Good things come to those who wait

By Caitriona Fenton

If it only took God seven days to create the world, why then did it take 15 years for Tony McCoy to win the Grand National? McCoy is probably the greatest jump jockey who has ever ridden and he is definitely the most successful after becoming the only jockey to have ridden more than 3000 winners. He achieved this at Plumpton on Restless D’Artaix in 2009.

It is hard to say why it has taken so long for this top jockey to actually conquer the National, but this is not an unfamiliar story. A precedent was set when Frankie Dettori coincidentally had to wait 15 years also to win the blue riband of flat racing – the Derby.

Don’t Push It and McCoy put up a massive performance, the rider sporting the famous green and gold colours of J.P. McManus for whom it was also a long-awaited Grand National first. It was a great occasion for all connections, owner, jockey and trainer Jonjo O’Neill, as well as for those who witnessed all of A.P.’s hard work come to fruition. As the cheers and joyous celebrations rang out after the race it was a different story for the bookmakers. Ladbrokes described the historical win as ‘a multimillion pound bloodbath’.

My experience of the race was not as disastrous. During the build-up to the race I was battling with the decision whether to break one of my personal betting rules and bet against myself or stick to my original choice which was Character Building. In the end I decided not to break with tradition and my money was on the John Quinn-trained gelding. In the midst of the male dominated pub when the time came for sharing choices for the race, I can’t say I wasn’t expecting the reaction I received when I announced my pick. ‘So predictable’ came one voice, ‘you picked the only girl rider in the race, riding a grey horse and she just so happens to be wearing pink and purple colours’. Truth be told the horse was always a contender in my opinion even before the jockeys were finalised but the booking of Nina Carberry sealed the deal in my mind.

The fairer sex do not have a great record in the Grand National. The first woman to ride in the race was Charlotte Brew in 1977 and since then only four women have completed the arduous course, Nina being one. As the race started I was already beginning to envisage the top female jockey being led into the the winner’s enclosure. It was not the first time Carberry had this chance at making history. In 2006 she partnered Forrest Gunner to ninth place but I was convinced this year she could do even better.

It’s a long time since an amateur has won the race but Nina could rival the top professionals in style, strength and ability. The 16/1 price reflected not just the housewives’ gamble, but also the opinions of regular punters. Character Building was fancied in last year’s National but was ruled out due to injury. The 10-year-old, who was bought just days before the race by Patricia Thompson, previously showed his class and his jumping ability when he won the Kim Muir at Cheltenham in 2009.

As you probably know, Nina and Character Building crossed the line in a very respectable seventh place, but I’m sure with dreams of being first. Hopefully sometime soon Nina will have her day, but it was hard to feel anything but absolute delight for Tony McCoy this time.

By Caitriona Fenton