2GS The Sunday Times April 10, 2022 15THE FINISHERS
4th Santini
5th Fiddlerontheroof6th Longhouse Poet
7th Freewheelin Dylan
8th Coko Beach
9th Escaria Ten
10th Romain De Senam11th Samcro
12th Commodore
13th Class Conti
14th Blaklion
15th Lostintranslation1st Noble Yeats
2nd Any Second Now
3rd Delta Work19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Finish
Cloth CapDingo
DollarMighty
ThunderTop Ville Ben
FortescueBrahma Bull
Good Boy Bobby
Poker PartyTwo For Goldenergy into every day because you
don’t know if that’s going to be your
last day.”
It was a pleasant storyline for the
first Grand National with crowds
for three years, if not a second
successive victory for Rachael
Blackmore and Minella Times as
had seemed possible.
Many lives have returned to
normal since the pandemic began
but the National has been late to the
party. After 2020’s virtual “Grand
Notional” and last year’s behind-
closed-doors affair, more than
70,000 poured into Aintree for the
world’s most famous horse race.
Befitting the circumstances, and
the area of expertise of the main
sponsor, Randox Health, the trophy
featured a biochip “held up high by
a molecular structure which
consists of an antibody and DNA
strand intertwining”, so the official
programme said.
In the stands, trains and
pavilions of Merseyside, life was
pre-pandemic. The platforms of
Newton-le-Willows and Earlestown
returned to their annual stress test
as spectators packed on to servicesThe question of when to retire is
one with which many sportsmen
struggle. What on earth to do next?
In Sam Waley-Cohen’s case, he has
gone out at the top and already has
a full-time job — and he will be back
at work come tomorrow morning.
No U-turns here.
The 39-year-old announced
before the Grand National that he
would retire and he signed off with
victory aboard Noble Yeats. He is
the first amateur to have won the
race since Marcus Armytage in- The downside is zero prize
money; the upside is he founded
Portman Dental Care more than a
decade ago and he has more than
200 practices at home and abroad,
with about 4,000 employees.
“Over and out,” Waley-Cohen
said when asked if he was tempted
to reverse his retirement. “I wanted
to go out while I felt like I could still
do things and enjoy things as I
always have done.
“When you have a ride like that,
it goes as well as that, you’d be wise
to stick to what you said. I’ve got a
busy work life. It keeps me out of
trouble. Monday morning will be
back on my Teams calls, Zoom
calls, working away and continuing
with life as it was before.”
It was a victory felt by the whole
Waley-Cohen clan, with Robert, his
father, the owner of Noble Yeats.
The decision to continue as an
amateur, and for Robert to employ
one, has been criticised during
Waley-Cohen’s 20-plus years as a
jockey, but it has brought the
greatest success at the ultimate
moment.
“When Sam was riding Long Run
[with whom he won the
Cheltenham Gold Cup and King
George VI Chase in 2011], I got a lot
of stick from people saying, ‘Put a
pro on,’ ” Robert said. “I kept
saying, ‘If you feel like that, just lay
and you’ll lose a lot of money. If
that’s how you feel, that’s what you
should do.’ ” Dad admitted it would
be weird to have to start booking a
professional jockey.
The family feel extends beyond
Sam and Robert. Sam rode with the
initials of his brother, Thomas, on
his saddle. Thomas died with bone
cancer in 2004, aged 20. Those
letters were also on a wristband
worn by Robert. “When you lose
somebody you love and you lose
them when you’re young, you
realise to make the most of life,”
Sam said. “To appreciate it and try
to approach things with an open
heart, a lot of spirit and put a lot of
’I’m done – it’s back to the
work Zoom calls tomorrow’
82
Years since a
seven-year-old
had won the
Grand National- Bogskar, 1940
32
Years since an
amateur jockey
had won the
race – Marcus
Armytage on Mr
Frisk, 1990Noble Yeats and
Sam Waley-
Cohen (No 28) are
nicely placed as
the runners head
over one of
Aintree’s fences,
and below, the
rider celebrates
his victoryElgan Alderman50
Noble Yeats is
only the third
winner since
1985 at 50-1 or
bigger — Mon
Mome, 2009
(100-1), and
Auroras Encore,
2013 (66-1)‘When you have a
ride like that, it goes
as well as that, you’d
be wise to stick to
what you said. I’ve
got a busy work life’Waley-Cohen and his family celebrate with the Grand National trophyMARC ASPLANDto Bacchanalia Parkway. Aisles
were packed and tinny and glass
beverages were everywhere, the
morning atmosphere jovial. A
group of young men by the doors
passed around a hip flask of cognac
at 10.50am. “That’ll put hairs on
your chest,” the swigger said.
The fair-weather flutterer is
welcomed at Aintree, and the
significance of Waley-Cohen’s
victory will probably be unknown
by the thousands of once-a-year
racegoers who did not back him. At
Aintree, there is no existential
dilemma of “How do we get fans to
stay engaged in the sport?” as in
other arenas; no cries of “Where
were you at the Jewson Monet’s
Garden Old Roan Limited Handicap
Chase in October?”; no caveat —
regardless of their horse’s
performance — of, “Yeah, but can
Dingo Dollar do it on a cold Tuesday
night in Bangor-on-Dee?”
A word for careers that ended
more tragically. Solwara One died
on Friday, and after Saturday’s
second fixture, the Betway Mersey
Novices’ Hurdle, Elle Est Belle was
put down having collapsed towards
the end. In the same race, Captain
Conby was taken away for medical
attention after a heavy fall.
Waley-Cohen did not quite ride
into the sunset — the race finished a
few hours too early for that — but
should it receive the Hollywood
treatment, he hopes someone
“incredibly handsome” gets
the part. Dominic West, he
moots? First, though, time for
Zoom and teeth.