The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sent a special message to their close friend after he won the 2022 Grand National.
The royal couple were thrilled by Sam Waley-Cohen's success on Noble Yeats in the Aintree highlight. Following the race, the 39-year-old amateur jockey retired, before toasting the success with a large group of his family and friends at the track.
"Huge congratulations to @swaleycohen for winning the Grand National," their social media accounts tweeted.
They added: "What a way to retire!"
Despite being a much bigger price than the runner-up Any Second Now – and without any experience of the famous course – Noble Yeats (50-1) had the edge over his closest rival. The chaser, who had raced just 12 times, was only purchased by the jockey's father Robert Waley-Cohen two months ago.
Waley-Cohen senior is a former chairman of Cheltenham Racecourse and also a friend of the royal family. Sam Waley-Cohen, who won the Gold Cup on the family's horse Long Run, is a successful entrepreneur.
He founded Portman Healthcare in 2008 and his company often fixed jockeys' teeth after falls on the racecourse. In 2018, his weighing room colleague Paddy Brennan, who also had a winner at Aintree this week, suffered a nasty injury at Chepstow.
His horse Brynmawr smashed the teeth out of his mouth and Waley-Cohen arranged an appointment at his Cheltenham branch. As well as being a successful businessman, Waley-Cohen, who turns 40 next week, has an enviable record over the Grand National fences.
The first amateur to win the big race since Marcus Armytage in 1990, the sportsman added to victories in the Foxhunters’ Chase (Katarino 2004 & 2005, Warne 2014), Topham Chase (Liberthine 2006, Rajdhani Express 2015) and Becher Chase (Oscar Time 2014).
He previously finished second and fourth in the National aboard Oscar Time, another horse owned by his father.
"It's a fairytale, it's a fantasy," he said after crossing the line on Noble Yeats, the first seven-year-old horse to win the National since Bogskar in 1940.
"Just full of love, happiness and gratefulness."
Waley-Cohen dedicated his success to his younger brother Thomas, who tragically died just days after his 20th birthday following a battle with bone cancer.
"I do think Thomas is sitting on my back, I ride with his name in my saddle," he added.
"These days are family days, and you couldn't make it up, could you?"
