The Randox Grand National 2022, held at Aintree Racecourse last Saturday and was an eye-opening event as amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen romped home on 50-1 outsider Noble Yeats to win the Grand National Gold Cup.“It was a dream. It won’t sink in – it feels like a fantasy, and I just don’t know what to say.”The main event of the Randox Grand National took place on Saturday the 9th of April and saw 40 horses lined up at the start line to jump 30 fences.
Sam Waley-Cohen
Noble Yeats had been purchased two months before the Grand National by Sam’s father Robert, Sam made the decision to enter the race days after announcing this would be his last competitive ride.Although Sam races around 30 times a year against professionals he has an outstanding resume.Donning his father’s famous orange and brown silks, Sam won King George VI Chase on two occasions and the Cheltenham Gold Cup over a decade ago.He entered the Randox Grand National 2022 with a superb record and astounded racegoers after the remarkable win. He is the first amateur rider to win both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National and he did so on both occasions on a 7-year-old horse.Cohen who runs a successful dental chain paid tribute to his late brother who sadly passed away in 2004 of bone cancer.“These days are big family events, and obviously Thomas isn’t with us, so you always think about him on these days. I still always ride with his initials on my saddle. I do think he is sitting on my back” Sam said.
Four Horses Dead
Unfortunately, the 174th Grand National had its fair share of tragedy as four horses lost their lives during the three-day event prompting further inquiries into the safety of horses running in the Grand National.Between fences, Discorama suffered a fatal pelvic injury while Éclair Surf sustained a fatal head injury at the third fence. Early on in the three-day event, a horse had a heart attack and subsequently died while another broke down at a handicap hurdle on Friday. It’s the first race where two horses have died at the Grand National since 2012, since then many safety changes have been implemented.External affairs director at the League Against Cruelty Sports has called for stricter safety measures during horse racing, citing a new regulatory body be assigned focusing on the horse’s welfare