Jockey rode 8-1 favourite Corach Rambler to glory at Aintree but the race will be remembered for all the drama before itOn a day when the drama and danger of the world’s most famous steeplechase appeared to purr in perfect synchronicity, two moments quickly became burnt into the memory. The stillness of Derek Fox’s riding amidst the mayhem of a Grand National even more brazenly chaotic than usual before sending 8-1 favourite Corach Rambler into glory. But also the extraordinary sight of dozens of animal rights activists using ladders to climb into Aintree’s grounds, trying not only to sabotage the race, but the hearts and minds of those watching too.For anyone who sits uneasily on the fence when it comes...
Amateur jockey with a dentistry business was once the go-between for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Such is the enduring lure of the Grand National that one in four adults in Britain placed a bet on this race, prospecting for gold in a minefield of a 40-runner handicap. Not many got lucky, judging by the muted reaction at Aintree as Noble Yeats bounded clear to win at 50-1. But this was a result to warm the soul, not swell the wallet.Earlier in the week Sam Waley-Cohen had announced this would be the final race of a career he has combined with running the £300m dentistry business he founded. Having won a Gold Cup on Long Run in 2011, few...
After a fraught few months of negative publicity, racing desperately needed Blackmore’s historic victory at AintreeNot since Lady Godiva rode naked through the streets of Coventry in the 13th century has any woman on horseback caused quite such a public stir. Her modesty covered by the green and gold silks of JP McManus, Rachael Blackmore wrote arguably the most colourful chapter yet in the storied 182-year history of the Grand National. The daughter of a farmer and schoolteacher from Tipperary with no background in racing, she became the first woman to win the world’s most iconic horse race at Aintree on Minella Times. While the horse and its trainer, Henry de Bromhead, also deserve every credit, their place as historical...
Trainer who won with Papillon in 2000 has runner who looks set to improve for marathon trip in Aintree spectacularBetting odds are mischievous beasts at the best of times, and never more so than when 40 runners go to post for the Grand National, Britain’s annual flutter on the gee-gees. For weeks, the prices have been shouting that Jonjo O’Neill’s Cloth Cap is the horse most likely to win on Saturday evening. And whispering too that in the final reckoning, the chances are he probably won’t.Overnight odds of around 5-1, in fact, suggest there is an 80-85% chance that one of the other 39 runners will beat him, but there are so many positives attached to Cloth Cap’s profile that...
The lightly raced Topham Chase selection ran well over the unique Aintree obstacles earlier this season There are so few races over the Grand National fences that it feels almost obligatory to have an interest when the opportunity arises, and a typically competitive Topham Handicap Chase at Aintree on Friday afternoon is no exception.Livelovelaugh looked like an obvious candidate for this – well, last year’s Topham, to be precise, when he skipped around the fences in the Grand National two years ago before his stamina ran dry from three out. Related: Sir Alex Ferguson grabs another famous treble at Grand National meeting Aintree 1.45 Monte Cristo 2.20 Third Time Lucki (nap) 2.50 Espoir De Romay 3.25 Fakir D’Oudairies 4.05 Senior Citizen...