THE bookies' nightmare was a student's dream at Aintree yesterday as Corach Rambler beat the field - and the Grand National beat the saboteurs.
The first favourite to win the race since Tiger Roll in 2019 had an Irish jockey with Sligo native Derek Fox in the saddle.
And he had the punters cheering, but none louder than Cameron Sword, the 21-year-old Heriot-Watt University student who is part of the syndicate that owns the horse.
Fox, 30, was only confirmed to ride on the eve of the Grand National - 10 days after taking a crashing fall at Wetherby and suffering an injury.
His win was a repeat of the 2017 triumph with One For Arthur - who died from colic last month at the age of 14.
On that occasion Fox had to recover from a broken wrist to take the victorious ride on One for Arthur.
Trainer Lucinda Russell admitted afterwards she was in tears for most of the race.
She broke the Irish domination of the world's greatest steeplechase, just as she did six years ago.
This story is from the April 16, 2023 edition of Irish Sunday Mirror.
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This story is from the April 16, 2023 edition of Irish Sunday Mirror.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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