully in the future, if I get to ride in the race again, I have no bad experience. It’s a race I can look forward to and hopefully I’ll have a bit more success.
Q: And I know you mentioned earlier that the Grand National is one of the biggest events in the sporting calendar. For some people, it might be their only exposure to horse racing all year. How does the Grand National compare to other jump races? Even compared to Cheltenham, for example, how different are the two in terms of extremes and how physically demanding the race is? Can you describe what it's actually like just being in it?
Yeah, I can try and explain it a bit if I can. Everyone says it’s not the race it used to be, and it’s not. Back in the 40s, for example, you see old pictures of them coming down over Becher’s Brook and it’s absolutely breathtaking.
Cheltenham is very intense. All the boys are extra revved up. The stairs are tricky at Cheltenham, and so is Aintree as well. But I don’t know, the fences at Cheltenham ride well. On a hillier track like Cheltenham, you always get a moment to settle the race down. I always found when you go past the stands at Cheltenham, there’s an uphill part, and just for a moment before you swing into the back straight, you have a moment to relax.
In the Grand National, it’s even more intense. A lot of the fences are modified and aren’t what they used to be, but you still feel the drop. When you jump the first, you can feel them going forward on their head a little bit.
Anytime I’ve ridden over the National fences, whether it’s the Becher Chase, Topham, Sefton, or the actual Grand National, it always takes a horse a fence or two to realize what’s required. You have that split second where the horse doesn’t land flowing like they would in a normal chase.
A couple of the ditches are still very big, and once you get by the Canal Turn and the fences up to Valentine’s, they still take a nice bit of jumping. For anyone looking on, even though they aren’t what they used to be years ago, I still feel they’re a good test.
They’re lovely fences to ride over, but they’re just enough to get you thinking. You have to sit back that little bit more on your way down because your horse could land a bit steeper. It’s hard to put it into words, but your blood level might be a small bit higher going out at Aintree than it might be in any other race.
Q: The Grand National is such a public event. For yourself personally, how do you deal with the media attention and maintain focus on the day? Does being such a public event make it harder to deal with that attention, or is it just something you stay focused on and treat like any other race?
Yeah, I think with Cheltenham and even more so with Aintree, the media attention is heightened. Although I do a bit of media work and I don’t mind doing interviews—especially today because I’m not riding this year and I’m injured—it’s different when you’re racing.
When I’m racing, I try to limit the social media and interviews before the race. Some of the boys are brilliant at it and maybe it doesn’t bother them at all. But for me, I try to keep it to a minimum and stay focused on the race.
When I’m off injured, it’s a lot easier. But on the day of the race, you try to get to the track early in the morning because you don’t want to be stuck in traffic. You’d rather be there hours before the race than stuck in traffic getting frustrated.
I like to walk around the track or jog around to get myself organized. Once you’ve walked the track and get into your gear, it hopefully becomes like another day’s work. You’ve done all your interviews and the talking is over. Then, you’ve made your plan with your trainer and hopefully everyone knows what they’re doing by that stage.
For me, I like to get my gear on. It’s funny, some of the lads who do a lot of talking all year round might go quiet before the National, and some of the quieter boys might start talking. It’s that kind of race—it can trigger little things like that in people who wouldn’t normally do it day to day.
Q: And I know you spoke about how preparation is different when you're competing compared to when you're spectating. Looking at this year’s race, what do you see as the biggest storylines going into the race? What are you most looking forward to seeing, whether it’s a particular horse or a potential battle between two riders?
It’s very different to watch as it is to compete. Massively different. As a rider or when you’re competing in any race, you see it for what it is—it’s a handicap chase, something I do most days of the year. It’s just another race, and you get ready and it’s a horse race.
Whereas, when you’re looking on, you can let your mind go a bit wilder and get excited like you would do as a child watching it.
If there was a good story to come out of the Grand National this year, which I’m not convinced... I shouldn’t say I’m not convinced he’ll suit it, but if Hewick wins it, I think it will be one of the biggest stories ever.
He’s owned by a lovely man, John Hanlon, who has produced the horse so well, aimed him so well, and campaigned him brilliantly. They brought him to America, which was genius, to win the American Grand National. Although he’s a great chaser, he’s also a very good hurdler.
Out in America, the hurdles are like mini-fences, so it was genius to bring a horse like Hewick out there. Then he went on to run in the King George and gave him a wonderful ride, creeping him around at the back, getting him into the race, and beating genuine Grade One horses.
Hewick has shown he can go around the likes of Kempton, Sandown, over these big fences, and even run well in the Gold Cup before he fell. I’m not convinced he’s going to be scoping enough for the Grand National.
Although, as I said before, Tiger Roll has done it, but I just don’t think he has the scope to get through it. But if there was a horse I’d like to see winning, it would probably be Hewick. It would be a lovely story if John Hanlon was the one to do it.
But you know, again, not that I’m biased, I’ll just enjoy it and good luck to whoever is lucky enough to win it.
What Next?
Q: Final question, Derek, and thanks so much for your time. Looking ahead to your future, what’s next for you? Obviously, you’re hoping to get back on track with your recovery this season, but is there anything beyond that you’re aiming for? How do you see your future playing out?
I’ll be 33 now in May, so I’d like to keep going for a few more years. With places like Jackberry House and all these new rehab centers, it’s easier for jockeys to come back now than it was years ago when they just had to get up off the couch and go back racing.
It’s more professional now in that sense. I’d like to get a bit of time and hopefully ride until I’m 40 or so, but who knows.
I feel very lucky to have the support of the owners up with Lucinda. Lucinda and Peter are doing a great job buying horses nowadays and producing them. I feel like it’s a yard that’s growing, and even at Aintree this year, they have four or five horses with really good chances again.
Some yards are lucky enough to have a Corach Rambler or Ahoy Senor come along every 15 years. But hopefully, the way Lucinda and Peter are managing the whole team up there, it’ll be more frequent that we have runners up to big festivals.
Michael Scudamore is up there now as well, who’s a new head lad for Lucinda. He’s made a massive difference to the yard. It’s a big team effort. You hear it all the time, but it truly is a team effort.
If you don’t have the right staff and the right team and the right people doing the job, you’re going to struggle.
I think the type of team Lucinda’s put together up there is top-class. Hopefully, going forward, I’ll have some nice rides at big meetings for a few years to come.
I’ve been lucky enough to ride One For Arthur and now Corach Rambler. I’ve ridden Apple Away and Ahoy Senor, and just loads of great graded horses. Hopefully, in years to come, we’ll continue to compete at that level. That’s what I’d hope for, anyway.
Q: Brilliant. And this really is my final question now. Looking ahead to Saturday, where will you be watching?
I’m not actually sure yet, but I’ll probably just be at home. Just at home. I haven’t been doing much; I’ve been taking it very steady.
I’ll definitely be watching though, tuning in and enjoying it as a spectator. It’ll be nice to be a bit more relaxed going into the meeting this year and just, you know, enjoy it and be able to wish everyone good luck going into it. So yeah, looking forward to it.
