SE CHRONICLE 684

43 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

And then you won the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Yes, I was the first amateur in 30 years to win the Gold Cup – the biggest race at the biggest festival, where all the best jockeys and best horses in the world compete. It was a privilege to be there and a dream to win it. Can you describe how it felt to win the Grand National in April? The whole of Teddies was shouting at the TV that afternoon! It was unbelievable – a fantasy and a boyhood dream. I’d ridden it 10 times before and come 2nd, 4th and 5th. I had announced my retirement from racing a few days before and it was my very last race as a jockey so I didn’t go out thinking that I was likely to be the winner. But with the National, anything can happen: some horses take to it and some don’t. So I went out there ready to compete. Towards the end I could see that we were in with a chance and so I gave it everything. What next? I run a business, Portman Healthcare, which is one of Europe’s largest operators of dental practices. And now I can spend a bit more time with my wife Annabel and our children Max, Scarlett and Xander. Life is never quiet! Which book would you take to a desert island? Papillon by Henri Charrière – a great book.

Sam on Noble Yeats, having won the Grand National

Sam with trainer Emmet Mullins and his father, Robert Waley-Cohen, at a Grand National press conference