Living the dream

WHAT a week in horse sport, topped by amateur jockey Sam WaleyCohen winning the Grand National at 50/1 on his father’s sevenyear-old Noble Yeats. Yet another fairytale for the race that has produced so many, and that the public remains in love with. Huge congratulations to the Waley-Cohen family and trainer Emmet Mullins.

As reporter Marcus Armytage writes (p36), a part-timer beating the full-time pros, people love that. Indeed they do, and Marcus should know, having been the last to do so 32 years ago. Instead, the public largely backed the other story they loved, that featured in Horse & Hound two weeks ago, of Snow Leopardess, the mare who already has a foal, who was alas pulled up after the 16th.

Speaking of mothers, Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl added World Cup dressage glory to her Olympic and European gold medal haul at last summer’s championships with TSF Dalera BB. Jessica will be giving someone else a look in at this year’s World Championships as she is expecting her second child in August.

We’re delighted to welcome reigning Badminton winner Piggy March as a new columnist this week (p14), as she asks for riderfrighteners and looks forward to eventing returning to the great British sporting calendar with Badminton and Burghley back on this year. She reminds us what the past two years of cancellations robbed some horses of – Vanir Kamira having won Badminton as a 14-year-old and now returning to defend her crown at 17. Onwards and upwards for more fairytales.

Sarah Jenkins Editor-in-Chief