17 April 2023 , 08:55
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Corach Rambler's co-owner has made nearly £100,000 after the thoroughbred's stunning triumph at the Grand National.
The pre-race favourite delivered on his promise by taking the lead over the last fence to storm to victory. It's a second Grand National win for trainer Lucinda Russell and jockey Derek Fox, who led One For Arthur to victory at Aintree six years ago.
Cameron Sword, a 21-year-old student at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, invested £3,700 in Corach Rambler as part of a seven-strong syndicate. The nine-year-old has now won £690,000 in prize money, with £561,000 of that coming at Aintree on Saturday.
Despite cashing in, Sword insists he's not driven by the money. "Was I thinking about the money? No, I don’t even know how much it is," the student told The Sun. "When I do get it, I’ll probably do something in horse racing with it."
Sword says he "still can't believe" Corach Rambler's triumph and claims it's "the best three grand I've ever spent". The winning horse returned to Russell's stables in Kinross, Perthshire shortly after the race, with "hundreds of people" welcoming him back.
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Sword rushed up to Scotland to see the famous incident unfolded after a few celebratory drinks. He added: "I’m well aware it’s never going to be like this again. We’re just trying to soak it all up. Everyone in the syndicate is a normal guy and we’ve won the National. We’re friends for life now. How do you top it? You can’t."
Cameron Sword (right) has toasted Corach Rambler's stunning win (PA)What's your opinion on the Grand National? Let us know in the comments below!
Sword is the youngest winning owner in Grand National history, taking Bryan Burrough's record. Burrough was 23 when Corbiere won in 1983. The likes of Sword invest in horse racing because of a passion for the sport, rather than money. As well as paying £3,700 up front, each member of the syndicate has to cough up £300-a-month for training fees.
Russell has also expressed her delight at Corach Rambler's triumph. "It was just amazing," she told the BBC. "I had been in tears for most of the race. I just love this horse so much and I just want him to be safe and to go into history and he has certainly done that."
This year's Grand National was overshadowed by Animal Rising protesters, with 118 arrests made by police. The Grand National is one of Britain's most popular sporting events, but there is valid opposition. Sadly, three hoses died at the three-day meeting this year.
Fans of the sport have urged protesters to come to stables to see how the horses are treated. Russell added: "He was out in the field this morning. He is allowed to be a horse and, for me, that's important. We can't get the risk down to zero but we have to look after them and they are cared for in the best way that we can do."
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has "robustly condemned" the protests but pledged to find out why three horses died at this year's Aintree meeting.
"The BHA and Aintree racecourse will now analyse the races in painstaking detail, as is the case every year, to build on our existing data and help us understand what caused these incidents," said BHA's CEO Julie Harrington in a statement.