I Am Maximus hailed hero

The Grand National produces a triumph of sporting brilliance, with several fairy-tale endings

- LUCY ELDER, JENNIFER DONALD

YOU need a bit of luck in the Grand National. Everyone knows that. But on this biggest sporting stage of all, this was a triumph of sheer brilliance.

As I Am Maximus surged clear of Minella Indo, the race was no longer a question of chance. That turn of foot, that engine, powering away from the former Gold Cup winner at the end of a marathon test was no fluke. This was a world-class performance in a high-quality field by a special horse and the powerhouse team behind him.

“The Gold Cup is the Gold Cup and Grade Ones are hard to win, but Grand Nationals are a bit different and you need so much luck. I can’t believe it. I’m a lucky boy,” said jockey Paul Townend, tasting Grand National victory for the first time on his 13th attempt. “It’s what every young boy with a pony wants to do.”

That the first four home are all Grade One winners indicates the calibre of this year’s result. For winning trainer Willie Mullins, the victory puts him at the forefront of the British trainers’ championship (see box, p40), which concludes at Sandown next week (27 April).

“He just has to be lucky and like the place, because he’s a very quirky horse and always has been. One day he would go out and jump left, the next day he would go out and jump right,” said Mullins.

“You never know what he’s going to do. He came today and showed us how good he is. I still think there’s more improvement to come, which means I think the Gold Cup next year is going to be his next objective.”

The eight-year-old, whose sire Authorized fathered dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll, gave Mullins a glimpse of his possibilities by beating his rivals, including Vanillier, in the Bobbyjo, an Aintree trial race.