50-1 Noble Yeats wins 174th Grand National at Aintree
Amateur Sam Waley-Cohen, 39, rides winner in final race before retirement
Waley-Cohen, CEO of a chain of dental practices, announced decision to retire on Thursday
15-2 favourite Any Second Now comes second, Delta Work third, Santini fourth
Rachael Blackmore and 2021 winner Minella Times fall at ninth fence
Discorama suffers fatal pelvic injury
15 of the 40-strong field finish
Frank Keogh
BBC Sport at Aintree
Still not clear who will go off favourite although Any Second Now has proved popular during the day.
Approximate odds: 8-1 Any Second Now; 9-1 Minella Times; 11-1 Run Wild Fred; 12-1 Longhouse Poet, Fiddlerontheroof;;14-1 Delta Work, Eclair Surf; 16-1 Enjoy D'Allen; 25-1 Bar.
(Remember you can check out my pinstickers' guide here).
Jockey Brendan Powell wasn’t born when his father, also Brendan, won the 1988 Grand National on Rhyme N’Reason.
But the 27-year-old has a great chance to join his father in the history books as he rides Fiddlerontheroof.
The seven-year-old has been in decent form this season and was runner up in the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury in November and could go well if he stays the trip.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesExcitement and anticipation is building among the 70,000 at Aintree ready and waiting for the Grand National.
There's just 15 minutes to go until it gets under way.
Third place in last year’s Irish Grand National marked Enjoy D'Allen as a potential Aintree contender.
This season, he enhanced his claims with third over fences at Leopardstown just after Christmas and comes to today’s race in good form.
Jockey Conor Orr will be sporting the familiar green and gold colours of leading owner JP McManus who bought the horse earlier this year.
It will be a big day for trainer Ciaran Murphy, who has only held a training licence for just over a year, while jockey Orr, from Donegal in Ireland, won the Midlands Grand National last month on Screaming Colours.
Image source, Getty Images2002 was a special year for jockey Jim Culloty. In March of that year he won the first of three Cheltenham Gold Cups on board Best Mate and in April followed that up with Grand National success on Bindaree.
The eight-year-old, who went off at 20-1 fought out a tremendous battle with What’s Up Boys, ridden by Richard Johnson, from two fences from home with the pair finishing a long way clear of the rest of the field.
Bindaree was a second Grand National winner for trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, who also saddled Earth Summit in 1998 and this year he has another hope in Good Boy Bobby.
It was the closest Johnson ever came to winning the prestigious race. The long-time rival of Sir AP McCoy rode in it 21 times but failed to record a victory before he retired in April 2021.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe 2021 winner Minella Times is among the favourites in the betting to win the Grand National, along with fellow Irish-trained challengers Any Second Now and Delta Work.
Snow Leopardess leads the British contingent, while Colin Tizzard saddles his last National runners in Fiddlerontheroof and Lostintranslation before handing over to son Joe.
Delta Work and Escaria Ten are among seven runners for trainer Gordon Elliott, seeking a record-equalling fourth victory after scoring with Silver Birch in 2007 and Tiger Roll (2018 and 2019).
Elliott is back after missing last year's meeting while serving a suspension for being pictured sat on a dead horse.
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Victory for Rachael Blackmore today would be an incredible feat on so many levels.
Very few jockeys have won the Grand National two years in a row while riding the same horse and in addition Minella Times - trained by Henry de Bromhead - is carrying top weight of 11st 10lb for the race.
That means Minella Times will need to put up the best weight carrying performance since Red Rum in 1974 if Blackmore is to win.
Image source, Getty ImagesAll eyes are on Rachael Blackmore as she looks to claim a Grand National repeat following her win on Minella Times last year, although this time it will be in front of 70,000 spectators.
The trailblazing jockey spoke to BBC Breakfast's Sally Nugent earlier this week about her upbringing and how she got into horse racing.
"I always knew growing up I wanted to be a jockey but I ever envisaged that I would be able to make a career out of it," Blackmore says.
The 32-year-old has not just made a career out of her passion, but also become a history maker and a sporting superstar.
Listen to the full interview above.
John Hunt
Race commentator on BBC Radio 5 Live
1 Eclair Surf 2 Any Second Now 3 Longhouse Poet 4 Snow Leopardess
Eclair Surf gets into the race off a nice weight and holds leading claims based on his Warwick win and a fine second at Newcastle to subsequent Scottish National victor Win The Wings.
(Remember you can check out our pinstickers' guide here)
Ten years ago we saw the closest-ever finish to a Grand National when Neptune Collonges beat Sunnyhillboy by a nose.
The 33-1 shot, ridden by Daryl Jacob put in a late surge to beat the 16-1 chance, ridden by Richie McClernan while Katie Walsh was third on Seabass – the best result for a female jockey before Rachael Blackmore’s win last year.
Image source, Getty ImagesTrained by Paul Nicholls, and still his only win in the race, Neptune Collonges was only the third grey to triumph over the Aintree fences.
After his win the horse was retired immediately by owner John Hales but is assured of his place in racing history.
Image source, Getty ImagesSnow Leopardess could be one heck of a story if she wins the Grand National in just over 30 minutes time.
For more than two years the mare was sidelined after a leg injury. Her racing career looked over and she became a mother - giving birth to the filly Red Panda.
But she is back on the track and has a chance to become the first mare in history to have a foal and go on to win the Grand National.
Aidan Coleman will ride Snow Leopardess in the showpiece race. He just rode Sam Brown to a comfortable win in the last race, so could more success be on the cards?
Gina Bryce
BBC Radio 5 Live presenter at Aintree
1 Escaria Ten 2 Any Second Now 3 Longhouse Poet 4 Minella Times
Escaria Ten put in an eye-catching run when just beaten by Any Second Now last time out. They can be first and second again, with the placings reversed.
(Remember you can check out our pinstickers' guide here).
Five years ago, Scotland was celebrating after One For Arthur, trained by Lucinda Russell, became only the second Scottish-trained winner.
Trained by Lucinda Russell and ridden by Derek Fox, the 14-1 shot beat Cause of Causes by four-and-a-half lengths in the 170th running of the race.
Image source, Getty ImagesFox took the ride just a month after breaking his wrist and collarbone in a fall while Russell was the fourth woman to train the winner of the race after Jenny Pitman, Venetia Williams and Sue Smith.
One For Arthur ran again in the 2019 race, finishing sixth, and Russell and Fox are represented again in this year’s race by Mighty Thunder.
Frank Keogh
BBC Sport at Aintree
Image source, BBC SportNot long now until the big race and 40 Grand National runners and riders negotiate 30 jumps, including The Chair.
At the end of nearly four and a quarter miles, they will race a long run-in, round the Elbow and to the finishing line at Aintree.
Image source, BBC SportDelta Work has a habit of spoiling a party. Last month, he beat his stablemate Tiger Roll at Cheltenham in what was the two-time Grand National champion’s final race.
The winner of a host of Grade One races in Ireland, the nine-year-old is probably Gordon Elliott’s main hope for a fourth Aintree victory.
Image source, Getty ImagesSuccess for Elliott, who has seven runners entered, would see him become both the most successful Irish trainer in the race and the equal most successful trainer overall, alongside Fred Rimell and Ginger McCain.
Jockey Jack Kennedy won the 2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup on Minella Indo.
Andrew Thornton
Former jockey on BBC Radio 5 Live
1 Delta Work 2 Longhouse Poet 3 Any Second Now 4 Eclair Surf
Delta Work, who beat two-time Grand National winner Tiger Roll at Cheltenham last month, has run in 15 Grade One races and this is his first time in a handicap. The Irish challenge looks strong again and they can fill the first three places.
(Remember you can check out our pinstickers' guide here)
Frank Keogh
BBC Sport at Aintree
1 Eclair Surf 2 Enjoy D'Allen 3 Freewheelin Dylan 4 Death Duty
The form has been boosted and Eclair Surf can take advantage after sneaking into the bottom of the field. School Boy Hours got in even later and is also worth consideration.
(Remember you can check out my pinstickers' guide here).
#bbcracing
As the Grand National approaches, who are you backing and why? Do you have any Grand National traditions and/or superstitions?
Let us know via #bbcracing
Image source, PA Media
Image source, PA Media
Image source, PA MediaWell, where did that come from!?
Things are building up nicely for the big one, which is just under one hour away.
1 Sam Brown (Aidan Coleman) 28-1
2 Shan Blue (Harry Skelton) 5-2 Fav
3 Killer Kane (Brendan Powell) 6-1
14 ran