Since the first running of the Aintree Grand National, it has been a race full of surprises. In 1839, Lottery won the first National at odds of 5/1. The jolly went in and the crowd went mad as jockey Jem Mason punched the air in delight.
Perhaps we could be forgiven for thinking it was a race where you could back the favourite blind.
Time would tell, that the Grand National wasn’t a race of predictability. In fact, on many renewals it was a race of complete and utter mayhem. We all remember stories about Foinavon and the melee at the 23rd fence. 1967 was a great year if you bet on horses priced 100/1. Jockey John Buckingham was given the chance to ride after three others declined the offer. In fact, the owner of the horse, Cyril Watkins, travelled to Worcester to ride another which he fancied to go better.
In 1984, Aintree executives renamed the 23rd fence Foinavon.
In more recent times, there have been shock winners. From 2012 – 2016 it was something of a free-for-all.
2012 – Neptune Collonges 33/1
2013 – Auroras Encore 66/1
2014 – Pineau De Re 25/1
2015 – Many Clouds 25/1
2016 – Rule The World 33/1
Very few people realised there was a 50/1 shot gathering pace.
Let’ head to the Aintree Grand National 2022.
Noble Yeats Wins The Grand National at 50/1.
By all accounts it had been the long-held ambition for the Waley-Cohen family to win the Grand National.
This Irish-bred gelding, a son of Yeats, out of a twice-winning mare, was originally purchased as a three-year-old for the sum of 6500 (Euros). A year later, he would be sold for £75,000. He had showed ability in his sole point-to-point race when second at Ballindenisk, Ireland.
In the ownership of Paul Byrne, he achieved three wins in 2021 with trainer Emmet Mullins including a National Hunt Flat Race, Maiden Hurdle and Beginners Chase.
Clearly, there were bigger fish to fry. Even though this gelding had been racing over distance up to 3m 1f. there was speculation Noble Yeats could be a candidate for the Aintree Grand National.
This point was confirmed when he went to the sales on the 4th February 2021. He wasn’t sold for 290,000 GNS. By the 23rd February, he was in the ownership of Robert Waley-Cohen, an Eton-educated businessman including founding shareholder and director of Portman Healthcare, a dental business. In 2009, he had an estimated net worth of £30M detailed by the Sunday Times Rich List.
Sam Waley-Cohen had an interest in horse racing and an amateur National Hunt jockey first riding in the 2007 Grand National on his father’s horse Liberthine who finished 5th.
In fact, Waley-Cohen was a very successful jockey with major race wins including King George VI Chase 2011 & Cheltenham Gold Cup 2011 with Long Run. He was the first amateur to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 30 years.
Nobel Yeats would mark a significant chapter in the career of Sam Waley-Cohen as he announced his forthcoming retirement from the sport.
He would be his last ever ride.
A prep race saw Noble Yeats finish down the field at Cheltenham when contesting the Ultima Handicap Chase (3m 1f).
On the 9th April 2022 (5:15 Aintree), Noble Yeats took part in the 174th annual running of the Grand National horse race. This seven-year-old gelding was priced at 50/1. Probably due to the fact the last horse to win the National at that age was Boskar (1940).
Noble Yeats carried 10-10. He had never faced anything like the Grand National stepping up to a trip of 4m 2 1/2f. 30 fences (one omitted) and 39 hard competitors including previous winner Minella Times (2021).
In the race, Noble Yeats was held up in rear, with steady headway from the 12th fence, tracked leaders to the 23rd (Canal Turn), disputed lead 2 out, headed when not fluent at the last, soon hard ridden, led run-in, stayed on final 110yds, ridden out.
Noble Yeats won by 2 ½ lengths from runner-up Any Second Now (15/2f) with Delta Work almost a distance behind in third. The winning time 9m 3.06s (fast by 0.94s).
Waley-Cohen said: ‘It’s horses for courses and he’s a horse who likes the course. There aren’t many horses that can stay the trip, jump the fences and handle the atmosphere as well as he can.’
It was a fairytale.
In 2023, Noble Yeats would try to defend his title. However, he had to carry over one stone extra weight in more testing conditions. This time ridden by Sean Bowen, the 10/1 shot (backed from 16s) was held up and ran on well for a gallant 4th place, beaten 8 ½ lengths. He couldn’t match the winner Corach Rambler (8/1f).
In 2024, Noble Yeats took his chance again in the Grand National. The 12/1 hope was never travelled well and finished 19th.
In two of his three Grand National races to date, Noble Yeats has won £565,000 in prize money, finishing first and fourth respectively.