Sam Waley-Cohen, the amateur jockey with a dentistry business, was once the go-between who helped the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's relationship.
“I’ve said for ages that if I won the Grand National I would retire there and then. “When you lose somebody you love, you realise you should make the most of life,” he said. But the National was to provide even greater riches. 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. It has become an iron law of the Grand National that horses seven and under don’t win. 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.
Read what the 39-year-old amateur had to say after realising a lifetime ambition aboard Noble Yeats in the Randox Grand National.
The Grand National result for the 2022 renewal of the race provided a fairytale ending for amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen, as he won aboard Noble Yeats.
“I’ve been saying for at least a decade, that I’ll retire on the spot if I win the Grand National, so for it to happen when I announced it earlier in the week is amazing.” Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Sam’s illustrious career in the saddle includes four Cheltenham Festival victories, including Long Run’s epic 2011 Gold Cup success, where he beat Kauto Star, becoming the first amateur jockey in 30 years to win the race. Noble Yeats is just a seven-year-old and only ran over fences under Rules for the first time on 5 October 2021. Robert Waley-Cohen was visibly emotional saying: “It’s absolutely a dream come true. “I can’t say anything – it’s a dream.
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It’s dedication and hard work. Father Robert Waley Cohen in an emotional interview said: “It’s a dream come true. I ride with his name on my saddle.
Sam Waley-Cohen, 39, a pal of William and Kate, steered Noble Yeats to victory in his farewell ride in the world's most famous steeplechase, and dedicated ...
He continued: "Dad has always supported me unwaveringly, we've never had a cross word, it's always been for fun. It's been a love affair. “I'm lucky to have a ride on Saturday and that's what's kept me going year after year, trying to turn up at Aintree and compete in the big races and the Grand National is the biggest of them all.” “I've had such an amazing time. “We gave the trophy for the Foxhunters' in memory of my brother and it's a course I've had so much fun at, it felt like the right moment,” he said. I'm 40 this year and I couldn't have imagined the days I've had and I'd love to do it at Aintree. The course has been so special to me, so it felt like this was the right moment.”