Grand National glory for Judi?

Maiden race: As De Mee and Dame Judi SHE has won a raft of awards for her acting – but Dame Judi Dench now has her eyes on a new prize after entering a horse in the Grand National.

The star owns gelding As De Mee with businessman Andy Stewart. The sevenyear-old horse will carry 10st 8lb for the steeplechase on April 14.

Dame Judi, 83, said her ‘huge love’ of racing began in Chantilly, France, where her sister-in-law’s family had a racing stable. ‘There was a horse named after my cat and it [won] … it probably paid for our holiday,’ she told the Aintree racecourse website.