Kate Middleton’s pal Sam Waley-Cohen wins Grand National in his last EVER race on shock 50-1 outsider Noble Yeats

KATE Middleton's pal and amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen won the Grand National in his last EVER race on shock 50-1 outsider Noble Yeats.

In a pulsating finish against favourite 15-2 Any Second Now, Waley-Cohen, who close friends with Kate Middleton, kept finding more and more on the horse owned by his dad Robert.

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It is a miracle end to the career of 39-year-old Waley-Cohen, who is CEO of a dental care company worth £300m, as he announced earlier this week he was retiring after this race.

Sam knows the Duchess of Cambridge through his brother Thomas, a childhood friend of Kate's who attended Marlborough College with her.  

Tragically Thomas died at age 20 from cancer in 2004.

Waley-Cohen, 39, is allegedly the match-maker who got Wills and Kate back together after they split in 2007 but he denies the claim.

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Sam said after his thrilling victory: "It's a dream. I couldn't believe it. It's my last ever ride.

"Thank you to dad, unwavering belief and love, never a cross word, it's been a love affair.

"To my long-suffering wife, she's always there to support me.

"It is beyond words. It's a fairytale, a fantasy. Full of love and happiness and I'm so grateful."

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Dad Robert said: "It is absolutely a dream. Sorry I can't speak, it means too much. It's fabulous.

"You can't go without the horse but the horse can't go without the jockey, my God it's really worked.

"It's dedication, hard work, his record is unspeakably good.

"Fantastic. This is what we dreamed about for years. Sam was riding a rocking horse and dreaming of this.

"It's fabulous. I feel like quoting Shakespeare – my cup runneth over. I'm really emotional."

Any Second Now finished second at 15-2, Delta Work was third at 10-1 and Santini fourth at 33-1.

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Watched by 70,000 punters and with the Duchess of Cornwall in attendance, Noble Yeats was always travelling strongly over the four-mile trip.

Winning connections pocket a whopping £500,000 for bagging the world's most famous race - not a bad way to bow out at all.

Mind you, Waley-Cohen's Portman Dental Care company was valued at £300million in 2018, so the jockey is used to dealing with lots of cash.

Speaking earlier of his decision to retire, Waley-Cohen said: "I'm going to retire, hopefully in the Grand National.

'THE RIGHT MOMENT'

"I've had such an amazing time. I'm 40 this year and I couldn't have imagined the days I've had and I'd love to do it at Aintree.

"The course has been so special to me, so it felt like this was the right moment."

Many of the big names punters were backing in their droves before the off suffered horror rides.

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Rachael Blackmore fell from defending champ Minella Times, while Snow Leopardess, the miracle mare aiming to make history was pulled up by jockey Aidan Coleman.

Sadly it was reported in the aftermath of the race that two horses, Eclair Surf and Discorama, later died as a result of injuries suffered.

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