Owned by Robert Waley-Cohen, trained by Emmett Mullins in Bagenalstown, County Carlow and ridden by Sam Waley-Cohen, the son of the owner, Noble Yeats belied odds of 50/1 to win the 2022 Grand National. In so doing, he became the first seven-year-old to win the world-famous steeplechase since Bogskar won the last pre-World War II National in 1940 and the first winner to be ridden by an amateur jockey since Mr. Frisk, ridden by Marcus Armytage, in 1990. Noble Yeats was also still a novice steeplechaser, having recorded his first win over fences in a beginners’ chase at Galway in October 21, so became the first of his kind to prevail since Rule The World in 2016.
Indeed, Robert Waley-Cohen did not acquire Noble Yeats until late February and bought him specifically with the Grand National in mind. The Yeats gelding ran a satisfactory, if unspectacular, prepatory race for the National, under Sam Waley-Cohen, when ninth, beaten 20 lengths, in the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Saddled with 10st 10lb and wearing first-time cheekpieces, Noble Yeats was patiently ridden at Aintree, but made headway to track the leaders at the Canal Turn on the second circuit. He disputed the lead two out, but was headed when less than fluent at the final fence and, thereafter, was involved in a ding-dong battle with the favourite, Any Second Now, all the way up the run-in. In receipt of 12lb, he finally bested that rival in the last half-furlong, staying on well to win by two-and-a-quarter lengths. The pair pulled 20 lengths clear of the third horse home, Delta Work, with Santini a close fourth, a further length-and-a-quarter behind.
Waley-Cohen was actually handed a nine-day suspension by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) for breaching whip rules in the closing stages. However, granted that he had already announced that Noble Yeats would be his last ever ride, the suspension proved to be of little consequence.