50/1 Outsider Noble Yeats Wins The Grand National
Noble Yates has won the Grand National at Aintree as a 50/1 outsider.
Jockey Sam Waley-Cohen is now set to retire having taken one of the biggest races in the UK calendar, and one of the premier sporting events in the country.
After a career spanning more than 23 years, Waley-Cohen leaves the sport at the very pinnacle with victory over the fences at Aintree.
In a post-win interview, he said: "I can't say anything but that's a dream. It has been a love affair, they aren't all good days. There are bad days in this sport. That is beyond what I was thinking, it's a fairytale and a fantasy."
Waley-Cohen's dad and Noble Yeats' owner was overjoyed at the outcome, telling ITV Sport: "I'm really emotional. I'm lost for words, unbelievable. Fabulous."
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Any Second Now, ridden by Mark Walsh, was a favourite for the Grand National at 9/1, but came in second place at the event.
Before the race got underway, all eyes were trained on Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore, who became the first woman to win the showpiece Aintree event last year.
The 32-year-old’s horse Minella Times – trained by Henry de Bromhead – was amongst the favourites before the race, alongside Any Second Now, and Delta Work.
In the week leading up to the race, Blackmore had said: “It’s hard to imagine what winning it again would feel like until it actually happens, to be honest.
“My mum and sister are coming over on Saturday morning and they’re really looking forward to it, so it will be great to have them here and there are plenty of friends as well that are coming too."
“You just can’t compare that feeling of crossing the line, it was just a phenomenal feeling and it’s a race that every kid wants to ride in.
“When you’re growing up, this is the race that captures your imagination and it’s just very special to be able to say that you’ve won it. I’ve definitely seen the replay of last year’s race more times than I can count.
“There’s definitely a massive global reach and I really felt that after last year.
“The media attention after Cheltenham last year [where Blackmore was the first female rider to finish as the meeting’s top jockey] was massive, but after the Grand National it just seemed to explode again.
“It seems to reach parts of the world that no other races do.”
Tom Wood