Such is the enduring lure of the Grand National that one in four adults in Britain placed a bet on this race, prospecting for gold in a minefield of a 40-runner handicap. Not many got lucky, judging by the muted reaction at Aintree as Noble Yeats bounded clear to win at 50-1. But this was a result to warm the soul, not swell the wallet.
Earlier in the week Sam Waley-Cohen had announced this would be the final race of a career he has combined with running the £300m dentistry business he founded. Having won a Gold Cup on Long Run in 2011, few had expected him to top that riding a long shot 11 years later. But the 39-year-old summoned a ride of patience and poise to steer Noble Yeats gradually into the race before striking for home one fence from the finish to eclipse the 15-2 favourite, Any Second Now, by two lengths.
