Grand National 2015: Many Clouds wins as McCoy finishes fifth
Order of finish:Many Clouds (25/1)
Saint Are (25/1)
Monbeg Dude (40/1)
Alvarado (20/1)
Shutthefrontdoor (6/1)
Royale Knight (25/1)
Tranquil Sea (33/1)
Cause Of Causes (14/1)
Soll (9/1)
Chance Du Roy (40/1)
Mon Parrain (33/1)
Pineau De Re (25/1)
Owega Star (50/1)
Spring Heeled (25/1)
Oscar Time (20/1)
First Lieutenant (14/1)
Rocky Creek (8/1)
Night In Milan (20/1)
Dolatulo (66/1)
Non-finishersFell 1) Ely Brown
Fell 1) Gas Line Boy
Unseated 1) Al Co
Unseated 3) Rubi Light
Pulled Up 4) Corrin Wood
Fell 5) Unioniste
Fell 6) River Choice
Fell 8) Balthazar King
Unseated 8) Ballycasey
Pulled Up 19) Court By Surprise
Pulled Up 25) Across The Bay
Pulled Up 25) Super Duty
Pulled Up 25) Lord Windermere
Fell 26) The Rainbow Hunter
Fell 26) The Druids Nephew
Pulled Up 27) Rebel Rebellion
Fell 28) Portrait King
Pulled Up 29) Godsmejudge
Pulled Up 29) Wyck Hill
Pulled Up 29) Bob Ford
Many Clouds has won the Grand National, providing Leighton Aspell, his jockey, with a second consecutive success in the famous race, while his owner, Trevor Hemmings, was winning for the third time. Tony McCoy, riding in his final National, was fifth on Shutthefrontdoor after racing prominently throughout.
There was concern for Balthazar King, who fell at the Canal Turn on the first circuit and was then run into by Ballycasey. Cameras caught Balthazar King trying and failing to rise and he was behind green screens as the field passed him on the second circuit. Three quarters of an hour after the race he was still being assessed on the race course.
The winning horse, returned at odds of 25-1, is a big, old-fashioned chaser who might have been designed as a National contender by the trainers of 30 or more years ago. But his target this season was supposed to be the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month, in which he was ultimately a well beaten sixth.
The winning trainer Oliver Sherwood was surprised and disappointed by that effort and his instinct was to skip the National, which he felt might come a year too soon for the eight-year-old. But Hemmings is a lover of the National to his core and it appears to have been his plan to run here which has been so handsomely rewarded.
Aspell said: “It was wonderful and we will certainly celebrate tonight. I asked some big questions, but he dug deep.
“We really refreshed and recharged his battery and I tried to conserve energy. He is all heart. All season, he has had hard races. Win lose or draw, that’s the best ride I have had in the National. I just hoped his battery life lasted out and it did.”
Many Clouds is the youngest winner of the National since Bindaree in 2002 and carried 11st 9lb, more weight than any National winner since Red Rum.
Saint Are ran on dourly in second place and briefly threatened to make a winning run in the final furlong but the winner was not stopping. Monbeg Dude and Alvarado stayed on from the back to be third and fourth ahead of the fading Shutthefrontdoor.
For the first eight fences, this looked like an old-fashioned National, with horses exiting at every other obstacle. Three fell at the very first fence, including Al Co, last year’s Scottish National winner. The fancied Unioniste fell at the fifth.
Late in the race, The Druids Nephew fell while leading at the 26th fence. The Rainbow Hunter came down at the same obstacle.
