THE RULER OF AINTREE
Take That fans rake it in after backing band’s hit
Bookies were the big winners yesterday as 33-1 shot Rule The World wins big race
Britain’s bookmakers and Take That fans were celebrating loudest after a 33-1 outsider won the Grand National.
Rule The World came from behind to defeat the heavilybacked 8-1 shot The Last Samuri in a dramatic f inish at Aintree. On a day when
an estimated £250million was staked on the big race, the result saved the betting industry a fortune.
They were given another helping hand when last year’s winner Many Clouds, the other joint favourite, finished 16th, meaning they did not have to pay out on each-way bets.
The only group who managed to beat them were Take That fans, who backed Rule The World as it has the same name as one of the band’s biggest hits.
Bookies were dreading a win for The Last Samuri, which had major bets through the
day as the ground turned soft. It started as 8-1 joint favourite and had been prominent throughout the race before being nailed by Rule The World and teenage jockey David Mullins on the run-in for a six-length win.
David Williams, of Ladbrokes, said: “It was the result of our dreams. A 33/1 winner gave us the kind of script we didn’t dare hope for. Punters have had a tough day.”
A William Hill spokesman said the result had saved them £ 3million, adding: “This was money we’d have had to pay out had The Last Samuri won.
“There was a lot of money on this horse but very little on Rule the World, as you would expect.
“This more than made up for Cheltenham where we all made heavy losses.”
Mullins, 19, the nephew of leading trainer Willie Mullins, said: “It’s the best feeling in the world to be in a place like this.
“It’s unbelievable. I just couldn’t expect things to have gone better.”
Hundreds of Take That fans took to Twitter to celebrate backing the winner.
Singer Gary Barlow tweeted: “I’d imagine a lot of people had a bet on Rule The World? Congrats if you did.”
Rule The World is owned by Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary and trained by Mouse Morris.
Aintree was packed for the big race, with Coleen Rooney among those in the VIP boxes.
All 39 horses which started the race came back in one piece – to the delight of owners and fans.
Mullins went on to win the last race of the three- day Aintree festival.