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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Vincent Whelan

Rachael Blackmore smiles with mum and sister in Aintree snap despite Grand National fall

Rachael Blackmore shared a family snap alongside her mum Eimir and sister Charlotte in the aftermath of the Aintree Grand National.

Unfortunately the Tipperary jockey couldn't recreate last year's magic onboard Minella Times as she fell at the 10th in this year's edition.

But since falls are part and parcel of the business for any jockey, she wasn't too down about it afterwards as she shared this lovely pic from the course.

Only 15 of the 40 runners completed the race. Sadly one runner, Discorama, suffered a fatal pelvic injury in the notoriously grueling race.

The two other pre-race favourites aside from Minella Times, Any Second Now and Delta Work, were beaten into second and third place respectively by 50-1 shot Noble Yeats.

A remarkable story for the Emmet Mullins-trained runner was capped off by this being amateur jockey's Sam Waley-Cohen's final ride having announced his intention to retire on Thursday.

The outsider relished the jumping test and stayed on in determined fashion to defeat Ted Walsh's Any Second Now.

After jumping 30 fences, both horses went head-to-head up the famous run-in, but it was the longshot who served up a shock result.

Owned by the jockey's father Robert Waley-Cohen, Noble Yeats was a first runner in the race for Mullins - nephew of Willie.

It was the winning rider's seventh triumph around the Grand National course – a terrific record for an amateur jockey.

"I can’t say anything, I can’t believe it," the 39-year-old jockey said, returning in front of a sellout crowd.

"I have to say thank-yous, as it’s my last ever ride, to Dad [Robert Waley-Cohen, winning owner] – he’s had unwavering belief and love for 23 years. It's been a love affair. That’s beyond words, it’s a fairytale and a fantasy. I’m full of love and happiness and gratefulness."

It was Waley-Cohen's 10th ride in the Grand National and his final appearance came on the back of three placed efforts.

Before today's renewal, the amateur jockey had completed the course five times from nine attempts in the big race. In 2011 he became the first amateur since Jim Wilson in 1981 to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup when aboard Long Run, a horse owned by his father Robert.

The chaser defeated previous winners Denman and Kauto Star in a memorable renewal.

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