Dream win that would’ve made a brother proud

BRITAIN’S BEST COLUMNIST FROM AINTREE

THIS is why the Grand National is one of THE greatest events in the sporting world.

Because behind every winning horse – and never forget, it is the magnificent animals that are the biggest heroes of this spectacle – there always seems to be a remarkable tale of human spirit, human endeavour and, so often a triumph in the face of adversity.

Adversity? The millionaire Sam Waley-Cohen? There is every chance the victorious jockey was the poshest man on Merseyside this weekend.

A friend of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – in fact, he is credited with helping them rekindle their romance – he is the son of Sir Robert Waley-Cohen and his wife Felicity, the daughter of Viscount Bearsted, a member of the Hill Samuel banking dynasty.

And when, understandably, with it being his last ride and all that, his win on Noble Yeats is routinely referred to as a fairytale, it is worth remembering his dad went and bought the horse for this task only two months ago.

Waley-Cohen admits he has been “incredibly lucky” to have his father provide him with so many expensive, quality horses during his stellar amateur career.

He wore the same silks to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Long Run in 2011.

So far, so silver spoon.

But for Sam, for father Robert, for the family, this win could not have been more poignant.

Stitched into Sam’s saddle yesterday were the initials of his brother Thomas, whose name is woven into a wristband worn by

Robert. Just after his 20th birthday in 2004, Thomas died after a 10-year battle with bone cancer.

From that day, Sam vowed to live life to the fullest in honour of his beloved brother.

“When something like that happens, when you lose someone so young, you want to make the most of life every day,” he said, sipping champagne and drinking in the enormity of what he had just done. You want to live your life with an open heart.”

It was his bond with Thomas that imbued a sense of adventure.

On Tom’s 18th birthday, even though one of his legs had been amputated below the knee, he went sky-diving with Sam – a day that remains precious. “Tom was tough, he had great energy and made the most of life, never let anything get him down or hold him back. That spirit, that courage are what I think of when I think of him,” said Sam, who helped raise millions for a children’s hospital in Oxford, ‘Tom’s Ward’, after his brother.

With that great energy, WaleyCohen has been splitting his time between riding, his family and a hugely successful private dental business with 4,000 employees.

He is calling it a day in the competitive saddle to devote more time to the last two. Or so he says.

As what Waley-Cohen, who turns 40 on Friday, once again proved at Aintree is that although he remained an amateur, he has always matched the professionals.

But he insists this is the perfect way to go, fulfilling a childhood dream on a day that would have made Thomas very, very proud.