'This is important, it means a lot' - tricky mare gives Ruth Jefferson much-needed boost with Listed success at Kelso

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Lavida Adiva may give Ruth Jefferson "hell" but she also gave her tremendous joy after a difficult month by landing a much-needed victory in the new Listed 3m½f mares' hurdle.

The trainer had lost two of her small string in recent weeks and had not won a five-figure first prize all season.

So she was delighted when the 5-1 shot took the £40,000 race by a decisive nine lengths under Brian Hughes, in the colours of Drew and Ailsa Russell.

"That was very much needed," the trainer admitted. "We've had a bad few weeks. We lost Hashtag Boum here and we had to put Kerryhill down. These owners had half of both.

"We hadn't had a black-type winner this season. We're never going to have the numbers and a small yard that doesn't have many horses needs the black-type races to keep adding up, otherwise you just get lost among the big names and the big yards. This is important, it means a lot."

Ruth Jefferson: won the Listed mares' hurdle with Lavida AdivaCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Jefferson has won a Grade 1 and two Grade 2s since she took over the licence at her Malton yard after the death of her father Malcolm in 2018.

"Lavida Adiva is very appropriately named because she's a bit of a madam," she said. "I ride her out every day and she gives me hell.

"She can't ride out with another horse. She hasn't done a piece of work in the two years I've trained her, because she'd just bolt."

Lavida Adiva was stepping up in class and distance here and Jefferson said: "We thought she'd like the longer trip and we thought if she stayed and could cope at this level we could look at a similar race at Ayr.

"She never travelled or jumped on the ground last time, it was too tacky for her, and Charlie Maggs didn't give her a hard race, which I loved. As soon as I rode her on the Monday I thought 'you're coming here'."

Russell spot on

If ever Lucinda Russell tires of training Grand National and Cheltenham Festival winners, she might fancy giving Tom Segal a run for his money.

She tipped two winners from two selections on ITV4's The Opening Show and the way that Starlyte took the Go North Cab On Target Handicap Hurdle final after being backed from a morning 22-1 into 12-1 was worthy of the Racing Post's Pricewise guru.

The winner scored by more than four lengths on her return from a four-month break and Russell said: "I love racing because of the horses and this is the sort of horse I love. She's only tiny but she's so brave. You have to drop her in and let her pass horses and I'm delighted for the owners Allan and Anne Grant, who have just got married."

Starlyte wins for top trainer - and tipster - Lucinda RussellCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

It was Russell's 150th Kelso winner and she said: "I love this track, it's had very many happy memories for me. It's a lovely place, they look after you and they look after the ground and the horses."

Russell also tipped Cadell (15-8 joint-favourite), whose win in the 3m2f handicap chase delighted a large contingent of annual members, including the remarkable Anne Rurtherford, who is 92 and has been racing here since she was 11.

'I'd let him ride Kauto Star'

Never ignore Fergal O'Brien's runners in the Ladbrokes Herring Queen final, even the outsiders.

He had had a winner and a second in the last two seasons and, although his 13-2 shot Northern Air was pulled up, Leloopa took the £100,000 race for the yard, on 5lb claimer Tom Broughton's first ride at Kelso.

The winner runs for the Paddy Brennan Racing Syndicate and the former top jockey did not let her go unbacked. "I'm not a betting man but even I had a bet on her at 50-1," he said. "It was crazy.

"She'd been planned for this race. She needed the run at Ludlow and we knew she'd improve from that. Big thanks to Fergal O'Brien and his team, who produced her in unbelievable shape today." 

"Fergal O'Brien has a bunch of jockeys and I love them all but if I had Kauto Star I'd let Tom ride him. He's that good. But they don't get the chances any more. There are less trainers and less horses, the bigger trainers are getting bigger and unfortunately we're losing too many of the smaller trainers."

O'Brien also took the Go North Jodami Bumper Final with Is This For Real, ridden by Liam Harrison.  

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