Find out more about what Timeform's Horses To Follow has to offer with this extract on Giovinco – Adam Houghton's star selection for the 2023/24 jumps season.
Giovinco (Lucinda Russell)
Giovinco hasn’t ventured any further south than Carlisle in his career so far, but don’t be surprised if he’s campaigned more widely from his Scottish base from now on.
In an interesting development over the summer, Lucinda Russell announced plans to join forces with Michael Scudamore – son of her partner and assistant trainer Peter – while Tom Scudamore will take over his brother’s former yard in Herefordshire which he’ll run as a pre-training establishment and satellite yard for Russell’s runners south of the border.
In a training career of more than 30 years, Russell’s 71 wins in 2022/23 was her best seasonal total yet, with Corach Rambler becoming the stable’s second Grand National winner in six years having also won the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival for the second year running.
After other high-profile successes for the likes of Ahoy Senor and Mighty Thunder in recent seasons, the unbeaten Giovinco could be the yard’s next staying chaser of note.
Giovinco didn’t make his debut until mid-March, when not needing to come off the bridle in beating his two rivals in a novice hurdle at Ayr, and another easy victory against weak opposition in a similar event at Carlisle later in the month made him hard to assess when he was tried in listed company at Perth in April.
As a result, Giovinco was sent off the 10/1 outsider in a six-strong field which included runners sent north by the likes of Paul Nicholls, Dan Skelton and Jonjo O’Neill. But while none of the big guns showed their form, Giovinco couldn’t have taken advantage with much greater authority. He jumped best and travelled powerfully, held up in a race where a couple of his rivals took each other on from a fair way out. After moving alongside at the second last, he then quickly asserted for a 12-length win over Hurricane Bay, who’d been third in the Grade 2 River Don Novices’ Hurdle at Doncaster earlier in the season.
An impressive physical specimen who was bought for £85,000 after winning at the third attempt in Irish points, Giovinco is open to further improvement over hurdles, but his future lies over fences sooner or later, his dam being a half-sister to Paul Nicholls’ high-class staying chaser Rocky Creek, winner of the London National and runner-up in a Hennessy Gold Cup, who contested three Grand Nationals.
Adam Houghton
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org
