As the final, defining flourish of a sporting career, it is hard to think of anything that might rival Sam Waley-Cohen’s 50-1 success aboard Noble Yeats in the Grand National here on Saturday.
On Thursday evening, Waley-Cohen revealed that the race would be his last after 20 years as Britain’s leading amateur jockey. It would be his final chance too to realise his father’s lifelong dream of seeing his colours carried to victory in the world’s most famous steeplechase. Two days later, after a race laden with drama from start to finish, the dream came true, albeit at a cost. While it is ultimately irrelevant given his retirement, the stewards banned him for nine days and fined him £400 for using his whip above the permitted level and in the incorrect place in the finish.
