Dream in last race of his career
Chris
GOULDING
SAM WALEY-COHEN paid a tribute to his late brother after partnering Nobleyeats to victory in the Randox Grand National when having his final ride in a race. Waley-cohen, 39, who lost his brother Thomas to bone cancer before his 21st birthday in 2004, said: “I do think Thomas is sitting on my back. I ride with his name stitched in my saddle.
“These days are family days, and you couldn’t make it up, could you?”
Waley-cohen’s father Robert said: “I’m wearing a wristband with Thomas’ initials on and that was woven by my wife and contains not only our racing colours but also Long Run’s tail.”
The family celebrated Cheltenham Gold Cup success when Sam partnered the gelding to victory in 2011 for his father.
Among those to congratulate Waley-cohen on his success were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
“Huge congratulations to Sam Waley-cohen for winning the Grand National.what a way to retire!” the royal couple tweeted.
Waley-cohen, who announced his plan to retire on Thursday to enable him to concentrate on his Portman Dentalcare business that has 250 practices, became the first amateur to triumph since Marcus Armytage on Mr Frisk in 1990.
Winning trainer Emmet Mullins, nephew of champion Irish trainer Willie Mullins, said: “It’s a great start and it’s going to be hard to keep this strike rate up!
“It was a long-term plan and it seems to have come off in the end, I don’t know how.”
Mullins, who trains alongside his uncle in Co Carlow, made it four successive victories in the race for the Irish-trained runners.
Any Second Now, sent off the 15-2 favourite, bettered his third place of last year when finishing second. Delta Work was third, with Santini fourth and Fiddlerontheroof taking fifth place.
Santini, the best of the Britishtrained hopes, was a credit to his trainer Polly Gundry.
Unlike last year ,when Rachael Blackmore made history when partnering Minella Times to victory, luck deserted the pair when they parted company.
“He just jumped into the horse in front of him atvalentines,” said Blackmore.
Aidan Coleman, the rider of Snow Leopardess, said the
ground was not testing enough for the mare that had produced a foal three years ago.
Of the 40 runners that set out, 15 completed but
Discorama was put down after suffering from a pelvic injury. Waley-cohen, who proved his unquestionable ability at Aintree with six wins over the Grand National fences and second on Oscar Time in the 2011 Grand National, finally achieved that childhood dream.
He said: “One of my earliest memories is of trying to ride the Grand National on the rocking horse we have at home and knowing a few of the horses’ names.”
But there was an ironic twist forwaley-cohen’s most memorable day in the saddle as he received a nine-day ban and a £400 fine for excessive use of the
whip.