Sam Waley-Cohen won an emotional Grand National his final ride before retiring with the initials of his late brother stitched into his saddle.
Waley-Cohen, 39, became the first amateur this century to land the race as 50-1 shot Noble Yeats beat favourite Any Second Now.
After adding the Aintree showpiece to the Gold Cup he won in 2011 on Long Run, Sam told how he has been inspired by brother Thomas, who died aged 20 in 2004 after fighting leukemia for 10 years.
He said: “When you lose someone you love, you want to make the most of life.
“You process things with an open heart and put a lot of energy into every day because you don’t know if it will be your last.
"I do think Thomas is sitting on my back; I ride with his name in my saddle.”
Sam helped raise over £1million for the Children’s Hospital in Oxford where a ward bears the name of his brother, who was pictured giving a bouquet to Princess Diana in 1995.
Former schoolmate the Duchess of Cambridge, who helped raise the funds, congratulated him alongside husband Prince William after his win.
Sam has been credited with getting the couple back together after a split in their dating days.
But he plays this down, saying: “I don’t think it has any connection to them but as a general philosophy, hoping for the best and living full of hope is a good way to live your life.”
Sam thanked fans for their support, saying: “It carried us along on the clouds and the stars aligned.”
Waley-Cohen, who has a chain of 250 dental practices, has won the King George VI Chase twice and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Early Randox Grand National favourite Eclair Surf died from injuries sustained in a heavy fall at the third fence, it was revealed yesterday.
It came after it was confirmed Discorama had suffered a fatal injury in the race.
